Living spaces getting smaller and smaller.

Foldable furniture with a chair and table combination

Bed frame storage

The second research method used is Experience. This experience is from my own experience. Due to the limited space given, i prefer to use foldable tables or furniture that comes combined together and can be easy to store away without taking up too much space. Also, there are bed frames in the market that enable us to store things under our bed. I think that furnitures like these are very functional and it helps greatly in keeping the living space as spacious as possible. Having more storage also helps as i can pack away the stuff that i do not use often.

Living spaces getting smaller and smaller.

We have also made 3 different research methodology to show how we are going to tackle this problem and also to show what we want to achieve by using these method. Firstly, we are going to tackle this problem using the comparison method.

By comparing the size of a HDB flat with the old and new. It is obvious that old flats are so much bigger than now. Apparently, the reason for it is because the families now are getting smaller thus the government shrink the sizes of HDB flats so that it will not occupy unnecessary lands and the land can be saved up and used for better purposes in the future.

A four-room HDB flat in the 1980s, boasted a size of 105 sq m, or 1,130 sq ft. Today, four-room flats built by HDB have shrunk to about 90 sq m, or 969 sq ft.   HDB chief executive Cheong Koon Hean confirmed same, that it reduced flat sizes in the mid-1990s.   

Extracted from the report

Living spaces getting smaller and smaller.

Our last research for Chapter 1 of our report is on different personas. We have chosen two personas for this project and they are Singapore citizens and foreigners. Below is an extract of Chapter 1.4 written by me for the report.

Chapter 1.4 different personas

We have two personas for this project, they are Singapore citizens and foreigners. Firstly, the living spaces in Singapore are getting smaller and smaller as there insufficient land to build more buildings. Hence, the buildings today are getting smaller but taller. The increase in the number of storeys in HDB buildings gives more houses for people to stay as there will be more rooms available. However, as land spaces are limited, rooms are getting smaller and smaller.

Secondly, the cause of limited land space made renting of rooms difficult for foreigners as they will be competing with Singaporeans for a house to live in. In addition, that rental fees for foreigners will be higher as there are lack of space in Singapore and in order to get an apartment to stay in, they have to pay for the expensive rental fees. Furthermore, the number of foreigners coming into Singapore is increasing which leads to an increase in Singapore population. This also means that the living spaces in Singapore is too little to occupy the population in Singapore

Living spaces getting smaller and smaller.

'Este villa' in Singapore

We have also done research of the types of living spaces in Singapore. In Singapore, there are many different types of living spaces to choose from. The most basic, the HDB flats, it comes in 2-rooms, 3-rooms, 4-rooms and 5-rooms. There are also apartment houses that are more expensive as compared to HDB flats and also the villa, which is often located far from the city area, normally affordable to the riches. 

Exterior of a beautiful container house

Interior of a travel trailer

Interior of a treehouse

As compared to other countries, people who cannot afford the most standard house, they can live in containers or a travel trailer. Even tree houses are possible for them to live in. 

Living spaces getting smaller and smaller.

Besides the research on why space is getting smaller, we have also done researches on the context, types of living space and different personas to aid in our report. 

We have found out why the sizes of HDB flats are getting smaller as years passed by. After researching, it was said that the HDB chief executive, Cheong Koon Hean, confirmed the fact. Furthermore, the decision to reduce flat sizes is also because Singapore families are getting smaller thus it was not necessary to remain the size or to increase it. However, the National Development Minister, Khaw Boon Wan, has reassured Singaporeans that the size will not decrease like how Hong Kong flats are, which are a lot smaller. 

Normal Australian house

Normal HDB flat in Singapore

In addition, after researching deeper, it is also said that the government will continue to build HDB flats of both small and big sizes so that the consumers can purchase the size of the house that they want. Singapore is not only the country that is facing this problem, countries like Hong Kong and Europe are also facing the same problem. Whereas Australia houses are still far more bigger as compared to other houses around the world. 

Living space getting smaller and smaller.

The design process report allows me to understand the problem better. In Chapter 1 of our report, it is a research on why the space in Singapore is getting smaller and smaller. After the research we realized that with the increasing population in Singapore, there is a need to build more houses. With the limited land Singapore has and the increasing amount of small families, the government have decided to decrease the size of each apartment. This way, family with a small amount of members can purchase a house that is suitable for them at an affordable price. However, there is a disadvantage, the small apartments affects the mindset of people as they will not have big families anymore as the houses are getting smaller. 

In addition, due to global warming and the rising of sea level, a portion of Singapore's land will be covered with sea water which made the land even smaller.

Living space getting smaller and smaller

Case study

Singapore living spaces is getting smaller and smaller as compared to before. In this article that I found online, it states an opinion of a Singaporean regarding the living space in a HDB flat.

Calling the unit "too small," Heri Setiabudi, said that "if you're thinking of renting it out, I don't think people, especially the foreigners, will rent such a small unit... Even if you are single but intend to start a family, (it's too small)."

Source: http://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/sporeans-not-keen-smaller-living-060415190.html

 
However, if we compare Singapore housing with U.S housing, the houses in U.S are way more affordable than Singapore given that their living space are bigger and spacious.

Notice how rental prices in Singapore is higher than U.S

U.S on the left, Singapore on the right.

Overall, I think that the living spaces in Singapore is not just getting smaller, it is also getting more expensive for Singapore citizens and foreigners. However, being a Singaporean makes one at a advantage as they are allowed to loan from banks or HDB but a foreigner will have to pay monthly rental fees, some have to pay for electrical bills as well. Hence, it is clearly a disadvantage situation for foreigners.