Condominium density has always been the most elusive of topics when it comes to property development. Within the city centres, be it Kuala Lumpur City Centre or prominent neighbourhoods such as Mont Kiara and Petaling Jaya, new developments are taller these days with a massive influx of housing supplies into the market. The question often posed to me, “Is this condominium considered high density?”
To be honest, I find the question really difficult to answer. I’ve scoured the entire internet and there seems to be no answer to this question. There is indeed residential density for landed properties but the same metric does not seem to work for high rise residential developments.
In my study, there is 2 metric closely related to condominium density,
- Residential Density
- Plot Ratio
The 2 above will not directly answer our question on high rise residential developments, but it will definitely give us an insight into the future and how our local council may move forward.
1. What is Residential Density?
Residential Density, also known as Housing Density is defined as the average number of persons in a unit of residential space. In other words, it is a metric to determine the number of persons per hectare, or more commonly used, number of persons per acre. This is a metric frequently used for the landed properties rather than high rise residential developments.
With reference to Kuala Lumpur Structure Plan 2020, there are 3 tiers to the landed residential density. If we take this categorisation and apply it to the high rise development, you will come to the same conclusion that almost every new development today is high density. Having thought deeply about this, there must be other metrics Malaysia use to identify the density of any high rise residential developments.
| Land Use Zoning | Categorisation | Persons per Acre |
| Residential 1; R1 | Low Density | 4 – 40 |
| Residential 2; R2 | Medium Density | 48 – 120 |
| Residential 3; R3 | High Density | 160 – 400 |
If the average households today in KL consist of 3.4 family members, 400 persons per acre is equivalent to 117 households. In contrast to what we are seeing today, high rise developments are likely to have more than 200 units per acre. This number is a clear violation of the permissible persons per acre, even at the high density for free-market projects. Hence, I believe, the table above is not applicable to high rise development.
So, what metric are property developers referring to when building high rise condominiums? On what metric is our government controlling the high rise residential development scene?
The answer to this, plot ratio.
2. What is Plot Ratio?
As a general rule, Plot Ratio is the size ratio of land to floor area that can be built on it. This ratio is also sometimes known as floor area ratio (FAR). To help you understand better, every land allocated for development will have a plot ratio approved by the local council. Assuming a land size of 1 acre is approved for a 1:5 plot ratio, the allowable built-up space is 5 acres.
Does that mean lands with a higher plot ratio will have higher buildings? That is generally the case but there are also building height restrictions for some land. Hence, these limitations will require developers to get creative, some even building underground if needed.
For high rise residential developments in the City Centre, there are 9 typical plot ratios. To be frank, it does not matter too much to us. With the recent plot ratio cap, the whole intention of the government is to reduce the saturation of unsold property in Kuala Lumpur. Having said that, I, as a property investor will want to know what the plot ratios for the adjacent land are. Will the adjacent land with a higher plot ratio introduce more unsold property supply into the area? Will this adversely affect the location’s desirability and my property value?
| Zoning | Plot Ratio |
| Residential | 1 : 0.5 |
| 1: 2 | |
| 1 : 3 | |
| 1 : 4 | |
| 1 : 5 | |
| 1 : 6 | |
| 1 : 7 | |
| 1 : 8 | |
| 1 : 10 |
Now that we understand residential density and plot ratio, does this answer our question on condominium density?
No, there is, unfortunately, no provision from the government to address condominium density and I believe we will not likely have an answer to this in the near future.
For the purpose of discussion, I will share my definition of condominium density and what aspects do we consider?
3. What is the Definition of Condominium Density?
On my own terms, I define condominium density as the number of persons per floor, per tower. I believe residential density can be translated into high rise development by taking into consideration the available residential space per floor. The below definition is not perfect and there are other parameters we should consider, number of floors per tower and the common facilities to accommodate for the number of residences.
| Categorisation | Persons per Floor | Units per Floor |
| Low Density | 3 – 20 | 1 – 5 |
| Medium Density | 24 – 40 | 6 – 10 |
| High Density | above 44 | above 11 |
From my definition of high rise density, I believe we are moving into a future where more high-density condominiums will be built. This is unavoidable as citizens from the outskirts migrate into the cities, looking for better working opportunities and we see this scenario happening in many places around the world. To name a few, New York, Tokyo, London, are cities with high-density condominiums and this is a living norm in these fast pace business hubs.
Now that we appreciate the reality and possible future for the city, does that mean high density is poor living quality?
4. Collaborating High Density and High Living Quality
Contrary to popular belief, a high living quality is possible with high-density developments if the environment, facilities and surroundings are mindfully planned.
Taking our neighbouring country, Singapore, as a case study where land scarcity has oftentimes driven the most innovative of architecture designs. As an individual who has spent his fair time working in Singapore, I can say the optimised plans by Singapore’s Housing & Development Board (HDB) is top notched.
Many of the HDB Blocks are designed to enhance livability through the careful distribution of low-rise and high-rise developments. This in practice provides an open space, allowing for communal activity and improved spatial experience. I still recall the days of waking up at 6 in the morning, putting on my running shoes to jog around the HDB block I stayed in. On top of that, the HDB blocks are seamlessly connected to a bigger park where I would frequent with my friends over the weekend.
This brings me to the next point on improving living quality albeit high-density developments, infrastructures and amenities have importance in gearing up living quality. From experience, I can truly appreciate how liveable a high-density development can be as long as it is supported by sufficient infrastructures, including well-planned pedestrians and bicycle lanes; easy access to sufficient amenities such as groceries and greenery.
Besides the surrounding environment and infrastructure, the building design matters as well. A good building design should be implemented from the beginning to include more natural space and lighting. In my opinion, natural lighting gives us the best sensation of spatial relief. To achieve this, having the right size and amount of windows is important.
Final Thoughts
Without government intervention, condominium density is subjective with plot ratio as the developer’s only guiding measure. In that effort, I’ve taken the opportunity to define condominium density for my own purpose of being objective.
With more developments today moving into the high-density category, I believe high-density living is here to stay. However, high-density living should not be a limitation on our living quality. Developers of today should be more creative, taking into consideration the infrastructure and environment necessary to facilitate a comfortable living quality.
As an investor, what I want to see in a high-density development is how the developers are being mindful of the living quality. Are the common facilities such as the elevator, gym, swimming pool and even garden designed to take into account the high number of residents within the development?
If Singapore’s Housing & Development Board can achieve that. Can our local developers not work together as a collective body to achieve the same?
I pose this question openly.
Until then, take care.
