8 Trends Redefining Residential Architecture


 

While it’s reasonable to assume that the design of homes will undergo fairly significant changes over the coming decade, it’s also reasonably likely that these changes will be conditioned by fundamental economic and demographic developments instead of futuristic technological innovations. 

Micro-designs

As the world's population is soaring, along with the rising housing costs, higher stamp duty, and the price of land, space is becoming a premium. The trend is most critical in cities and urban developments, which make the most of what room we have left. It shouldn't surprise then that architects are leading the spatial revolution. Some of the innovative designs we've seen in recent months change our perception of how much space we actually need. That is why the shipping container homes are getting extremely popular. These unusually-shaped structures couple aesthetic styling with intelligent space awareness that makes every inch count.

Popularity of outdoor living

Lifestyles have become less formal, and home design reflects it. You can rarely see formal living and dining rooms in new housing projects. They are being replaced with great rooms, dens, and open space layouts. This movement to informal living is especially visible in outdoor living trends. While decks, patios and outdoor grills used to be in focus, now we have fully furnished outdoor kitchens and even living rooms. 

Growth of home offices

While this is not a trend in a clear, pre-meditated way, as the way people work changes and adapts to a digital and multi-connected world, flexible working patterns will probably make an impact on how we see our homes. With half of the population expected to be working from home by 2030, residential architects are already incorporating creative home offices and extensions to existing properties that can be furnished that way.

Tech kitchens and baths

It seems that the Great Recession coincided with the period of technological innovation. Many consumers swapped their desktop computers with laptops, tablets, and smartphones, which the conditioned a home infrastructure to support these mobile devices. In addition, rising concerns about sustainability and increased demand for power and water saving devices, smart technologies often include management of these utility systems in homes. 

Smart design in established locations

Building in established locations that are more accessible to jobs, public transportation hubs, and commercial activities increases, as young families today show little interest in traditional housing subdivision in more remote suburbs. Building in these more accessible locations is more expensive, especially in countries like Australia, whose state capitals are experiencing a housing boom, so homes are smaller and have a more innovative design. For example, these new family houses for sale in Wellington Point are individually designed to suit the buyer requirements, with customizations coming free of charge. At only 22km from Brisbane, the area strikes a perfect city-town lifestyle balance, with great schools and laid-back atmosphere for raising a family. 

Sustainable architecture

When it comes to residential architecture, the sustainability trend seems to lag behind commercial spaces and large downtown construction projects. Large developments usually have a more significant potential impact on the environment, and with this responsibility comes the priority for sustainable improvement. However, in recent years, the average homeowner is more concerned with living sustainability than before, so along with the small scale lifestyle changes like switching the lights off and recycling, homeowners are more interested in the ways their properties are built as an opportunity to contribute to the change. From rainwater collectors to living walls, architects are finding sustainability at every stage of the building process.

Kitchens still in focus

Even as households are being scaled down, few residential architects report less attention to size and features in kitchens. Kitchens have evolved into the family centre of many homes, and as the residential property market turns, residential architects report even more interest in kitchen designs. Since family space connected to kitchen space through an open floor plan has become a standard in many new developments, the importance of the kitchen is expected to increase even more. 

Co-living spaces

A trend that is taking hold in the busiest and most expensive cities (khm London khm), co-living is a new form of housing which caters to a new generation of renters who find private rented sector too expensive or unsuitable to a more transient lifestyle. The flats in these shared accommodation buildings are arranged like student halls with the idea of driving a sense of community through shared communal living areas. Amenities like lounges, gyms, and laundry rooms are provided for everyone to share and included in the monthly rental cost along with bills and fees.  

The Jetsons age is yet to come, and the main drivers of changes and trends will remain the aging of the population, continued recovery from the last decade's housing collapse, and staggeringly slow economic recovery that make challenging for young families to establish a foothold in the housing market.

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