5 Key Features Buyers Should Expect in 2026 New Launch Condos

Is 2026 the right time to buy a new launch project? We don’t mean that in financial terms here. Rather, the question we’re asking is whether design themes and prevailing trends in Singapore’s property market today really suit your needs.

Every few decades in Singapore is marked by certain fads, and what was considered trending in one era may be missing in another – because “oh, nobody wants that now.” And 2025 was interesting because in the era of post-gross floor area (GFA) harmonisation, we’re seeing an end to previous features in unit layouts like bay windows and planter boxes.

Here are a handful of features developers are likely to include in some of the upcoming projects in 2026:

1. The return of enclosed (or at least enclosable) kitchens

If you go back a decade, there was a time when an open kitchen design was the trend. In 2018, HDB even made open kitchens the default layout for flats. Apart from “opening up” the interior space visually, the open kitchen design was meant to let parents keep an eye on the children in the living / dining area while preparing meals.

Today, you’ll notice enclosed, or encloseable, kitchens are the trend. A recent project that attracted the attention for its excellent unit layout design is 8@BT, a 99-year leasehold condo that launched in September last year. A reason for this was that even the one and two-bedders have a kitchen that can be enclosed. The same could be seen in unit designs in the popular Midtown Modern, another 99-year leasehold condo that launched in 2021.

It suggests that homeowners today prefer kitchen smells not seeping out into the living room after all. But for those who are used to the previous decade’s layouts, it may look a bit more stifled.

2. Co-working spaces are increasingly common as a facility

As hybrid working arrangements become more common among some international and local companies, developers noticed that home offices were a point of interest in the needs of homebuyers.

For example, when it comes to units with a study space, such as a two-bedroom plus study unit, buyers increasingly want an enclosable room that can be used as a home office – not just an open nook.

Since this takes up space in the home, an alternative that developers have hit upon is co-working spaces as part a condo facility. River Green, a 99-year leasehold project in River Valley that launched in July this year, includes a co-working space for residents. Shared working spaces in condos are not new and have been around since developments like Midtown Bay back in 2019. However, we now see it included in OCR condos like Canberra Crescent Residences.

This could save you an extra room if you work remotely. However, the design of the co-working spaces can vary, from spaces that include private cubicles to conventional working desks in a room. So do enquire first, if you intend to replace your home office with it. 

3. EV charging is becoming less of a hassle in newer condos

Older condos sometimes offer a handful of EV charging stations, if any at all. But newer developments like The Sen and Parktown Residences have 10 stations each, while Skye At Holland offers 18 stations. 

This is an increasingly bigger concern as Singapore plans to go fully electric by 2040. So, in about 15 years, you may hear a lot of complaints of the lack of charging lots in older condos, or even newer ones that provide few to no charging stations. 

4. Dumbbell layouts, though sometimes just for smaller units

From Zyon Grand to the aforementioned Skye At Holland and more, dumbbell layouts have been a common unit design among most new condos in recent years. This describes a layout in which the bedrooms flank the living / dining area, thus removing the need for a corridor space to connect them. This design offers a good degree of space efficiency for most homeowners.

Corridor space is often considered wasted space since it is square footage that you can’t do much with, short of hanging your paintings or family photos. In contrast, older condo layouts tended to feature wide social spaces like the living and dining room to one side, and the bedrooms tucked away in another. 

One drawback to dumbbell layouts though, is that noise in the living room can disturb all the attached bedrooms – so it may not be ideal if the family has different sleeping hours. 

That said, new condos sometimes go back to the more traditional layout for larger units, like four-bedders and above. Lentor Central Residences utilised an efficient dumbbell style for smaller units, but its four-bedroom units feature a more traditional layout to provide a wide frontage and are better for views. We also see this with Pinetree Hill where the corridor space is tolerated to maximise sight of the nearby greenery. 

5. Jack and Jill bathrooms and powder rooms 

Jack and Jill bathrooms are not new per se and they were trending in the early 2000’s. These days they are back in vogue. These are bathrooms with two entrances that open to two other rooms, such as a bathroom that opens to two bedrooms on either side, or that open from a common area as well as a bedroom.

Effectively, you get a “semi-ensuite” for more than one room, without inflating the unit size with an extra full bathroom. Most of the condos we’ve mentioned above feature this, like Skye At Holland and Parktown Residence. In these projects, they’re used to good effect in the two-bedders which need to maximise space. 

That said, some homebuyers with more traditional preferences may dislike this and feel it lacks privacy, especially when you forget to lock one side.

On a related note, powder rooms, which were once found mainly in large-sized five-bedders and penthouses, have also begun making an appearance in some smaller units. We saw this featured at 8@BT, Promenade Peak, and ELTA. 

The appeal is that guests no longer need to walk through the private living areas of your home to use the bathroom. Morning routines are less congested when the household can split between a full bathroom and the powder room. This is especially helpful for tenants that don’t have two full bathrooms, a point that landlords may want to note.

The trade-off is that the powder room eats up square footage and some homebuyers feel that it’s “neither here nor there” as a toilet facility. Nonetheless, its growing presence is noted in recent launches. 

Finally, there is a shift toward more livable spaces due to post-GFA harmonisation

In 2022, the government announced that the definition of a residential development’s GFA would be standardised across the real estate industry. These guidelines on the harmonisation of strata areas and GFA impact how units are sold based on liveable space. The changes help to maximise layout usability and efficiency, developers can no longer include elements like air-con ledges, planter boxes, and strata void spaces when they sell units.

As a loose ballpark figure, eliminating the air-con ledge subtracts around eight per cent from the total square footage compared to a pre-harmonisation condo. You should take this into account when comparing a new launch to an older project.

Overall, the changes in 2025 also reflect the current price situation. The price per square foot may be higher but developers are building smaller to keep the absolute price relatively affordable. Whether or not you feel that’s a good thing, it has forced them to optimise available living spaces.