As 1- and 2-person households grow, popularity of 59-sq.-m. apartments surges

[Financial News] Apartment designs with 59 sq. m of exclusive area are drawing attention as households shrink and people place greater emphasis on efficient use of space. According to the results of last year’s Population and Housing Census, announced by the government on the 29th, the share of 1- and 2-person households rose from 65.1% in 2024 to 66.1% last year.
As demand for smaller homes has grown, construction companies have improved space efficiency with a “four-bay, flat-plate layout,” which lines up three rooms and the living room along the front, and with cross-ventilation designs. Subscription results have also been strong.
De'Fine Yeonhui, which went on sale in Yeonhui-dong, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, last January, recorded an average first-priority subscription competition rate of 44.1 to 1, while its exclusive-use 59 sq. m Type A had the complex’s highest rate, at 66.2 to 1. Hauterre Banpo, supplied in Jamwon-dong, Seocho-gu, Seoul, last April, recorded an average of 710.2 to 1, but its exclusive-use 59 sq. m Type B drew 17,713 applications for 15 units, reaching 1,180.8 to 1.
More complexes specializing in exclusive-use 59 sq. m units are set to launch over the remainder of this year. Kumho Engineering & Construction will offer Hyeonggok Central Atera in Hyeonggok-dong, Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province, this November. The reconstruction project for Hyeonggok Jugong Complex 3 will comprise 770 units across seven buildings, with two basement levels and up to 29 aboveground floors.
In the Seoul metropolitan area, LOTTE Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. will unveil Gyeonggi Gwangju Station Lotte Castle Signature Complex 2 in Ssangnyeong-dong, Gwangju, Gyeonggi Province. The complex will have 10 basement levels and up to 26 aboveground floors across 10 buildings, with exclusive-use areas of 59–246 sq. m and a total of 1,249 units. Dongbu Construction will supply Geomdan Centreville Grand Foret in Oryu-dong, Geomdan-gu, Incheon. The complex will comprise 843 units across nine buildings, with three basement levels and up to 27 aboveground floors.
[email protected] Kwon Jun-ho Reporter