Developers are reviewing design of houses in line with dwindling natural and other resources to meet housing demands, the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eximia Realty Company Limited, Mr Hakeem Ogunniran, has said.
He stated that there had been a general trend in leading cities around the world since 2011 to maximize resources.
He said, “The era of mac-mansion is fast gone, with land in limited supply, construction cost on the high side and the need to optimise living and maintenance costs, it has become inevitable to re-engineer home design and construction to achieve maximum efficiency.
“It has reflected in the significant reduction in average sizes of dwelling apartments in such cities as New York, London, Paris and Hong Kong in the last few years.”
Ogunniran spoke at the foundation-laying of the company’s new development, Fiona Lawton Apartment, Lekki.
He said the company’s deduction from empirical analysis was that there was a reasonably significant market for micro apartments designed to suit the Nigerian lifestyle preferences in Lagos and a few other cities.
“Hence, we are set to tap into that opportunity through our ‘uniquely crafted living spaces based on the concepts of ‘compact, comfortable and convenient dwelling’,” he said.
He said the new development was designed to meet the needs of discerning investors, empty nesters and young, upwardly mobile professionals and families who despised commuting but were willing to trade size for proximity.
He said the project had been designed into gated communities of between 48 and 60 apartments, comprising studios, one and two-bedroom apartments and three bedrooms on special request.
According to him, the firm will invest in similar developments in Surulere, Ilupeju, Yaba, Ikeja, Ogba and Ikoyi in the next few weeks and months.
Ogunniran said, “These developments are being fully complemented by our company’s creation of our own ‘Home Ownership Ecosystem’ to tackle both the supply and demand sides of housing delivery.
“To this end, we recently launched Kyrious Real Estate Multipurpose Society to ease the burden of home acquisition and financing for potential homeowners.”
The Lagos State Commissioner for Housing, Mr Moruf Fatai, said the state government was committed to finding a lasting solution to housing deficit.
He said this would be done through implementing policies that would make decent homes available to the masses irrespective of their ethnic, cultural, religious background and political affiliations.
According to him, the state government’s plan is that no one will be left behind in the arrangements that will cater to the needs of people in urban as well as rural communities in the state.
Source: Punchng
