Has The Pandemic Changed Expat Housing Designs For Ever?

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Life under lockdown is looking towards changing architectural norms all across the planet.

The worldwide lockdowns following the invasion of the coronavirus may well have changed architectural design across many countries. New builds will now take into account a new, more private lifestyle, allowing time outside to be spent on extended balconies and terraces designed for entertainment and outdoor living. Other changes made necessary by the pandemic include upgraded noise insulation, both within the home itself and in its construction to protect householders from their noisy neighbours.

In countries with an excess of sunlight, larger windows will allow more light and prevent sun-deprivation from causing depression and lack of energy. Brighter decor will be used to a similar effect. Now that working at home is commonplace, interior design will separate work and leisure spaces, with sliding doors dividing large, open areas and giving privacy and quiet where necessary. Terraces and balconies will be a focus of new designs, allowing householders extra space as well as focal points for communication and entertainment. These open-air spaces will be essential, even in countries with less than clement weather patterns.

For residential compounds such as condo blocks, communal areas will become more like their counterparts in hotels, with gyms, saunas, nurseries and social rooms all given priority. Co-working areas may well be included via agreement with residents, giving a new meaning to ‘working for home'. Whilst it may sound crazy that a worldwide dangerous infection could change the planet’s residential architectural standards, historians will say it’s all happened before as cave men found ways to separate out their communal shelters in order to give privacy to smaller, family-based groups!