- Residential facilities with a 'duplex' design allowing personal expression at home... Maximizing effect with a 'two-floor' height
- Recently, supply planned such as 'Geumnamro Hanshin The Hue Penthouse'... Gwangju's first 'two-story house' structured high-end apartment
Recently, 'duplex-style' residential facilities have been gaining popularity among the 'MZ Generation' who have emerged like a comet across Korean society. It is evaluated that these facilities cater to their preferences for unique experiences and a desire to have an independent and complete personal life.
MZ Generation Wants a ‘Complete Personal Life’... “How About a Two-Story House?” Turning Attention to a New Housing Trend
According to data published by Statistics Korea this spring, the MZ Generation prefers unique personal experiences, individual tastes, and independent living spaces. They also favor housing types that allow activities usually done outside to be possible indoors, prioritize their happiness in consumption, and use their consumption to showcase their identity.
Duplex-style living spaces suit these characteristics of the MZ Generation well. Within the generation, they can separate living areas and decorate each floor according to their tastes. The concept expands from the traditional ‘rooms’ to ‘floors.’
Especially if the duplex is not just an attic-sized space but a full ‘two-story house’ structure, the preference increases further. This is because it allows for completely independent living areas on each floor, enabling a ‘complete personal life.’
For example, the first floor can be a home, and the second floor a workplace. This aspect is particularly attractive to young and wealthy individuals with jobs that allow remote work, such as content creators, fine artists, market traders, and internet shopping mall CEOs. It also enables true ‘all-in-home’ living and work-life balance by escaping ambiguous multi-use spaces and inter-floor noise.
It also draws attention from newlyweds. The first floor can be the wife’s space, and the second floor the husband’s. This housing type is favored by young MZ Generation newlyweds who want their individual lives respected even within marriage.
Above all, the two-story house structure enables the ‘FLEX’ consumption that excites the MZ Generation. Unlike typical single-story structures, a two-story house is rare and unique in itself, offering an outstanding open view and sense of spaciousness that naturally encourages them to pick up their cameras. They can enjoy the sky and night view simultaneously at home without going on a hotel vacation, experience healing, and invite acquaintances to showcase themselves.
However, such two-story house structures are hard to find in multi-family housing rather than detached houses. From the supplier’s perspective, who must generate intensive profits within limited land and buildings, the number of units for sale decreases, making profitability less attractive. This is because one household occupies the space that could accommodate two. Therefore, two-story house structures are mainly introduced in affluent neighborhoods like Cheongdam-dong in Seoul and have been a housing type favored by the young and wealthy.
Since the two-story house structure is a cautious challenge for suppliers, more meticulous care is taken in its development. From small details like water fixtures and door handles to furniture, windows, bathtubs, wall materials, art walls, and finishes, every corner of the house is composed of top-tier luxury unlike typical residential spaces. The details are created distinctively.
As the term literally means, the ‘precious’ two-story house structure residential facilities are also priced high in the market.
‘Vertical Expansion’ Trend Reflected in ‘Two-Story House’ Structure... Upcoming Sales Include ‘Geumnam-ro Hanshin The Hue Penthouse’
The industry consensus is that the future trend in housing expansion will be ‘vertical expansion’ rather than ‘horizontal expansion.’ Since land is limited, horizontal expansion, which requires more land as it grows, has physical limitations. Those who want larger floor areas will eventually live in housing facilities that grow upward rather than sideways, and the two-story house structure fits this trend change well.
The vertically expanded two-story house structure is scarce compared to general residential facilities. Recently, it is planned not only in the metropolitan area but also in provincial regions, attracting attention from MZ Generation consumers.
Hanshin Engineering plans to launch the high-end apartment ‘Geumnam-ro Hanshin The Hue Penthouse’ in May in the old downtown area of Dong-gu, Gwangju, around Geumnam-ro. The complex consists of two buildings with a total of 99 households, ranging from four basement floors to 25 floors above ground. By exclusive area, there are ▲20 units of 84㎡A ▲20 units of 84㎡B ▲35 units of 107㎡ ▲11 units of 163㎡A ▲11 units of 163㎡B ▲1 unit of 226㎡P ▲1 unit of 230㎡P. All units are designed as medium to large sizes and arranged mainly facing south. Notably, the 163㎡ units and penthouses are planned as Gwangju’s first ‘two-story house’ structures, allowing separation of living areas within the household. The design phase targeted young and wealthy buyers, and the location is described as a ‘multi-access’ spot in the center of Gwangju’s old downtown, Geumnam-ro.
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