Construction companies are enhancing the added value of apartments by diversely utilizing the upper spaces of apartment buildings. Once regarded merely as simple structures, the upper floors of apartments have now transformed into luxurious community facilities or penthouses for residents, significantly elevating the prestige and appeal of the apartments.
Until a few years ago, resident community centers were often located in areas with poor accessibility such as basements, first floors, or outdoor vacant lots. These centers were frequently poorly maintained and lacked sophisticated design, resulting in low usage rates. However, community facilities elevated to the sky (天空) have established themselves not only as functional spaces but also as key amenities that increase the overall added value of the complex and raise apartment market prices.
A representative example is the sky lounge. Recently, it has emerged as a symbolic feature of luxury apartments and a highly preferred facility among residents. Located on the top floor of the apartment, the sky lounge is designed as a community facility where residents can enjoy leisure while appreciating the surrounding scenery, contributing to emphasizing the apartment’s luxury and increasing its rarity value. Sky lounges typically include cafes, reading areas, guest rooms, and outdoor terraces, providing an elegant leisure experience.
In Seoul, sky lounges have already become symbols of affluent neighborhoods. Seocho-gu’s ‘Raemian One Bailey’ and ‘Acro River Park’ are well-known apartments equipped with sky lounges. The top floor of ‘Olympic Park Foreon’ in Gangdong-gu, which is scheduled for occupancy in December, also features such luxurious facilities where residents can enjoy views of the city’s day and nightscapes. Notably, this apartment places the guest house for visitors on the 35th floor, whereas guest houses are typically located on the first floor.
Among the top 10 apartment subscription competition rates this year, five complexes have introduced sky community facilities: ‘Cheongdam Le El’ (667.26 to 1), ‘Raemian One Pentas’ (527.33 to 1), ‘Gangbyeon Station Central I-Park’ (494.11 to 1), ‘Maple Xi’ (442.32 to 1), and ‘Jamsil Raemian I-Park’ (268.69 to 1).
In provincial areas as well, diverse uses of sky spaces are progressing mainly in branded apartments. ‘Suncheon Grand Park Xi,’ the first Xi brand apartment in Suncheon, Jeollanam-do, will feature the city’s first sky lounge. In Daegu, ‘Beomeo I-Park’ in Suseong-gu introduced a sky lounge to enhance its luxury image and achieved a quick sell-out.
Penthouses are also an indispensable symbol of luxury. Located on the top floors, penthouses boast spacious areas and excellent views, offering residents a unique living experience with differentiated designs and high-end interiors. Especially, penthouses with customized designs such as private gardens and exclusive terraces are praised for ensuring residents’ privacy while completing a luxurious lifestyle.
Moreover, penthouses are highly valued for their rarity, as only a few units are supplied within a complex. Typically limited to just a few households in an apartment complex, penthouses hold a distinct status and are recognized for their high value in the real estate market. Their large usable area also contributes to increasing the overall value of the apartment.
In Seoul, penthouses priced in the 10 billion KRW range are already being traded mainly in the Gangnam area. In provincial regions, the ‘Pentaport’ in Cheonan Buldang-dong, Chungnam, with an exclusive area of 235㎡, has a listing price reaching 4.2 billion KRW. According to Real Estate Info, all of the top three highest-priced apartments traded in Gangwon Province this year were penthouse units.
New apartments scheduled for sale within the year are also drawing attention by upgrading their upper floors. First, in Asan City, GS Construction is set to supply ‘Asan Tangjeong Xi First City’ in December through the ‘Asan New Town Central City Urban Development Project.’
Asan Tangjeong Xi First City will be the first supply within the Asan New Town Central City Urban Development Project, consisting of three blocks (A1, A2, A3) with a total of 3,673 units in a large complex. Starting in December, 797 units in block A1 with exclusive areas of 59, 84, and 125㎡ will be sold sequentially.
On the 34th floor of the main building of Asan Tangjeong Xi First City, the residents-only sky lounge ‘Club Cloud’ will include a book caf? offering book curation services by Kyobo Bookstore and a guest house. Additionally, the community center ‘Club Xi-an’ will feature a fitness club, golf practice range, GX room, sauna, and reading room. As the first Xi apartment introduced after the Xi brand renewal (based on the resident recruitment announcement date), special attention has been paid to the product composition.
Asan Tangjeong Xi First City is located on the central axis connecting Buldang District, a representative area of Cheonan, and Asan Tangjeong 2, a large-scale urban development project planned for the central region. It is characterized as a true live-work proximity complex. Residents can conveniently commute along Samsung-ro to Samsung Asan Display City 1 and 2 (planned), as well as to Nano City Onyang Campus, SDI Cheonan Plant, and general industrial complexes in Asan and Cheonan.
The trend of construction companies utilizing upper floors of apartments to create luxury community facilities or penthouses is expected to continue. This approach enhances residents’ living satisfaction and increases the added value of apartments. Therefore, various attempts to utilize upper floors are anticipated in future apartment supplies.
The trend of construction companies utilizing upper floors of apartments to create luxury community facilities or penthouses is expected to persist. This strategy not only improves residents’ living satisfaction but also significantly enhances the added value of apartments. Accordingly, diverse designs and innovative attempts utilizing upper floors are expected to continue in apartments to be supplied in the future.
Gwon Il, head of the research team at Real Estate Info, explained, “The luxury strategy utilizing the top floors increases the rarity value of the complex and provides residents with a differentiated living experience. In particular, high-end facilities such as sky lounges and penthouses play a key role in strengthening the overall competitiveness of the complex beyond being mere residential spaces.”
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
