Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore (URA) issued an announcement:

The Urban Redevelopment Authority of Singapore, the Land Authority, the Construction Authority and the Civil Defence Force will adopt a uniform measurement method and definition of building floor area. This standard will be implemented as of June 1, 2023.

This unification of standards will facilitate applications from real estate owners, but at the same time, due to the change in GFA counting standards, it may affect the standards for the sale of real estate units with strata areas such as penthouses and interior second floors in Singapore.

In the past, the Urban Redevelopment Authority would count the full thickness of the building's exterior walls as part of the GFA, while open spaces such as second floor space or lofts were not counted.

The Bureau of Land Management, on the other hand, only counts half of the thickness of the building's exterior walls as GFA, and some open spaces as GFA.

The different standards result in an increase in total floor area when open spaces are counted, but there is no possibility of an increase in strata area.

Ultimately construction-related documents take more time and effort to prepare and submit applications, and make it more troublesome for owners to rebuild or add on.

With the implementation of uniform standards :

Floor area measurements will uniformly include half of the thickness of the building's exterior walls.

All strata areas will be included in the GFA count, regardless of whether they are covered or not.

Open space is not included in the GFA.

In the future, after the unification of floor area standards in Singapore, it will be more convenient for home buyers to purchase units with split-level areas.

For example, the height of the living room of some high-end homes may exceed 6 meters to facilitate the placement of those luxurious and grand large crystal chandeliers to create a sense of open and bright space.

In the past, such real estate projects, when selling units with two floors or open spaces such as lofts, may need to adopt different floor area standards, which will not have to be so troublesome after the implementation of the new standards.

In Singapore, space on two floors and above fits well with everyone's understanding of the functional layout of a home.

The second floor can usually be used as a common area, and the second floor or attic can be used as a private space.

In addition, multi-storey homes are more diverse and interesting in design, and the indoor air circulation will be smoother. With careful arrangement, the interior lighting effect will be more natural and bright.