Many companies have shifted to remote work in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic, and some multifamily developers expect this to change apartment community design moving forward.
This survey from Colliers shows that 82% of employees hope to work from home at least once a week even after the Covid-19 pandemic ends. Industry leaders expect this to accelerate existing trends in multifamily community design.
According to a report from BisNow, co-working spaces are becoming a hot amenity for residents across the country and multifamily developers see their popularity continuing to grow.
“I think we’ll continue to see the expansion of co-working spaces within multifamily projects,” said Ben Krasnow, Managing Director at Crescent Communities.
Leaders in the multifamily space are also forecasting changes in how units are designed.
Universe Holdings, a California-based real developer, said that consumers could want larger units with dedicated office spaces.
“As we renovate our units and find properties we want to buy, we want to be very cognizant of creating an office or nice comfortable workspace inside their units,” said Universe Holdings CEO Henry Manoucheri.
Hord Coplan Macht principal Chris Harvey said that he does not expect units to get larger, but rather more efficient, with layouts that save space and allow for workspaces in bedrooms or hallways.
Incentivizing residents to stay home could also impact the types of amenities offered. Harvey said that outdoor amenities are likely to expand as consumers spend more time at home. Outdoor yoga areas or cross-training spaces could become more common.
“Social connection is going to be important, as much as we’re talking about all these ways to isolate in your room,” Harvey said.
