Looking for a new outdoor amenity that's worth the investment? If so, you may want to consider offerings that meet residents' need for relaxation and being connected—all at the same time.
Specifically, think outdoor yoga spaces, charging stations, and bike storage, which, according to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), are the hot outdoor multifamily amenities for 2018.
In its 2018 Residential Landscape Architecture Trends Survey, the ASLA asked landscape architects to rate the expected popularity of a variety of residential outdoor design elements this year. New for 2018, this year's survey results consider new types of outdoor amenities that appeal to both single-family and multifamily owners and residents, such as flexible-use space and charging stations. Residential design is the largest market sector for the landscape architecture profession. Most of that work consists of single-family homes but also includes multifamily and retirement communities.
Because of this change in the survey, flexible outdoor spaces for such activities as yoga and outdoor movie nights, as well as charging stations for mobile devices, entered the top 10 project types for the first time.
The top multifamily outdoor amenities (ranked in expected order of popularity for 2018):
- Flexible-use space (for yoga classes, movie night, etc.) – 74%
- Charging stations (mobile devices) – 70%
- Bike storage – 70%
- Play area for children – 58%
- Water feature (aesthetic feature, not pool) – 47%
- Bike-repair station – 46%
- Transit screen (providing updates on public transit) – 39%
- Pet spa – 32%
- Plunge pool – 19%
The top 10 project types overall with the expected highest consumer demand:
- Native plants – 83%
- Native/adapted drought-tolerant plants – 83%
- Low-maintenance landscapes – 80%
- Flexible-use space (for yoga classes, movie night, etc.) – 74%
- Permeable paving – 74%
- Drip/water-efficient irrigation – 72%
- Rain gardens – 71%
- Reduced lawn area – 71%
- Food/vegetable gardens (including orchards, vineyards, etc.) – 71%
- Charging stations (mobile devices) – 70%
The top three most-popular outdoor design elements overall are fire pits/fireplaces (66%), lighting (65%), and seating/dining areas (64%). Last year’s top three were fire pits/fireplaces (72%), wireless/internet connectivity (71%) and lighting (68%). Wireless/internet connectivity was grouped this year with movies, TV, and video theaters and stereo systems, a lineup that received 48% of the vote in the outdoor design elements category.
The top landscape and garden elements are native plants (83%), low-maintenance landscapes (80%), and rain gardens (71%). Enhanced railing systems, which include those with cable or glass, is a new response choice added to the outdoor structure category this year. It's ranked first in this category (51%), followed by pergolas (48%, and decks (43%).
The hottest sustainable design elements include native/adapted drought-tolerant plants (83%), permeable paving (74%), and drip/water-efficient irrigation (72%). Last year’s top three in this category were almost the same: native/adapted drought-tolerant plants (82%), permeable paving (76%), and reduced lawn area (73%).
Click here for the survey's full results.
This article also appears on our sister site, BUILDER.
