We are going through a health situation never seen before. The COVID-19 pandemic and the decisions each country has made to curb the spread have meant that individuals have had to stay indoors for days on end.
This “staying at home” has led to reactions in two directions: On the one hand there is the positive one, led by those who never stopped still at home and, having tried it, have seen that at home is very good. And on the other hand, the less positive one: those who have seen that the home where they decided to live and coexist is not as ideal as it seemed.
It is in this second group that a new way of conceiving the space we inhabit begins to take shape.
Past decisions:
After the frustration born during the period of confinement based on not being completely at ease in your own home, the regret arises from decisions made in the past, of which we will mention a couple of examples:
1: Those who decided to close the balcony to gain an office, a room for the toys or to have a more spacious living room. Now they have realized that this balcony was also “space” and that it has a value that at a certain moment they did not know how to take advantage of.
2: Living in a dormitory town: This headline is made by people whose argument is “I only go home to sleep” and who, therefore, do not value having large common areas, a terrace, a kitchen where they can manage well or an extra room that, at a time like the one we have experienced, can serve as an office or playroom.
Each situation experienced gives way to a new architectural need. Old houses, for example, have a huge pantry next to the kitchen. After the war, the imperative need to accumulate in the face of the doubt of being able to go out on the streets was a reality. Today we are once again experiencing a change that will affect us personally and professionally.
From Grupo Pagès Bcn, as a construction and renovation company, we are perceiving this change and our professionals have set to work to anticipate the new paradigm post COVID-19.
The customer will want the 5-in-1 house:
Although after the storm always comes the calm, on this occasion we believe that the “puddle” will remain for some time to come. Thus, as we mentioned, the changes that will be perceived in the priorities of customers will be notable and, at the architectural level, will have to be reflected either when designing a house from scratch or before any reform.
Until now an apartment or a house was just that, an apartment or a house. A place where many left early in the morning and returned late in the afternoon. That is, if they didn’t stop by the gym first and took advantage of the opportunity to have a snack so they could go home with dinner. That space that brought the family together on the weekend and from which they left to make plans outside.
Now that has changed and home has become that space that welcomes us, protects us and from which we do not need to leave to find a special emotion or just “be well”.
The paradigm of the post-COVID-19 house is a space that includes an office, playground, gym, solarium and restaurant. This 5 in one that from now on many customers will take into account when choosing and that, as a consequence, means taking into account changes at a structural level and in the definition of spaces, compared to how they are currently conceived.
And what will those homes look like?
Spacious hallways with storage space
Following the style of the Nordic countries, most probably after the pandemic we will be grateful to have a spacious hall with a closet and shoe rack to leave our street clothes. From a hygienic point of view, this would allow us to go home with clean slippers and would avoid leaving, for example, the jacket – the piece that has the most contact with the outside – on top of anything.
Minimum two bathrooms:
Many families have done extensive disinfection work when having to share a bathroom with a coronavirus-infected person. Having a minimum of two bathrooms would have avoided the need to share and, therefore, would have made it possible to take the utmost hygienic measures.
Blessed office!
It does not need to be in a separate room, the important thing is that – if possible – each member of the family has his or her own private study/work space.
A small table for the computer or a space to paint and do homework will be more than enough for the whole family not to concentrate on the living room table if they have to stay at home for several days.
Natural light and fresh air:
We will say goodbye to interior apartments, to homes without even a balcony. We predict that the new construction that will be carried out after the pandemic, in no case will be considered housing that is not able to provide a dose of Vitamin D.
Balconies, terraces and gardens are also a space to consider to adapt them as a play area, training space, etc.
Leisure:
As we have just discussed, playing sports or going out to play does not necessarily have to mean going to the park or the promenade to run. If we had a space to have fun with the little ones or some equipment to practice sports, wouldn’t it be wonderful?
These are just a few ideas that will be more valuable than ever after this long quarantine.
Tell us what you would add to your house to make it more comfortable and together we will find a solution so that when you are at home you feel at home.
