We have seen a lot of changes take place in the world this year. 2020 is changing the whole world over and altering how everything and everyone works anymore. But how will these changes to our everyday lives affect things like home or commercial building designs for the years to follow? Well, there are a few key elements that come to mind when we consider this thought, and here are a few of those design factors that may have become forever changed because of the chaos of this year so far:
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- Home Design – There are a couple of elements of home design that we expect to change because of the fiasco that has been 2020. The first that comes to mind is general layouts. We expect that there will be a larger emphasis on open space and access than there typically has been in the past. Plus, we will see less emphasis on communal rooms like family rooms and may see more emphasis on things like separate dens or home offices for multiple family members of the same household to enjoy their work or media consumption separately.
- Businesses Floor plan Design – The way business is done has forever been altered and has experienced many changes that may be continuing for many years to come. Sometimes, this means larger floor plans used to accommodate fewer people and this will almost surely be the case with business and commercial properties like stores and restaurants. There will be much more use of outdoor spaces and seating for businesses to use instead of traditional floor plans for places like the dining rooms of restaurants or a coffee bar’s seating areas that may be moving outdoors as well. This is because of the now all-to-familiar social distancing guidelines. Standards for businesses are mandated to operate within the close watchful eyes of government agencies.
- Transition Areas – Now, when it comes to home design, it may more specifically translate more into the use of more open transitions between rooms and larger hallways, larger doorways, and things like a barn door lock, windows, plus the enlarging of other access points. This will allow for people to live in tight quarters but not need to physically contact one another to move about their homes.
- Mixed Indoor/Outdoor Spaces It could also lead to more use of designs that incorporate the use of things like sunrooms and similar outdoor/indoor spaces that crossover and could be considered both inside and outdoors. This would allow for better airflow through rooms and with proper ventilation, the opportunity for hosting guests opens up wider. This may also be added to the business and commercial property design basics from here on out too. The reason this is such an attractive design element is the way that people feel more comfortable being around others in areas that feel as though they are outside but have the comfort and safety of a roof and walls of sorts.
The Reasons for the Changes
Of course, all of this is because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the CDC rules and guidelines for everyone to follow to limit the spread of the virus. It remains to be seen how this will actually affect home design in the long run, but it surely will affect larger commercial, industrial, and other business-based building designs soon and for years to come.
Of course, passing along the coronavirus is not the only household danger that will be affecting home design, and it will not be the only factor driving the changes in home design in the near future.
We will definitely continue to see a push for greener construction practices and sustainable design elements in all homes built in or after 2020. Things such as appliance and furniture choices will be another area where interior design elements will be changing to match the architectural design changes that are going to be taking place from here on out.
These are just a few of the aspects that will be different for homes, businesses, and buildings in general, all because of the chaotic catastrophe that has been the year 2020 so far. It has been beautifully tragic in some ways and comedically dramatic in others. Plus, it will only continue to veer off in crazy tangents depending on the whims of the planet and the forces that drive all forms of life within and upon it. It is definitely out of our control, and all we can do is hold on and try to ride out these alterations our world is experiencing. We need to learn to adapt quickly to a rapidly changing environment and are learning these lessons constantly, sometimes the hard way.
