Attic apartment — the attic apartment with views and comfort
An attic apartment, often called a penthouse, built on the flat roof of a multi-storey building. At least one side of the façade is recessed from the floor below, creating an outdoor area that offers residents additional comfort, similar to an inner-city garden. Attic apartments became established in urban residential areas from the early 20th century. Internationally, such apartments are usually referred to as penthouses or penthouses.
Benefits of an attic apartment
Attic apartments offer numerous advantages that significantly increase living comfort:
- Unparalleled view: Most of these apartments offer 180 to 360 degree views.
- Generous outdoor areas: The recessed construction on at least one side creates a spacious outer area. Partially designed as a wraparound roof terrace or roof garden, it offers space for a grill and hot tub and thus gives the feeling of your own garden in an urban context.
- Direct accessibility: Exclusive attic apartments are often directly accessible by lift or private staircase.
- Privacy and peace: These apartments have no floors above and in some cases no neighboring units, meaning that they are less affected by noise emissions from neighbors and often offer a lot of privacy. They are also better protected from street noise on the top floor.
- Room concept: Attic apartments will usually have open, spacious room concepts and luxurious furnishings. Large windows let in plenty of light, which enhances the feeling of space and creates a comfortable living experience.
How were attic apartments created?
The term “Attica” comes from Greek and means “Attic”, referring to the region of Attica. In ancient times, this architectural style was developed to hide the roof by bricking up the outer walls. The Romans used the attic as a design element for triumphal arches and city gates, later as a base for statues and steles. The modern attic apartment, as we know it today, only developed in the 20th century. At first, however, this type of apartment was unattractive due to insufficient insulation: the attic apartments were cold in winter and hot in summer. With improved building materials and insulation techniques, attic apartments are now very popular. The invention of the elevator, which significantly improved accessibility, also made an important contribution to this.
What you should pay attention to when buying or renting an attic apartment
Because of the many advantages, attic apartments have a higher purchase price or rent than conventional apartments.
- In particular, the price per m2 of living space rises disproportionately compared to floors below due to the large outdoor area.
- Attic apartments generally have a high value ratio. As a result, the residents of these apartments pay a large part of the building's ancillary costs.
- Despite better insulation technology, attic apartments without air conditioning systems can get very hot even today in summer.
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