Apartment

Some people like having homes up in the air, but penthouses are at a premium these days. Best height to me is at least three floors up.

— Review from Better Dwellings Magazine.

Purpose / Function

A type of housing in medium to high density areas. Several apartments can be stacked on each other in blocks. They are built in this way to save space, especially in cities that are already built on.

Alterations

Some apartment owners tear down extraneous bedroom walls, or the wall separating kitchen from dining room. This depends on whether the apartment management allows for extensive renovations in the first place.

If renovation isn't allowed, tenants will resort to hanging up new wallpapers, painting their walls, and putting up temporary decorations.

Architecture

Most apartments before the 21st century were built in colonial or art deco styles. Apartments after the start of the 21st century tend to be very basic in design, being cubical in shape.

The older apartments have roomier bathrooms than the new ones, the latter bathrooms only having space for a toilet, a sink, and a shower next to each other. Old bathrooms had room for a full length bathtub.

Bedrooms also follow the general rule of newer buildings being very compact, having space for just a bed, desk, and possibly a few square feet of walking room.

History

Basic plans for apartments have existed since the start of civilization, with Roman apartments and Hakka tulou homes for instance. When more people came to the New World, the concept of stacked housing became more appealing as it didn't break city boundaries or impede roads.

When the Shanghai Noir film age happened, celebrities made apartments very glamorous just by staying in them. The common folk were infatuated with the superstar lifestyle and sought to emulate them that way.

Alternative Names

Flat
Condo
Penthouse (Topmost floor unit only)

Type

House

Parent Location

New Luoyang

Owning Organization

Xiyang Tangguo