An architecture firm is reporting a \u201csurge\u201d in demand for regional projects since the COVID-19 pandemic began, with an increase in requests for designs that incorporate work-from-home arrangements.<\/p>\n
Co-directors of THOSE Architects Ben Mitchell and Simon Addinall said the trend had seen them working on projects \u201cright up and down the eastern seaboard and inland.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe demand is being driven by the mobilisation and decentralisation of the workforce, in a large part due to COVID-19,\u201d Mr Addinall said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a trend that\u2019s been noted by real estate agents and economists for some time now, but for architects it\u2019s not just changing where they work, but what they build.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Because of COVID] we are seeing briefs that include fully functional work from home spaces, surprisingly sometimes integrated into the main living areas of the home,\u201d Mr Mitchell said.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Designs getting bigger as clients replicate the office<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cEach project is different as every client has a unique problem to solve when it comes to work-from-home. More generally though, I would say that the projects we are designing regionally post-COVID are slightly larger than those we completed pre-COVID. In the main this is to facilitate, or often replicate, a typical office setup,\u201d Mr Mitchell said.<\/p>\n \u201cFor example, pre-COVID a client might work-from-home occasionally and employ a laptop in a study nook located somewhere in the home. Post-COVID we are seeing clients working from home full time that require fully functioning offices, full of technology, with two wide screens, for example, and having facilities to prepare refreshments and even associated bathrooms.\u201d<\/p>\n While regional areas may traditionally have been viewed by clients as ideal spots for weekender accommodation, most of the new projects were for clients who already live outside the major cities or intend to relocate.<\/p>\n \u201cOver 90 per cent of the regional projects we are currently working on are permanent residences, designed specifically to be occupied full time,\u201d Mr Addinall said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n