It’s an understatement to say that life, as we know it, has changed dramatically over the past few months. What will the long-term impact be of the psychological shift that many of us have undertaken? We’ve all quickly adapted to the distancing measures put in place by the Government, most of us are working from home, and Zoom family catch-ups have quickly been embraced as an essential activity.
Should architects expect to see these tweaks to our lives extend into the long-term, and if so, what sort of differences will we see in future client briefs? Here, we’ve listed some predictions for a post-Coronavirus world:
1) Home space
Many companies reacted quickly to lockdown and it was surprising that so many found their feet so quickly. Despite most companies having the technology available for staff to work from anywhere, Western business culture kept many firmly in ‘the office’ until COVID-19 struck. Post-pandemic, it’s become clear to many companies that operations work well with a remote workforce, and over half of employees actually want to continue as they are, even after lockdown lifts.
It’s sensible to estimate, then, that future residential builds might emphasise distinct zoning. Workspaces will need to be considered in terms of design and technological functionality, and beyond that, relaxation spaces will need to work harder to define themselves against zones earmarked for commercial activities. In order to give people a fulfilling sense of balance, architects will need to get creative to provide green areas, terraces, usable rooftops, natural light, balconies and transitional spaces.
2) Productive space
Similarly, landscape architects may well find over the coming years that outdoor spaces will become more multifunctional than before. Global demand for seeds and other home growing equipment has outstripped supply, demonstrating that the pandemic has propelled self-sufficiency to the top of wish-lists for millions of people. Outdoor spaces will therefore need to cater to the exploding appetite for sustainability.
On the other side of the equation, as with interiors, we’ve seen a marked increase in demand for luxury lifestyle products. Hot tub and home spa manufactures have had to introduce queueing systems to their websites to cope with demand, and many homeowners are finding that lockdown has provided them with the time to finally create their dream space. Caroline Birdsall, Marketing Manager of premium decking manufacturer Millboard, states that, ‘we’ve heard a lot from our clients about how transformative this period has been. People working from home don’t want to be stuck inside, so they’ve created beautiful, multi-purpose spaces for working and playing outdoors. We’ve noticed a big increase in sales of our decking, particularly those that refer to classic design.’
3) The workplace
Although the future looks to place greater emphasis on the home, workplaces and offices will always exist. However, they might be a little different to how we remember.
Companies will need to place greater emphasis on health and hygiene in line with new standards. Writing for ArchDaily, Christele Harrouk writes that, ‘while notions of modular design, prefabricated elements, flexible partitions, and lightweight structures will keep on growing, architects will start planning new configurations with social distancing measures in mind.’
It’s also a sure bet that bacteria and virus-resistant materials will win out over difficult-to-clean surfaces.
4) The public space
Architects that focus on public spaces are all extremely familiar with the concept of ‘densification’ and how this mode of design creates sustainable expansion for metropolitan areas. Our thinking around such concepts probably needs some moderation in light of Coronavirus. We still need to incorporate the positive eco-friendly aspects of density into future designs, but it’s now also a necessity to design with social distancing in mind. As with other social signposting (such a pathways and road crossings), architects might need to think more about the psychology of keeping people at a safe distance from one another by using materials, dividers and nudge tactics to prevent the spread of disease in concentrated populations.
Japanese Zen gardens and French baroque gardens have been posited as good design inspiration to meet these competing demands without resorting to utilitarian and unfriendly design.
Every brief is different, and all of the above simply represents some of the wider departures that we might see from pre-2020 architecture. But with change comes opportunity, and for a discipline as creative and as innovative as architecture, the 2020s could establish themselves as a high point in the history of the built environment. For the most part, architects were already designing for the environment and for wellbeing, so by adding health considerations to the mix, the future of the profession and its impacts can only be positive.