A Study on the Changes in Sharehouse Design in Korea

Among Korea’s household types, the demand for one-person housing, such as sharehouses, is noticeably increasing as lifestyle factors evolve. Sharehouses feature private bedrooms with communal spaces such as living rooms, kitchens, and bathrooms. This housing type has been supplied since 2010, yet its changes over time to meet demand have been underexplored. This study assesses the changing patterns of sharehouses by exploring six examples built between 2011 and 2019 and analyzing the changes in terms of communal space, personal space, and operating method. The results found that the later sharehouses eliminated the earlier sharehouses’ approach to uniform space configuration and operating methods, and manifested many changes (addition of work and cultural spaces; independent bathrooms and skip-floors to enhance privacy; and selection of residents being tailored to specific business/culture fields). Based on the findings, this study makes four suggestions to inform future spatial planning of sharehouses: (1) Spatial planning should reflect trends; (2) the target requirements for residents and ownership of sharehouses should be broadened; (3) operations and community programs should be developed; and (4) new laws and regulations specifically for sharehouses should be created.

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