The size of the living space is determined by culture, budget, the number of family members, and individual needs
SANTO DOMINGO.- The square footage chosen by families and individuals to live in is directly related to their space needs, influenced by culture, budget, and the number of people who will occupy the dwelling.
Architecture, responsible for planning and designing buildings, advises ensuring spaces where human beings can have decent living conditions, although particular realities do not always allow it.
“The size of the living space is determined by the culture, the budget, the number of family members and the needs that exist,” says architect Hayde Feliz Ortíz.
The size of a space needed to be functional for its inhabitants ranges from 50 to 130 square meters. “To understand the space required and the ideal square footage for an apartment, the basic thing is to see how many people will be living there. The minimum for a bedroom should be 8 square meters, but others require 10 or 12.”.
Taking as a reference point a conventional family composed of two or three children, the entrance and exit area (hallway) should measure 1.50 m2 in width, the hallways which are the transition zone 0.90. The kitchen which is the food preparation area should have a minimum of 5 m2, but if you add the dining room it should not have less than 10 m2.
The living room should be 9 or 11 square meters, and the bathroom 3 to 5 square meters, to ensure functionality. This layout guarantees comfortable and easily navigable areas, the architect explains.
The ideal size, the fine arts professional maintains, also depends on the person's lifestyle, whether it's a young couple with children or older adults who have different habits and space requirements. A young couple is not the same as a family with children; even the common areas differ in size.
In the country, the trend is growing daily to reduce the construction area of homes, which currently ranges from 100 m2 for a family with one child, to 80 m2 for a couple without children; while the proportion for conventional families remains the same (125 to 130 m2).
