Singapore's new launches are getting smaller - but not in the way most people think.

The shift is not about shrinking unit sizes alone. It is about shrinking inefficiency.

Walk into a new launch today and compare it to one from ten years ago. The difference isn't just in price. It's in how space is designed, allocated, and justified.

Features that once felt like selling points are quietly shrinking. Layouts that used to be marketed as innovative are appearing less frequently. Not because developers suddenly changed their taste - but because buyers have changed theirs.

With psf prices hovering around the $2,000-$2,500 range in many projects and resale scrutiny sharper than ever, homeowners are questioning what they are really paying for. Space is no longer judged by size alone, but by usefulness, flexibility and long-term defensibility.

This shift is subtle but significant.

Dual-key units were once positioned as the ultimate flexibility play. The concept was simple: live in one portion, rent out the other, and effectively create two living spaces under a single property title.

For investors, it was viewed as a clever way to optimise ABSD exposure while generating rental income without technically owning a second property. For own-stay buyers, it was often marketed as a solution for multi-generational living or housing elderly parents while maintaining privacy under one roof.

But today, dual-key units are noticeably rarer in new launches. In projects where both configurations were offered, take-up has generally trailed standard 2- and 3-bedroom layouts. In some cases, unsold dual-key stacks were even reconfigured into regular layouts - a strong signal that demand has softened rather than strengthened.

Why they're fading

From 1 June 2023, URA harmonised the strata area definition with Gross Floor Area (GFA), meaning areas such as air-conditioner ledges, private enclosed spaces and certain voids are included within strata calculations. Previously, developers had more flexibility to carve out space for a second entrance, kitchenette and compact annex without making the unit feel disproportionately tight on paper.

Post-harmonisation, that buffer disappeared. Extra partitions now eat directly into sellable space, layouts risk feeling cramped, and pricing becomes harder to justify. When buyers are already scrutinising every square foot, duplicated circulation space feels inefficient rather than innovative. Add higher overall quantum, a narrower resale audience and rental returns that are less straightforward in today's environment, and dual-key units have simply become harder to defend.

The shift: 2-bedroom + study layouts

Instead of physically dividing a home, buyers now prefer flexibility within a cohesive layout. The 2-Bedroom + Study configuration offers adaptability without structural fragmentation. A study can function as a home office, convert into a nursery, serve as a guest room or evolve alongside changing family needs. Flexibility that preserves layout efficiency is increasingly favoured over permanent subdivision.

For nearly a decade, open kitchens were the "it" feature in new launches. They looked modern, spacious and lifestyle-forward - perfect in showflats and marketing brochures. Even today, HDB has introduced BTO White Flats with open-concept kitchens as the default configuration.

However, daily living tells a more nuanced story. While open layouts continue to appear in new flats, many homeowners are retrofitting partitions or sliding doors soon after collection - a quiet but telling sign that visual openness does not always translate into long-term practicality.

The gap between "showflat aesthetics" and lived reality has become harder to ignore. At $2,500 psf, homeowners are realising that a lifestyle kitchen is not a luxury if it slowly coats a $10,000 leather sofa in grease particles.

Why they're fading

Singaporean households cook - and not lightly. Sambal, stir-fry, fried fish, and wok hei do not sit comfortably beside a sofa placed three feet away from the hob. Smells travel, grease settles, curtains absorb odours and air-conditioning systems work harder to maintain comfort.

The rise of hybrid work has amplified the issue. The home is no longer just a place to sleep; it is also an office. In a compact studio or 2-bedroom unit, a partner frying ikan bilis in the background of a Zoom call is more than an inconvenience - it is an acoustic and professional disruption. Open kitchens offer visual continuity, but very little separation.

Cooling efficiency is another emerging concern. With rising energy costs and greater awareness around sustainability, cooling an entire open-plan apartment simply to keep the cooking area comfortable is increasingly seen as wasteful. Without the ability to thermally zone the kitchen, the living room air-conditioning must fight both heat and humidity generated by the hob and oven.

Feedback from buyers and agents increasingly points to a preference for kitchens that can be enclosed, particularly in compact layouts where odours and noise quickly permeate the entire home. The appeal of seamless visual flow is giving way to practical considerations about ventilation, acoustic control, maintenance and long-term comfort.

The shift: The enclosable kitchen

Rather than choosing between fully open or fully enclosed kitchens, developers are introducing adaptable solutions. Glass sliding doors, framed partitions and galley-style glass enclosures allow homeowners to retain visual transparency while adding a physical barrier.

This has effectively become the 2026 gold standard. The kitchen still feels connected to the living room, but noise, heat, and grime stay behind the glass. It offers the best of both worlds: lifestyle-forward design on Day One, and functional containment by Year Ten.

Visual openness may sell units at launch. Practicality keeps homeowners satisfied over time.

Older developments often featured extended foyers, long internal hallways, and awkward circulation paths. At one time, these were seen as marks of prestige - a transitional buffer between the public living zone and the private bedrooms. A long gallery-style corridor signalled space and separation.

Today, it signals cost.

With property prices pushing past $2,500 per square foot, a 10-foot hallway is effectively a five-figure design decision. A corridor that holds little more than a rug can quietly cost $50,000 to $75,000 depending on its size.

Beyond psf pressure lies the "quantum ceiling" reality. Many HDB upgraders operate within a tight overall budget - often around the $2.2M to $2.4M range for a 3-bedroom unit. To stay within that ceiling while psf rises, developers cannot afford dead space. If 50 sq ft goes to a corridor, something else must shrink - usually the master bedroom. Buyers have made their choice clear: they prefer the larger bedroom.

Why they're fading

Efficiency is no longer aesthetic; it is economic. Buyers are focused on usable area, bedroom proportions and furniture placement. Corridors are increasingly viewed as non-performing square footage.

There is also a privacy paradox. Traditional layouts cluster bedrooms along a single hallway, yet do not necessarily provide meaningful separation. Modern households - including co-living arrangements or couples renting out a spare room - often prefer bedrooms split apart rather than lined up door-to-door.

Wall space has also become a premium commodity. Older layouts frequently featured interrupted walls due to multiple doorways, limiting furniture options. Today's buyers study floor plans to ensure they can comfortably fit a 75-inch television or an L-shaped sofa. Long, uninterrupted walls now carry practical value.

The shift: The dumbbell layout

The dumbbell layout has become the modern benchmark. By placing the living room in the centre and positioning bedrooms on opposite ends, it removes unnecessary corridors while improving functional privacy.

It delivers two advantages at once: higher spatial efficiency and better separation.

There are cases where an 820 sq ft dumbbell unit offers as much usable living space as a 950 sq ft legacy layout. Once foyers, corridors and oversized air-conditioning ledges are accounted for, the net livable area can be comparable. Buyers are no longer looking only at headline square footage; they are evaluating what might be called the usable efficiency ratio - how much of the home truly supports daily living.

Where older layouts prioritised grandeur, the 2026 layout prioritises livable psf. Efficiency is no longer a preference - it is a necessity for keeping private home ownership attainable for the middle-income households.

There was a period when 350-450 sqft "shoebox" units were aggressively built across OCR launches. They were marketed as affordable entry points, low-quantum investments and straightforward rental plays - built on the assumption of an almost infinite investor pool.

For a while, the strategy worked.

But that era is cooling down.

Why they're fading

Resale trend of 1BR vs 3BR condos (2015-2025)

In 2026, resale resistance is no longer anecdotal - it is measurable. Based on internal analysis of selected OCR projects between 2015 and 2025, 1-bedroom units appreciated at roughly 3% annually, while 3-bedroom units in the same developments saw gains closer to 6-8%. Transaction patterns in selected projects also suggest that well-laid-out 3-bedroom units tend to transact faster, while compact shoebox units can remain on the market longer. The message is clear - a low-quantum entry only works if the exit remains liquid.

Cooling measures have further narrowed the buyer pool. With elevated ABSD for second-property buyers and foreigners still in place, investor-led demand for ultra-compact units has thinned significantly. Most buyers today are owner-occupiers, and their priorities are different. They are not looking for the smallest possible unit; they are looking for something genuinely livable.

Developers have adjusted accordingly. Instead of 40-50% of a project being made up of 1-bedders, many 2026 launches now limit them to roughly 15-20% of total units, shifting emphasis toward 2+Study and 3-bedroom layouts that tap into the deeper HDB upgrader market.

There is also a growing price-gap dilemma. In several current OCR launches, 1-bedroom units have crossed the $1.1M mark, while 2-bedroom units sit closer to $1.4M. When the difference feels modest relative to the jump in utility, buyers increasingly stretch for the larger configuration.

The shift: The new livable baseline

The 1-bedroom that survives today looks very different from its 2016 predecessor. Pre-2022, 398-430 sq ft was common. In the 2026 cycle, the new baseline sits around 500-600 sq ft, often configured as a "1-Bedroom + Study." This allows for a proper kitchen, a functional dining zone and a dedicated WFH space, sometimes even incorporating a dual-access "Jack and Jill" bathroom.

The focus has moved from maximising unit count to safeguarding resale depth. In 2026, liquidity is the most important amenity. The 1-bedroom is no longer a mass-market investment tool - it has become a smaller but more considered offering designed around livability.

There was a time when oversized balconies were heavily marketed as "outdoor living" features that extended the lifestyle appeal of a home.

In reality, many became underutilised thermally inefficient extensions or decorative extensions of the living room that rarely saw meaningful use.

Why they're fading

The biggest structural shift came from GFA harmonisation, which fully kicked in around 2024/2025. Under the old framework, developers could receive up to 10% bonus floor area for balconies that did not count toward their main land cost but could still be sold at full psf prices. This encouraged the construction of larger balconies, which effectively "inflated" unit sizes and lowered headline psf figures.

Under the new framework, all strata areas - including balconies and air-conditioner ledges - are counted as part of the Gross Floor Area. If a developer builds a massive balcony today, it directly eats into precious indoor space that could otherwise have gone towards a larger bedroom or living area. The incentive to oversize balconies has therefore diminished significantly.

At the same time, psf pressure has intensified. In 2026, with OCR prices averaging around $2,300 to $2,500 psf, buyers have become extremely sensitive to perceived wastage. At $2,500 psf, 150 sq ft of balcony space represents a substantial allocation of capital. Most Singaporeans would rather allocate that $375,000 towards a study room, a larger master suite or expanded living space than a theoretical alfresco dining area they are unlikely to use regularly due to humidity.

There is also the practical issue of heat. Singapore's afternoon sun has only become more intense in recent years, and many owners of older units with expansive balconies discovered that these spaces were largely unusable between late morning and early evening. Instead of becoming lifestyle extensions, they functioned more as thermal buffers.

The shift: Slimmer, smarter balcony profiles

The result is a move towards slimmer balcony designs, including Juliet-style configurations or the minimum 1.5m depth required by URA guidelines. These provide ventilation and functional space for laundry without compromising valuable air-conditioned square footage.

In a market where every square foot carries significant cost, "less but usable" is outperforming "large but theoretical."

Across all five shifts, one conclusion is difficult to ignore: Singapore's property market has matured. Access to data, tighter policy frameworks, and higher absolute prices have collectively made buyers more disciplined.

Buyers are no longer seduced by novelty or superficial space. They are evaluating layout decisions through the lens of resale depth, flexibility and long-term defensibility. Every corridor, balcony and partition is weighed against its contribution to future optionality.

Layouts that preserve demand breadth tend to preserve value. Homes designed around efficiency are easier to refinance, easier to exit and easier to adapt as life stages change.

The disappearing features in this article are not design accidents - they are market corrections.

In 2026, efficiency is not a trend. It is the foundation of sustainable ownership.