Will 25m2 apartments create high-rise 'slum' blocks?

The Ministry of Construction’s permission to build 25-square-meter commercial apartments is expected to help low-income earners buy homes and stimulate the real estate market. However, experts say careful calculations are needed to avoid making the same mistakes as old apartment buildings.

According to construction expert Pham Sy Liem, to ensure living conditions and environmental sanitation in apartment buildings, the management agency will regulate the apartment area. However, it is not important whether the apartment is big or small, but the average area per person. A 25m2 house with 2 people living in it still has a higher average area per person than a 50m2 house with 5 people living in it.

Talking to Tin Tuc reporters, this expert said that at present, a 25m2 house is a reasonable solution, meeting the needs of many people in concentrated labor areas and industrial parks. "Many people are still living in temporary, unsanitary 5-6m2 rented houses. For them, a 25m2 house is too good," said Mr. Liem.

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However, the management must think further. Allowing the construction of 25m2 houses but there must be a certain ratio because if an area is full of 25m2 buildings, the architecture will be very monotonous. At the same time, in 10-15 years, when these buildings are degraded, the population will increase, putting pressure on the infrastructure.

According to experts, we should take the old apartment buildings in Hanoi as a lesson. Previously, we built apartments of only 24 square meters because the average area was calculated to be 6 square meters/person. For a family of 4, 24 square meters was reasonable. However, 15-20 years later, the average area was too small and did not meet the requirements.

In the long term, Mr. Liem believes that a certain proportion of mini apartments is still needed to meet the needs of elderly couples who do not live with their children. However, the proportion needs to be calculated.

Sharing the same view, according to Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha, Vice President of Vietnam Real Estate Association, the implementation of 25m2 houses in the inner city of big cities like Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City is completely feasible but must ensure not to break the planning based on population, while ensuring the aesthetics of 25m2 apartments.

According to Mr. Nguyen Manh Ha, currently nearly 50% of households have 3 people or less, the household structure in urban areas is getting smaller and smaller. Therefore, the demand for small apartments in urban areas in the future is very large.

“Whether a slum or not depends on the quality of life of the residents in that apartment building, not on its area. If a 25m2 apartment is built properly, ensuring quality and high-class amenities, it is normal for many people to buy it,” he said.

On the other hand, Mr. Ha suggested that the Ministry of Construction needs to develop a suitable management process for 25m2 apartments.

In fact, in Asian countries surrounding Vietnam, there are regulations for the development of small and super small apartments. The smallest apartment in Thailand is 25m2, in China it is 20m2, Hong Kong (China) has a social housing apartment of 15m2 for 2 people...

Previously, according to the 2005 Construction Law, apartment buildings had to be designed as self-contained apartments, with each apartment having a floor area of ​​no less than 45 square meters. However, the revised 2014 Housing Law removed the regulation limiting the minimum area of ​​45 square meters for commercial apartments, and only stipulated that apartments must be designed and built in a self-contained style, with a floor area according to construction standards and regulations.

The pilot project to build small apartments of 25 square meters has been carried out in Binh Duong. However, in big cities, where the demand for this type of apartment is quite high, there is no supply.

According to Hoang Duong/baotintuc