By / Ellen Chang
The construction of new apartment buildings will likely factor in the possibility of people spending more time at home as more companies are allowing employees to work remotely. Architects will change the design and layouts of apartment buildings to adapt to the new norms caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Common spaces and amenities, such as swimming pools and gyms, will be viewed differently as these areas will need to accommodate social distancing practices and lower the spread of pathogens indoors. The demand for renting is not likely to decline as more people are hesitant to put their savings toward a down payment to buy a house when it might be needed to pay bills due to the uncertainty in the economy. Renters could consider larger spaces and additional bedrooms and eschew open floor plans because the number of people working from home is likely to continue in the near term. As more people spend time at home on video meetings or phone calls, the need for more privacy and space will rise. Here are eight design trends we expect will soon become part of the norm for apartment features, amenities, and layouts for the new construction of apartments. 1. Common spaces need to allow for heavy foot traffic Many apartment buildings feature amenities, such as places for renters to work, use a printer, grab coffee, and socialize with their neighbours.
Places like fitness centers, working spaces, coffee lounges, and leasing centers will need to be able to accommodate both renters and apartment building employees and be designed “with enough space to allow for heavy foot traffic without putting people in confined spaces,” said Patrick Carroll, CEO of Carroll, an Atlanta-based real estate company that owns 30,000 residential and commercial properties. Social distancing and sanitization considerations for new apartment construction Interior spaces will have to be rethought to accommodate the need for social distancing. “The flow of traffic in and out of these spaces will have to be carefully considered, as well, to avoid bottlenecks around entrances and exits,” Carroll said. “Unit corridors will likely go unchanged because they are not heavily trafficked, but certainly amenity spaces are on everyone’s mind right now.” The focus will have to shift so that residents feel safe and that communal areas are sanitary, Carroll said. Another factor is reducing the number of times residents and staff touch surfaces, whether it’s incorporating technology like touchless entry, having the ability to open doors to the community gym or leasing office with feet or switching to lights with motion sensors in communal areas. “In addition to the design and flow of these specific outdoor and interior spaces, communities will need to make sure the shared amenities are cleaned frequently,” he said. “Not only wallandceiling.ca » Summer 2020 » 13
© Can Stock Photo / Bialasiewicz
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Ways Coronavirus Will Impact New Apartment Construction
