The home office: the pandemic breaks into the way of designing the home

Although in the world of construction, changes take time to become a reality, for this year 2021 great advances are expected in terms of technology, materials or sustainability. Any project must be prepared to adapt to continuous changes, especially those caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Multifunctional houses that prioritize space

In this last year, the houses have become our offices. For this reason, when designing a new home, we tend to make the most of every corner, valuing even more the use of natural light. All this affects the distribution of the houses, which are looking for fewer, more spacious rooms, more luxurious bathrooms and a cozy living room.

“The living room is now also our games room, our gym and our movie theater.” That is why not only the space, but also the noise has become decisive. To improve acoustics and avoid reverberation (permanence of sound once it has stopped being emitted), a distinction must be made between exterior and interior noise. According to Manuel, “there has been a rise in demand for acoustic insulation for both windows and carpentry.

Another trend that has been consolidated in the market has to do with energy efficiency. The developers, in addition to increasing the added value of their buildings, progressively show a greater commitment to the ethical code. Technology helps to promote energy saving: home automation, for example, is no longer based solely on that costly addition of relative utility. Now, this technology has become considerably cheaper and contributes to lower energy consumption.

Restaurants and offices adapt

Bearing in mind that this new normal is here to stay, more and more restaurants consider space optimization a key factor in their business strategy. The philosophy that the more diners, the better, is changing for distributions that make the rotation of diners profitable. “Among others, the European shared table trend has been eliminated and there is an increasing commitment to terraces, of course,” continues Manuel.

Offices are also looking for more independence and adaptability. In addition to traditional office settings, Vega-Leal refers to portable office modules, the new sensation within the industry. “They are built in factories using standardized processes that seek perfection millimeter by millimeter,” he says. “Despite its price, its amortization is more than assured, since they allow to cover all the needs of the company in a space optimized to 100%”.

Grupo Kloos is one of the many companies that is already implementing these new realities in its projects, adapting, as always happens, construction to the needs of society.