{"id":38480,"date":"2025-01-20T19:21:52","date_gmt":"2025-01-20T19:21:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/business\/real-estate\/design-versus-functionality-the-problem-with-new-condo-floor-plans\/"},"modified":"2025-01-20T19:21:52","modified_gmt":"2025-01-20T19:21:52","slug":"design-versus-functionality-the-problem-with-new-condo-floor-plans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=38480","title":{"rendered":"Design Versus Functionality: The Problem With New Condo Floor Plans"},"content":{"rendered":"


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It\u2019s often fun to look at\u00a0artist\u2019s renderings<\/em> of new condominiums, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n

And I\u2019m not just referring to the renderings of the buildings themselves, but rather the amenities too.<\/p>\n

Just consider the liberties that an artist could take while\u00a0drawing<\/em> a lifestyle!<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s the renderings in\u00a0print,\u00a0<\/em>like a glossy advertising booklet, or the renderings\u00a0online<\/em> via the developer\u2019s website, I always love perusing these gross exaggerations!<\/p>\n

For example, what would you expect to find in the \u201cshared kitchen\u201d of a new downtown Toronto condo \u2013 one that\u2019s primarily sold to pre-construction investors, who then rent out the micro-condos to tenants?<\/p>\n

Probably not\u00a0this<\/em>:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

I know I\u2019m a cynic, but I\u2019m also a realist.<\/p>\n

In the photo above, I see six white people, all in their 20\u2019s, getting along in harmony as two of them tend to an\u00a0herb-garden<\/em> outside while others share communal appliances in an unrealistically clean kitchen.<\/p>\n

I shudder to think how disgusting those\u00a0shared<\/em> appliances would be after a week, let alone one year.\u00a0 That is, if nobody walks away with them.<\/p>\n

How about this zen garden on the building\u2019s rooftop?<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Six more of Toronto\u2019s finest, all dolled up for a night on the\u2026.<\/p>\n

\u2026terrace<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Who wears an evening gown or a suit to a rooftop terrace at a downtown condo?<\/p>\n

Unless this is a five-star restaurant or hotel, I find the idea of this representing any of today\u2019s pre-construction condo projects to be downright hysterical.<\/p>\n

In any event, I love looking at artists\u2019 renderings when buildings are first launched and then keeping the pictures to do a \u201cbefore and after\u201d years later.<\/p>\n

Many, many moons ago, I saw an artist\u2019s rendering for a building called \u201cTheatre Park\u201d on King Street West.<\/p>\n

It looked like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, do you see those white lines on the west (or\u00a0left<\/em>) side of the building?<\/p>\n

Those criss-crossing, diagonal white bands?<\/p>\n

When I first saw this artist\u2019s rendering, I thought, \u201cThere\u2019s no way the developer is\u00a0actually\u00a0<\/em>going to put those lines on the side of the building.\u201d<\/p>\n

After all, it might\u00a0look<\/em> cool, but functionally, this is awful.<\/p>\n

And we\u2019re in the business of building functional living spaces, right?\u00a0 It\u2019s not all about how it\u00a0looks<\/em>?<\/p>\n

Uh-oh.\u00a0 I think I was way too far ahead on that one.<\/p>\n

After all, this was well before \u201cplating\u201d became an adjective, and the presentation<\/em> of food, as an example, trumped the importance of taste and satisfaction.<\/p>\n

I mean, what the hell is this\u2026<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I\u2019m clearly not the spitting image of class and sophistication, but I don\u2019t need my food to\u00a0look<\/em> like a piece of art.<\/p>\n

Five-star cuisine?<\/p>\n

Meh.<\/p>\n

Give me a shawarma, dripping garlic sauce, and tzatziki, any day of the week over this fancy piece of art.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, for the buyers of pre-construction condos at Theatre Park, the developer\u00a0did<\/em> go with \u201clooks\u201d over \u201cfunctionality.\u201d<\/p>\n

While\u00a0some<\/em> lucky unit owners walked into views like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Others have their views obstructed by giant white X\u2019s like this:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Or this:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

So it begs the question:\u00a0why do developers put design ahead of functionality<\/em>?<\/p>\n

I was recently perusing the floor plans for a building on The Esplanade, and I noticed that most of them are terrible.<\/p>\n

But is the design of the building from the outside\u00a0really <\/em>that aesthetically superior to something simpler?<\/p>\n

Is this brilliant architecture?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Again, you have to love the\u00a0rendering<\/em> with all those people lined up outside to gaze upon the building, during the aurora borealis, with no other buildings in the skyline.<\/p>\n

But is it a thing of beauty?<\/p>\n

You tell me.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, it got me thinking about what\u00a0floor plans<\/em> would look like in the building, and my-oh-my, are there some bizarre ones.<\/p>\n

Before we get to that, I want to show you the floor plan for my first condo:<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Or at least, I\u00a0think<\/em> that\u2019s the floor plan.\u00a0 It\u2019s pretty close.\u00a0 The image itself tells you just how long ago this building was constructed and how hard it is to find floor plans online\u2026<\/p>\n

In any event, I call this a \u201csquare plan\u201d as the unit is (duh!) essentially a square or a rectangle, and there is no wasted space.<\/p>\n

There are no awkward design lines, no odd angles, no long hallways, no rounded or triangular walls, and nothing that would cause you to say, \u201cHuh, this doesn\u2019t really work\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Throughout my years in the industry, I have always advised buyers \u2013 especially first-time buyers on a budget, to consider a square plan above all else.\u00a0 When you pay\u00a0by the square foot<\/em>, a long, useless hallway might \u201ccost\u201d you $75,000, and a triangular living room might provide you with wasted space that you\u2019ll never use.<\/p>\n

Call me boring, unoriginal, or simply not fun<\/em>, but we\u2019re not \u201cplating\u201d food here.\u00a0 We\u2019re trying to find a comfortable, convenient, functional place to live.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a look at some of the floor plans in the building and you tell me if I\u2019m wrong.<\/p>\n

Floor Plan #1:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Sorry, not sorry, but this is absolutely brutal.<\/p>\n

Look at the master bedroom!\u00a0 Why would anybody want that shape?\u00a0 What is somebody supposed to do with that triangular space across from the bed?<\/p>\n

And that\u00a0den<\/em>?\u00a0 It\u2019s laughable.\u00a0 I\u2019m dizzy just looking at it.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t imagine trying to furnish that living\/dining room, given the odd angles, and don\u2019t forget that the circle\u00a0<\/em>represents a pillar, so good luck coming up with a layout to \u201cmaximize\u201d the space.<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

Floor Plan #2:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Do I even need to comment?\u00a0 Or should we simply move on?<\/p>\n

This is one of the most ridiculous floor plans I have ever seen, and it\u2019s clearly the result of the building\u2019s \u201cdesign\u201d taking priority over the functionality of the unit itself.<\/p>\n

Most of this unit is\u00a0hallway<\/em>.<\/p>\n

I hate this.<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

Floor Plan #3:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Same, same, but different?<\/p>\n

This unit is larger than the last one, but it\u2019s really just the same layout with longer dimensions.<\/p>\n

Are you starting to get the gist of it?<\/p>\n

This building is like dividing a watermelon into\u00a0quarters<\/em> and then being amazed that the pieces fit back together again.<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

Floor Plan #4:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Once again, this is a larger version of the previous iterations, and maybe it offers a\u00a0little\u00a0<\/em>more functionality, but I still don\u2019t understand why this is appealing.<\/p>\n

Look at the second bedroom!<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never been on a cruise ship before, but I would imagine this is what it feels like; being sandwiched into a very small, awkward \u201croom\u201d that feels like it was never intended for\u00a0living<\/em>, and being told that this is a comfortable, personal quarter.<\/p>\n

That pillar in the corner is just killing my buzz.<\/p>\n

\u2013<\/p>\n

Floor Plan #5<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Seen one, seen them all?<\/p>\n

It certainly feels like it!<\/p>\n

But here\u2019s my point: if we cut up the watermelon and then put it back together, it might look something like this:<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Looks like a spaceship, right?\u00a0 Like something out of Star Wars?<\/p>\n

I just asked Lindsay what it looked like.\u00a0 You don\u2019t want to hear her answer\u2026<\/p>\n

Just consider another parallel to this example, if you will.\u00a0 Consider designing a car<\/em> from the outside, then moving inside to work on the design afterward.<\/p>\n

Wait\u2026.I\u2019ve got the perfect analogy: a\u00a0human<\/em>.<\/p>\n

On the outside, this man has perfect hair, a chiseled jawline, rugged good looks, a high-school quarterback\u2019s body, and the smoothest skin you\u2019ve ever seen.<\/p>\n

On the inside, he has a rotten heart \u2013 metaphorically and literally, a bad kidney, a small brain, a rare blood disorder, and several\u00a0ingrown hairs<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Do you see where this analogy is going?<\/p>\n

I understand that beautiful architecture is respected, appreciated, and in many causes, lauded and awarded.<\/p>\n

But this isn\u2019t the Coliseum, and it\u2019s never going to be.<\/p>\n

Designing condominiums that\u00a0look<\/em> good from the outside but offer miserable, misguided floor plans on the inside is tantamount to \u201cplating\u201d food in a way that allows you to post a stellar picture on Instagram for your friends to like, but which doesn\u2019t satisfy your hunger \u2013 because that\u2019s the entire point of\u00a0eating<\/em> in the first place\u2026<\/p>\n