What is the future of design after covid?
The global health, COVID-19, crisis had an enormous effect on people’s relationships. Habits changed, as well as the ways we choose to communicate, interact and socialise. Building on these thoughts, I cannot help but think about how this has also affected the spaces where these social interactions take place and how designers’ approach needs to change to address the current and probably future needs. Capturing all scales, from the smaller to the larger one, this blog post shares some design ideas in anticipation of the after-covid era.
SMALL – People
Design follows people’s needs. Any change in the social norms and interactions affects the design. The way people interact with each other has been challenged in so many ways lately; social activities, like family dinners and having a coffee with friends, have been put on hold, whilst couples that do not live under the same roof cannot spend the night together like they used to. All this is temporary of course, but when looking at the bigger picture, it is fair to say that this new condition has brought both positives and negatives.
People have now the opportunity to isolate themselves from the rest of the world and invest more in their personal growth. By eliminating distractions, they can revisit their daily routine, figure out their goals or question existing ones either on a personal or professional level. They can finally have some time for themselves.
At a relationship level, there have been many challenges. Relationships have either flourished or terminated. Big efforts were focused on finding ways to virtually do things, from birthday parties to casual catch ups. Staying in touch was not impossible for the ones that were willing to make the effort. To all this, technology has been the key component. Video-apps have been very much appreciated and harnessed to the fullest.
SMALL – A home
This new reality has triggered issues related to cohabitaton, challenging the typical layouts of houses as we know them today. Maybe, there is time for a change.
For starters, the hours that people spend in their homes, on a daily basis, have increased. Working from home is the new norm meaning that many of the daily habits are now taking place in the same place. Taking also into account that the majority of people do not live alone, but with housemates, which share the same routine, that increases the level of challenge. The typical layouts cannot accommodate the new needs and conflicts are inevitable to occur. What is to happen now that more than one person shares the same space for longer hours? How can people mentally and spatially cope with such a limited space? How can people use their space in a more efficient way? The overlap between work and home living is likely to become the norm after the pandemic. That is, new design guidelines for internal layouts have to emerge.
The need for quiet workspaces needs to be considered. These spaces can be flexible and used not only for work purposes, but also as workout rooms, play rooms etc. Essentially, these rooms would offer a level of privacy and separation from the rest of the house eliminating noise, distractions and interactions.
When it comes to outside space, some changes could also make a difference in daily life. Balconies, no matter the size, are an important element to offer some connections to the outside world. During lockdown, they were appreciated even more, offering opportunities for interactions with neighbours. The whole idea of the outside space needs to be revised and balconies should be treated as extensions of the houses that could be used all year long.
In my blog post “Post-covid ideas for interior flat design”, you can find some more ideas on how to implement the above thoughts into design in a simple and practical way.
MEDIUM – A block of flats
The design of blocks of flats has been challenged as well. Communal spaces and terraces are underused and more welcoming, green features are treated as decorative pieces only, communal corridors discourage any social interaction with neighbours and so on. Some of these issues are not new, but they were brought to the surface again due to the recent pandemic.
New design guidelines are needed to cater for a variety of things. The communal corridors should be repurposed and have a similar character to a pedestrian street where social interactions can take place. They should create a welcoming environment which invites people to linger for a while offering the opportunity for casual conversations between tenants. All this should come naturally eliminating any feeling of fear, awkwardness or discomfort. Stairs should be better integrated into the design creating interesting routes to the apartments. Home entrances should offer buffer zones for people before entering or exiting their home. Lastly, outdoor spaces, both private and communal, should be well maintained and efficient to welcome people. Overall, the design of blocks of flats should evolve and adopt a more extroverted vibe transforming the hallways into streets and the communal spaces into spaces with flats acting as buildings glueing the rest together.
In my blog post “Post-covid ideas for the design of block of flats“, you can find some more ideas on how to implement the above thoughts into design in a simple and practical way.
LARGE – Neighbourhood & the city
Cities also need to respond to the new changes. The street typologies will be revised to accommodate more cycle paths, wider pavements and more opportunities for spill out spaces. Pedestrians and cyclists will be prioritised over vehicles. People will move closer to the suburbs since working from home is now a popular option establishing a new norm where commuting to work is optional. Open spaces will be busier than before challenging the capacity of the existing ones.
Local assets within the neighbourhood will be appreciated again and attract more people. A great focus will be given to the close-to-home assets since the new lifestyle of working from homes results in spending more hours within the immediate surroundings. Neighbourhoods will need to respond to the new demand, become more active, interesting and offer more facilities, open spaces and opportunities for entertainment. A polycentric model will be promoted in Europe similar to other places like the States or China where this model already exists due to the vastness of these areas. For instance, Los Angeles is organised around this model where each neighbourhood has its own centre. People there are more likely to frequent their own centre than going downtown to have a drink. European cities will start adopting a similar pattern, in the sense that each neighbourhood will become more independent offering more options compared to the past.
People will give a second chance to their neighbourhoods. They will now have time to remeet them and establish a new relationship. From a personal experience, I went through the same process too. During the lockdown, I was “forced” to spend so much time in my neighbourhood that I ended up exploring parts of it that I did not know they existed. I realised there was a great amount of things I was missing out because I never invested the time to discover them.
Overall, flexibility in design is key to anticipate future changes and ensure resilience. From a smaller to a larger scale, the same principle applies.