Condominiums have enjoyed quite a bit of popularity in recent years. They’ve become known for being trendy, affordable housing and real estate investment opportunities, which has led to more and more people opting for them. For computer-aided design professionals who have careers in the architectural space, this trend means there are many more condo design and modeling projects to work on.
Want to learn a bit about the dos and don’ts of condo design? Here are a few things to keep in mind.
Do: Use Computer Aided Design Training to Make Attractive Exteriors
For building owners, a condo needs to look attractive enough that people passing on the street will become tempted to purchase a unit for themselves. For unit owners or renters, a condo needs to look nice enough on the outside that arriving home feels good.
For that reason, it’s important that designers and modelers make an effort to design attractive exteriors for the condo building projects they work on. Simple things, like interesting window shapes, balconies, textured surfaces, and other unique visual elements can add the sort of flare that tenants and owners alike will love. Call on the drawing and modeling skills you developed in your CAD courses to implement these kinds of design choices if ever you’re called on to help design a condo. The results could be quite impressive.
Don’t: Forget to Design Spacious & Welcoming Parking
A beautiful building with terrible parking can be frustrating for owners and tenants, so if you want to be sure you design great condo buildings, remember to create large and functional parking spaces.
As a rule of thumb, try to provide enough space so that a given condo building will have two parking spaces per unit. Laying out the spaces so that it’s easy for cars to exit the garage without jamming up incoming or outgoing traffic will also provide much-appreciated convenience to owners and tenants. Consider having a separate entrance and exit doors, and adequate driving space that runs throughout the parking lot.
Bright, spacious parking is essential to helping tenants feel welcome and safe in a building
It’s also important that you don’t forget lighting! Dark garages are not welcoming and could make tenants feel uncomfortable. Be sure to use your computer-aided design training to model your design ahead of time, and ensure that there is adequate lighting, both during the day and at night, for people to be comfortable.
Do: Try to Use Your Computer Aided Design Training to Design According to Local Flavour
Every city has its own unique flavour for architecture, with key attributes found in many of its structures. In Edmonton, for instance, clinker brick exteriors are common among many buildings. In Montreal, outdoor staircases and individual doorways are hallmarks of apartments and older condo units.
Take cues from local architecture when designing condos
While there’s no rule that says these kinds of choices must exist for all new projects, incorporating these kinds of elements can help the condos you design to become a part of the story their cities tell through design. It’s a nice way to make your structures look at home within their geographical context, and to help preserve a bit of what makes the city special. If ever you have influence over this kind of design decision, consider making a point of including local architectural hallmarks in the condo buildings you work on.
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