A New Apartment

A friend of mine collected the keys to his apartment recently. It is a Housing Development Board Apartment – meaning the apartment is built by the Housing Development Board of Singapore. These apartments are heavily subsidized, and only citizens are eligible to buy them. However, there are requirements you need to fulfill first. So, due to HDB rules, and reasons not my place to tell, my friend ended up buying a 36 sq. meter, (about 390 sq.feet), apartment.

I tag along to have a look at the apartment, curious to see how small it is. Here are some pictures to give you some perspectives.

This is the kitchen to the right of the apartment as you enter the door.

Adjacent to the kitchen, is the toilet.

Followed by the bedroom, with sliding doors, presumably to save space.

This is the hall – picture taken standing at the bedroom door.

This is a diagonal view of the room from one corner of the apartment.

There is a small storeroom, which doubles as an air raid shelter.

That was it - the whole apartment. I guess it is rather tight. For someone like my friend, who is living in a four room apartment now, it will take some getting use to.

However, I have been told that a place like this in Hong Kong is a luxury - if you could afford it. They cost an arm and a leg. And even if you can afford it, there is a long waiting time for them. Such an apartment would house a family of four or more.

For a single person, if you design, and plan it right, it should be all right. Sure, there is not much space, but it is still your home, your sanctuary, your castle.

This is the view down, from the window. Work is still in progress.

This is the view to the left from the window.

This is the view straight ahead from the window.

And this is the view to the right.

Maybe I will do an update of the apartment after he has moved in.