# Open-Air Corridors in Apartment Design



## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Many Hong Kong public housing estates incorporate an open corridor design, which means either :

i) the corridors are open to the outdoors on one side



















ii) the ends of the corridors, which usually attach to staircases, are open to the outdoors



















Such open-air designs don't seem to be popular elsewhere in the world. Is that true? Why is that?


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## I-275westcoastfl (Feb 15, 2005)

I disagree i see alot of this in older apartment buildings and projects not much in newer basically because its uglier i mean look at the buildings you posted they are all crappy. The housing project i used to live in had those but it was only two stories so the second story had it lol.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

I wonder if it has to do with ventilation. The newer housing estates in Hong Kong have open-air staircases while a lot of the older ones have open-air corridors. The private housing estates are not open-air in general.


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## archifreese (May 5, 2005)

its popular here in miami mostly on ollder buildings. it is making a comeback in new builgins where the elevator lobbies on each floor are air conditioned and connect to each unit, but then the corridors that take you to the staircases (at the ends of the building) are open air - this is because here in miami the open air hallways dont count as built area whereas enclosed ones do.


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## James Saito (Nov 6, 2002)

It looks uglier from outside but it seems more safer when there is a fire.


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## redstone (Nov 15, 2003)

Singapore is also quite the same. Most of the blocks here have concrete walls rather than railings. 

Nowadays isn't that common in design to have long straight corridors.


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

Damn, you'd think they would have put ducted air conditioning in those highrise apartments, considering HK can get rather warm. 

To question at hand. It is very common in British Council Estates from the 1960's '70's. I don't think you see it much now. Very ugly indeed.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Ohh .. the public housing estates don't get air-conditioned corridors, which is why I think they have the open-air concept to improve ventilation. I can't imagine how it'd be if the corridors were all enclosed in the middle of the structure.


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## redstone (Nov 15, 2003)

It's pretty common in Singapore.

Most of the blocks here have their main windows orientated North-South to minimise heating up of the interior in the day.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

This style of corridor design doesn't seem to be common in North America. In the colder areas, an insulated corridor will keep the building warm while summers are not hot enough to warrant an open-air design. A ventilation fan will do.


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## redstone (Nov 15, 2003)

As for us, it offers great panoramic photo chances. :lol:


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

For the residents only, because they are still gated so the general public can't go in to take pictures from the corridors.


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## Mr. Fusion (Jul 1, 2006)

Please excuse my stupidity, but what's a "public housing estate"?

:grouphug:


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## redstone (Nov 15, 2003)

Hmmm... those in Singapore, anyone can access the corridors.


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## hkskyline (Sep 13, 2002)

Mr. Fusion said:


> Please excuse my stupidity, but what's a "public housing estate"?
> 
> :grouphug:


A public housing estate is government-subsidized housing for the lower income classes who cannot afford rentals in the open market. The government usually offers reduced rent based on income thresholds. As a result, these housing estates tend to use lower quality materials and have more basic facilities (no fancy clubhouses).


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## Justme (Sep 11, 2002)

hkskyline said:


> A public housing estate is government-subsidized housing for the lower income classes who cannot afford rentals in the open market. The government usually offers reduced rent based on income thresholds. As a result, these housing estates tend to use lower quality materials and have more basic facilities (no fancy clubhouses).


Year, I believe they call them "projects" in the US and "Council Estates" in the UK.


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## samsonyuen (Sep 23, 2003)

I see these in council flats as well, but not quite as high. I think it might be cheaper to maintain, and make it more safe because of its visibility as well?


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## Quente (Jan 9, 2005)

I just came back from Tokyo, where I stayed with an old high school friend of mine who lives in a rather new 6-story apartment building with exterior corridors. This feature is obviously mandated by the local building codes because I noticed these exterior corridors throughout Tokyo and Kyoto.

Kent


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