Plan types and morphological aspects of apartments in the context of Brazilian real estate supply

Abstract

This article is a contribution to the scope of housing design. It deals with the morphological investigation of layouts of dwelling spaces, with emphasis on the Brazilian real estate supply. It proposes a method to identify and classify the plan organization of Brazilian apartments considering the number of bathrooms, bedrooms, and suites, as well as the existence of servant bedrooms. A data bank was built for this purpose, containing data from 3,000 plans located in more than 50 Brazilian towns, including most state capitals, and involving projects launched from 1995 to 2000. Further qualitative observations are presented along the text, addressing the nature of the spatial structure traditionally available on the market. These discussions show a low diversity of plan layouts and attest the need for alternative designs and continuous investigation on housing types and preferences in face of the new uses of the domestic space, resulting from new life styles and social-demographic changes.