Traditionally, home design was centered on aesthetics with a bit of functionality thrown into the mix as an extra selling point, but the trend has reversed itself in modern architecture. Today’s homeowner wants all the technology available to make life easier, but with a bit of beauty thrown in for that added appeal and comfort. Consequently, architects designing 21st Century homes would do well to understand the mindset of Millennials before actually taking out that AutoCAD program they are so excited about putting to use. So then, the dilemma is how to give all the technology a Millennial would want without sacrificing all of the design principles they worked so hard to perfect. Here are a few simple solutions to mull over.
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The Benefit of Balanced Climate Control
One thing today’s homeowner is looking for is consistent temperature control throughout the home, no matter what season of the year it happens to be. They don’t want to step out of a warm, toasty bedroom in the winter to a cold, damp and dreary living room or kitchen. Keep in mind that most homes until quite recently only had one thermostat drawn into the blueprint, but that created unbalanced climate control.
Where is the thermostat in your home? Chances are it is in a hallway near your bedrooms or perhaps centrally located in the living room. Just because that smaller area reaches the desired temperature doesn’t mean other rooms will be as comfortable. Today’s architect needs to plan separate thermostats in almost every room in the home to achieve balanced climate control. This is a broad area of focus in an HVAC Training School because most homes simply don’t allow for evenly controlled temperatures throughout the structure.
Smart Water Thermostats
Speaking of temperature, the same could be said for the temperature of the hot water in your home. Few families have all members enjoying the same comfort level when showering or bathing and so smart thermostats can be installed. These have custom settings for each member of the family so that children will only get cool to warm bath water while adults can customize their setting, allowing for their shower or sink to be as hot as they can stand. Millennials absolutely adore gadgets like smart controls!
In the End – Learn to Design Smart Homes!
While you spent years as an architectural artist, learning to draw beautiful homes that would be amazing to look at on paper, what counts more with today’s prospective homebuyer is a house that has all the hi-tech functionality that will make their life as easy as possible. Perhaps as a society, we have been too pampered with instant gratification. We take out our cell phone and it tells us where to go, how to get there, and if we get lost we can push a button and it resets our route for us. Millennials are enthralled by the notion of a house that is ‘smart’ and can all but run itself, so why not use as many smart devices as possible in your design?
Work with lights that turn on and off with the sun and solar panels that cut the cost of operating those lights. Use whatever technology is at your disposal and plan your design around function. In this way, you will have a house that ‘works’ on more than one level.
Images from SH House by Shachar Rozenfeld
