The Working from Home Movement and the Future of Medium-High Density Residential Development
In March 2020 a survey by Gartner HR showed that 88% of people are currently working from home due to COVID-19. Similarly, the results from a poll published by IBM in April 2020 also suggested that 54% of people would prefer to continue to primarily work from home once restrictions are lifted, while 75% said they would prefer to work from home at least in some capacity.
In a 2019 study by Owl Labs it was found that employees working from home enjoyed their jobs 22% more than their office dwelling counterparts, while other studies have indicated that employees' work-life balance has improved by working from home. An article published by the Financial Review in April also reported that one in three Australians said not having to commute had resulted in less stress during the workday while 70% said their productivity at home was the same if not higher than in the office. Additionally, forecasters have predicted that Melbourne’s infrastructure works could cause delays of over one hour in the daily commute of Melbournians.
With mounting pressure from employees, a reported boost in productivity and an expected reduction of office accommodation, businesses are being presented a strong case to allow staff to continue to work remotely. While businesses and commercial landlords begin to rethink and redesign office layouts to adjust to a new world, it is expected that medium to high-density residential developers will now turn their attention away from the minimal, compact spaces of the past, to the more adaptable, spacious design layouts of the future.
“As certain changes are established and working from home becomes more normalised then we expect that we will need to consider and research the best design solutions for these times... it seems there will certainly be a stronger emphasis on dedicated study/work zones in apartments and creating flexibility will further enhance these spaces”.
CHRIS MANDERSON | Director | JCB Architects
In Brunswick, new developments have been quick to jump on the trend. At the Sarah Sands on the corner of Sydney and Brunswick Roads, Peregrine Projects are offering generously sized apartments with dedicated home office space. Known as the Flexi apartments, they aim to cater for those who work from home.
Meanwhile, around the corner, developers Milieu released their new Live/Work range, which are multi-use spaces that are to be built without internal walls, designed to be easily convertible from a studio apartment to a small office. The spaces aim to give purchasers the option to either live or work in the area.
“The oversized apartments at Sarah Sands have been innovatively designed for purchasers to curate their space to adapt into a home office area, suited to their individual working style and evolving way of life. We can now see the importance of this as more and more people opt to work from home, and these apartments are perfectly designed to cater to that increasing demand.”
MICHAEL DOBSON | Peregrine Projects | Development Manager
With innovative apartment designs becoming available this early in the changing market landscape, it is a sure sign that the working from home movement will have a significant impact on how Australian developers address the need to combine home and office spaces.