Spatial configuration of dwelling units in multi-storey residential buildings: The case of apartments built in Sarajevo 2008-2018

Abstract

This paper is based on the premise that it is not the building as a structure that truly matters, but the spaces within the structure. Consequently, this paper takes into consideration usable space as its main substance and, by analysis and description of dwelling unit concepts in Sarajevo, it evaluates 116 apartments in 16 multi-storey residential buildings built between 2008 and 2018. All the data related to the apartments in Sarajevo is primary data, collected by means of observations and measurements, evaluated through qualitative and quantitative analysis, and set in the frame of an explanatory and comparative multiple case study. The results indicate that, in terms of their functional configuration, the apartments are mostly configured as atypical and unstandardized. The areas of use within the apartments were planned to be interrelated without any clear intentions, which has resulted in static plan types with no or only minor potential for variation in the spatial adaptability or flexibility.