Abstract
A studio type urban lifestyle housing was recently introduced as a new urban multi-housing typology. It was particularly created to meet the increasing housing demand of one-person households due to the population change and the shortage of housing supply. However, some concerns have been raised, because the government's policy has been focused on expanding housing supply by easing certain legal regulations in construction. Poorly planned and managed urban lifestyle housings might degrade living conditions for one-person households and ultimately harm urban environments. As such, this research is conducted to investigate the design characteristics of the studio type urban lifestyle housing from selected construction precedents in Seoul. Critical evaluations are made for the facilities and uses in site plans, unit plans, and shared public spaces. As a result, problem areas are found in the lack of design varieties, privacy protection in units, control of natural environment conditions, and the absence of community spaces. Improvement strategies can be suggested by comparing with some overseas' housing precedents: Design variations can be extended through flexible structure, facility, and furniture systems. Privacy and natural environment can be controled through the integration of interior space configurations and exterior envelope systems. The housing policy needs to be reconsidered to improve a variety in design, residents' social interaction, security, and management. Thereby, the studio type urban lifestyle housing should be holistically approached in terms of design and policy to enrich urban living experiences by residents and communities.
