After living in lockdown and with Covid 19 threat round the clock, life is getting confined within the four walls of the house. Since ages, a house has had a special place in our lives as it offers safety and security from the climate and from all the worries of the world. Now in the present era, in the world of pandemic, the definition of the house has changed. A few accessories are added and a house is adorned in a different way. Now it demands more space from real estate.
TABLE OF CONTENT
- Positive Side of the Coin
- New Outlook of a House
- Houses to Feel Fresh
- Wrap –Up
1. Positive Side of the Coin
Though the pandemic has drastically changed our lives, it has also taught us a few lessons and there is a positive side of this coin too. Families have found some silver lining in their relationships. Parents are able to spend more time with their kids, play and enjoy life as the entire family is at home round the clock. The family is more connected now and has developed positive family habits. Elders of the family who were ignored all the time and who were just a showpiece lying in some corner of the house are also happy as they are able to see some human movement around them. There is at least someone to talk to, not like pre-pandemic where all were busy either with their jobs or spending evenings either with friends and dining out or shopping. They hardly remembered that they also have an old human structure in the form of their parents lying somewhere in the corner of the house. Lockdown and stay home has come as a blessing in disguise for the aged.
Families have learnt to eat home-made food. They prefer not to go for ordering food often. Homes are kept neat and clean. People have become more hygienic. Even the kitchen is kept clean, with utensils being washed regularly. People have become health conscious and prefer to eat healthy food and fruits. They knew that they had to keep their immune system strong. In a nut-shell we can say that the pandemic along with a lot of devastation has also given something fruitful to us. It has brought families together.
2. New Outlook of a House
A few more feathers are added to increase the beauty of the house. Now, in addition to providing a safe atmosphere, a house is also a school, an office, a playground and a gym. The space is the same as before but the house has become multi-functional. So it demands more space. There should be some changes in the upcoming ventures that could probably accommodate all these activities. Houses in the upcoming ventures need to be redesigned to suit secluded working, maybe with sliding walls that could create small cubicles during working hours and can be kept open and used as a living room after the office time. Working space should be created as it requires concentration and should be noise-free, especially if there are kids at home. The need for remote office space is very essential. It is very important to carve out a working space for every individual person who is working at home. Present houses lack dedicated workspaces. Some changes can be made in those projects which are still in the phase of completion to create the required spaces.
With work from home becoming a regular feature of life, there is definitely the need to have a real work-life space and structure at home. In the prevailing circumstances, people are somehow managing to work from home; sometimes their workspace is even in the kitchen. The new houses should be designed in such a way that they should have an open plan with flexible areas which can be opened up or closed off to serve as office space, playroom, online classes, as per the need of the day. It is necessary to make apartments more adaptable to the life that is prevailing now. This pandemic demands more space from real estate.
Every inch of space could be utilized in the new ventures. Height adjustable workspaces can be included that can be used by a working adult or a child for his homework. Sliding panels can be used and the corridors or aisle inside the house can be avoided. This space can be rather utilized to create office space or space for kids’ online classes. They also need a separate space for the same. A living room should be made in such a way that it could be enlarged after the working hours.
3. Houses to Feel Fresh
A house in this present era demands a few concepts like, air, light, greenery, safety, connectivity and flexibility. Unused space should be cut down and it should be used as per the demand of the era. If the new ventures are in open spaces that are a bit away from the core of the city, then people would get a better and clean environment that would help in a healthy lifestyle. One can feel close to nature and breathe in a clean atmosphere. The pandemic is bringing a gradual revolution in lives around the globe and demands more space from real estate. Balconies should be given more importance and should be considered as a necessity, so that residents could get fresh air. Houses should be well ventilated, bright and airy and not just like closed shells.
4. Wrap –Up
Most of us have realised that our homes are not suitable for this present lifestyle and there are a few flaws that can be rectified in the new ventures. During the lockdown and even after that, due to work from home, online classes of kids and many other precautions, living situations have become very uncomfortable due to limited spaces. Families are just cramped in homes and it is highly impossible to maintain social distancing. The situation demands a shift to open plan homes where all the common areas of the home could accumulate within a single space with flexibility to change as per the requirement. A house demands a relaxing ambience that can be created with well ventilated and airy atmosphere. Keeping hygiene in view, antimicrobial surfaces, materials and wall paints that can be easily cleaned and disinfected should be used. Smart Homes will also reduce the chances of getting infected through touching things. This being a hands-free technology would be the best for this present lifestyle. Voice-controlled elevators would also prevent the use of buttons and other manual controls. Home is a safe bubble but demands more space from the real estate due to the noxious pandemic.
– Written By Pallavi Krishna
