"In poorer quality apartments, there might be full windows only along the balcony side of the apartment, their kitchens only lit naturally by dingy light wells."
Housing blocks built with 1, 2, and 3 bedroom flats (apartments) are routinely built with windowless kitchens and bathrooms today. This is regardless of whether the housing blocks are 'architect-designed' or cut from generic layouts.
In modern flats, the kitchen is shoved to the back of the living room away from windows and lacks any natural ventilation. This is sold as 'open plan living'.
Mechanical ventilation has became a crutch for many architects and housebuilders. It lets them lay out unappealing single-aspect apartments (including north-facing flats which should be banned). Single aspect means windows run across only one side of the apartment as opposed to dual-aspect design where windows run across two sides of the flat allowing cross-ventilation.
Modern blocks of flats, including 'architect-designed' ones, show a completely paucity of imagination when it comes to layout.
I frequently think I should sell my townhouse and buy a flat, but then I look at photos in various real-estate listings and they're all dark and gloomy. It seems you're lucky if the flat has floor-ceiling windows in the main room, even luckier if it has a balcony. I don't know how people live in such darkness. As it is, the dining room in my townhome sits between thee kitchen and living room and is noticeable darker then either (and subsequently rarely used).
Housing blocks built with 1, 2, and 3 bedroom flats (apartments) are routinely built with windowless kitchens and bathrooms today. This is regardless of whether the housing blocks are 'architect-designed' or cut from generic layouts.
In modern flats, the kitchen is shoved to the back of the living room away from windows and lacks any natural ventilation. This is sold as 'open plan living'.
Mechanical ventilation has became a crutch for many architects and housebuilders. It lets them lay out unappealing single-aspect apartments (including north-facing flats which should be banned). Single aspect means windows run across only one side of the apartment as opposed to dual-aspect design where windows run across two sides of the flat allowing cross-ventilation.
Modern blocks of flats, including 'architect-designed' ones, show a completely paucity of imagination when it comes to layout.