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Developers everywhere today are searching for ways to lower construction costs for multifamily projects – not just to make them attainable for folks with lower incomes, most often it’s to make projects even pencil out. Many have looked to off-site fabrication solutions, including volumetric modular and panelization in hopes of saving money, but in too many cases, that promise hasn’t been delivered upon. What are the key things to consider in advance when contemplating a modular or prefabricated option?
First, it is necessary to dispel the myth that if your stick-designed project isn’t penciling, shifting to a modular solution will fix it. That is absolutely not the case. Whereas it is plausible to pull the plug on a modular design that isn’t achieving any one of many project objectives and revert to a stick frame with manageable amounts of pain, the reverse situation—ditching a conventional design in favor of modular, will be a disaster, because in virtually every case, all that was drawn in anticipation of a conventional solution will need to be jettisoned and re-conceived.
That said, there are situations in which modular may really be a preferred solution. For example, if you manage to design a modular building you really like and construct it over and over again it gets better, faster, and hence more cost-efficient with every iteration. In other words, to reap the benefits of an essentially mass-produced product, it is the best case to produce it in large numbers. This is the reason you see so much current modular product going into low rise hotel properties where reliable repetition reigns supreme, and everything is done “by the book.”
I offer a fundamental encouragement to anyone considering a modular project: conceive of it as modular or prefabricated from the very word “go.” It helps to have a passionate advocate on the team. Next, it is essential to be as informed as possible about what modular design “likes” in order to play to the strengths of the strategy. In a word: discipline. Successful modular undertakings have extraordinarily disciplined team members—principally with the developer, but extending throughout the design team, including the construction and marketing people! Finally, it is important to get to know the presumed fabricator as early in the process as is humanly possible, because there are design and production nuances that vary from one shop to another, as well as which member of which team draws what in the construction documents.
Simplicity and repetition are the golden values in keeping a modular design on the straight and narrow. Factory fabrication is necessarily a repetitive process—assembly lines thrive on continuing to crank out the same widget over and over again without interruption. Think about the Model T—Ford’s strategy for mass production is what put that rather prosaic vehicle into the driveways of so many Americans. What this means is the project design must be approached with the goal of having the absolute bare minimum number of unit types. It may not be immediately apparent with this mindset that apartment plans are not mirrored in building plate layouts, but rather rotated. Why? Because that eliminates the need to prepare an entirely new set of jigs for a run of boxes with the guts flipped. This simple rule of thumb for design planning is one of a myriad of guidelines, which, if rigorously held to without wavering will produce the optimum results. With wood modular construction, I like to say the best strategy is to design for the minimum number of maximum sized boxes, which also get the most bang for the buck on the shipping expenses. Steel modular is a bit different but the same simplicity rules govern.
From an aesthetic perspective, I like to say that modular buildings like to be “straight, flat, and rational,” meaning they won’t necessarily play nice with fussy forms or gratuitous façade manipulations. In the language of Robert Venturi, these projects definitely want to be a “decorated shed” rather than a “Long Island Duck.” This doesn’t mean ugly; simple geometric forms articulated with color and strategically placed “building jewelry” like eyebrows and awnings can provide a satisfying look while adhering to the rules. Naturally, this may not fly in every jurisdiction or with every taste maker, but clean, modern lines are growing in popularity everywhere.
What does it take to be able to design within the parameters that enhance the chances of a competitive modular project? I’ll say it again: discipline. The team must be prepared to respond to questions that begin with “Wouldn’t it be nice if . . .” with firm resolve to the mission because they will almost always lead to bespoke solutions that frustrate the original intention of simplicity. One or two little customizations along the way can usually be incorporated, but by about the time of the third one, I alert the team it’s time to pull the plug. Also, production lines hate changes, so a firm resolve in decision making long before fabrication begins is vitally important; stopping a production line to make a change will squander the entire advantage of the process.
There’s a place for modular construction to really stand up as the preferred approach. At this time when we need so much attainable housing to dig us out of a massive deficit, it is perfectly reasonable to contemplate a prefabricated solution, especially if you can settle on a desirable design that will be attractive in multiple markets where you can build it over and over again. Culturally, markets with high barriers to entry, especially core coastal markets where land and labor costs are extraordinarily high may be the golden ticket for modular to deliver on the promise, helping to control expenses and shave time off the project delivery schedule.
Now here’s the kicker to this discussion. Even where the basic economics and constraints might not support an off-site fabricated project, there are many fundamental attitudes and approaches in the modular and pre-fabrication world that can be appropriated for stick building, resulting in more efficient, less expensive products. Simplicity, repetition, and an aversion to fussiness will always result in lower construction costs. And who doesn’t want that?
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Like what we drive, where and how we live reflects our lifestyles and stages. The needs of each stage differ and require varied physical accommodations that are life stage appropriate. Individuals and households are in constant motion, moving from one stage to the next; some steps just last longer than others. This “circle of life” repeats itself with every successive generation such as Gens X, Y, and Z. About every 14-18 years the cycle begins again. Because cycles overlap, we always have all stages to comprehend and design for simultaneously.
Starting out with limited means, it may make perfect sense to dwell in a micro unit in an urban core, close to transit and the attractions that make this life stage so much fun. One might choose a suite in a themed urban co-living building, which in addition to its affordable rent, comes with built-in community. From here, life often leads one into a special relationship that progresses to a partnership, which forms a new household, often followed by offspring, which represent yet another kind of family unit. Ultimately the offspring leaves the nest, which one might hope, resulting in a new life stage which resembles a previous one, but with more resources! Many folks arrive at this mature stage, and, romancing the memories of a previous cosmopolitan life, downsize back to an urban loft. And so, the cycle repeats.
The nuances of how to appeal to each life stage adjust with changing times, and the evolution is subtle. To stay abreast of the morphing norms is the task of the residential designer, as augmented by marketing research and by paying critical attention to the broader culture. Designing in all housing genres simultaneously creates an imperative to not only stay abreast of the needs of the various life stages, but also to encourage cross pollination from one type to another, understanding the specific product distinctions.
Approximately 65% of Americans occupy single family houses; there are a billion variants of these homes, including size, appointments, and proximity to neighbors and a town center. A detached home is prized for its desirable qualities—it gets light from all sides, usually includes some kind of yard or other private outdoor open space and has a distinct sense of autonomy. As resources are more abundant, these properties become larger and farther apart. Projects on the high end of this spectrum stretch the design team to embrace the perks that luxury affords—which means spending a lot of time in possibility thinking, the inventions of which can be re-interpreted and applied to all types.
Recently we have seen the advent of smaller, more closely spaced single family homes, which appeal to first time buyers, especially when money is cheap and there’s a pandemic to escape. The production pace of this type of dwelling was blistering in 2020 and has accommodated many younger families searching for the sublime combination of ownership along with a yard for the puppy and kids. Forecasters are predicting the boom will continue at least through 2021. These houses, particularly if they are only two stories, are about the least expensive construction there is. Design thinking in this context is a vastly different enterprise than with luxury product—in these smaller, more value priced homes, everything must be considered with a great sensitivity to the bottom line, so simplicity and efficiency become very key drivers.
With the advent of Accessible Dwelling unit laws in California and other states, experimentation and invention in the single family space has really accelerated. Introducing a “granny flat” into a new build detached house doubles the density of the neighborhood, provides attainable housing opportunities, and creates a mini “circle of life” situation where the residents of the primary house and the ADU (assuming all are extended family members) may swap spaces over a long period of time. These new ground-up homes with built-in ADUs are a gateway to multifamily housing.
Multifamily communities, especially 2- and 3-story wood-framed walkup apartments, have been hot in the suburbs and exurbs, because they are the most affordable homes to construct, and the value of the underlying land is typically less. The fire has been fueled by the recent exodus from dense urban cores. As is the case with single family homes, there is a broad range of product types in this category, driven by the desires of target residents. Some people live in these properties for a very long time; others are merely passing through on their way to ownership of a single family home!
Because the amenities in a low-rise multifamily community are shared, great care must be taken by the design team to incorporate elements that specifically appeal to the anticipated residents. With the recent surge of working from home, and the ability to have an abundance of goods and services delivered directly to our dwelling, the traditional community clubhouse needed to be reconsidered. Today’s “resident services hub” reflects the “live/work/play” lifestyle of its residents by having at its core the spaces and services that support working from home—like an alternate place to work when one needs a break from her apartment or to gather with other WFH colleagues, and a place to enjoy with friends all the stuff that’s being delivered. Think about food and beverage trucks or traveling entertainment, all which would satisfy one’s needs.
The big dogs in multifamily properties are those with structured parking: “wraps,” podiums, and high rises. While these communities accommodate a much higher number of persons per net land area, they are the most expensive type to build and are typically located in proximity to an urban core, making the land base more expensive. As a result, they tend toward “luxury” product and command higher rents or sales prices in the event of condominiums. These communities are vertical in nature, with residents living much closer to one another, so random encounters and shared experiences become a desirable aspect of life, as do the thoughtfully planned common spaces in the building, which are evolving in the same way as the suburban “clubhouses”. Relationship of the property to its cultural context is also critically important because many residents spend more time outside their flats than in them, as they take full advantage of the perks their neighborhood offers. Because the cost of these projects is so high, efficiency in plan and skin is a perpetual driver of the design team’s solutions.
So many different conditions, yet with so many elements in common—all influencing one another! The driving intention for all residential design is to create as much comfort and value as possible for a resident relative to what she can afford. Designing tight spaces, such as the micro unit previously mentioned, refines the team’s ability to make the most strategic use of every available square inch of area, wasting nothing, which becomes a strategy applicable to the entire spectrum of homes. Imagining day to day experiences in the dense urban core is quite different than anticipating open space, trails, and rambling amenities in a suburban walk-up location or single family neighborhood, together with the shared spaces, both interior and exterior, that provide seamless transitions from one to the other. What is learned from one experience always helps lead and refine the others.
Today we find ourselves in the situation where the demand for housing has outpaced production for such an extended period of time, making the resultant deficit of homes feel nearly insurmountable. In this environment, it is simply necessary to have more housing, of all types, everywhere it can reasonably go. There is no one product that will on its own make a dent in the deficit; we need more of everything, and an industry energized to imaginatively and intentionally design and deliver it.
Danielian Associates has more than 50 years of residential experience, both domestic and international, that has covered the entire range of residential types from single family detached to high rise, plus the common spaces that support them. In all those years, and in all those products, we have learned the basics of the types, but even more importantly, to listen to our clients and understand which approaches work best for the project in mind.
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Can we agree we’re way past debating that at least here in California, we need to produce a lot more housing than we’ve been doing? Great. So where do we put it? It has been acceptable for a long time to make room for denser communities where there’s convenient access to meaningful transit and close to urban cores, thanks to state bonus density laws and more locally relevant ordinances, such as the Transit Oriented Communities Overlay in Los Angeles. But what we really need is an “all in, all the time” strategy to creatively find as many places as possible to locate new dwellings, urban and suburban. So it’s time to prospect for possibilities everywhere, including existing neighborhoods.
ADUs Are Coming!
The tide is turning for at least a part of this challenge. It has been said that “The single greatest source of real estate for the production of new attainable dwelling units in Los Angeles is back yards.” This has been verified by multiple studies. A few years back California passed laws making the production of accessory dwelling units much easier by relaxing regulations concerning rental restrictions, parking requirements, and even setbacks in some cases. What had been a bit of a cottage industry (please forgive the pun) got an adrenaline injection and really caught fire. As noted by Dan Bertolet and Nisma Gabobe of the Sightline Institute, “Prior to 2017, Los Angeles was permitting 100 to 200 ADUs per year. In 2017, ADU permits leaped to 2,326, and then in 2018 they nearly doubled to 4,171, accounting for one fifth of all permits. In contrast, in the years before 2017, ADU permits comprised a mere 1 percent of the total.” By default, these dwellings tend to be more attainable because they are small, they don’t require much, if any, upgraded infrastructure, and they are not amenitized. They are typically starter or transition homes, for sure. And they have the very obvious benefit of significantly increasing the density of existing neighborhoods.
. . . But Hold On Just A Minute There
Densifying existing single family neighborhoods? Them’s fightin’ words. We love our existing neighborhoods, and we’re highly organized, well-funded, and super vocal, and a substantial voting block to boot, so you don’t want to tangle with us. While we agree in principle that more housing is needed, when the rubber hits the road, we don’t want it in our backyards. Or down the block. Or in the neighborhood at all: “Please build more housing, just not here.” And this resistance is on top of the already excessive regulation and abuse of environmental law (in California) that hampers the production of housing almost everywhere.
But to walk for a moment in the shoes of the NIMBYs, they often express completely valid concerns; it is entirely possible and logical that some existing single family neighborhoods are not perfect candidates for the addition of a slew of new ADUs. But plenty are—we just have to be discerning to seek and find them.
In the meanwhile, of course, with the laws in place, it is possible and beneficial to build new houses that come with ADUs already in place. Beyond the most obvious advantage of providing more attainable dwellings, ADUs have other distinct benefits for owners of the homes to which they are attached (or detached, as the case may be), including income to help the primary owner afford the mortgage, or the opportunity to expand the household to include an extended family over successive generations (initially occupied by the owner’s aging parent, moving to a boomerang kid or newly minted young family, until they take over the main house and the original owner moves to the ADU. The possibilities are endless.) When designed into a new master planned community or development, there are often no adjacent neighborhoods to disrupt.
Densifying SFD Neighborhoods
For years, planners, builders, and architects have been reaching for higher densities within single family developments, with 20 DU or more being the holy grail. We’ve come close with products such as 3 story “detached townhomes,” or progressive designs that park less than might be expected, and don’t build bedrooms for cars. But imagine if in the same footprint as a traditional 3-story townhome (with parking), we could develop a townhome over flat combo, each with its own separate entry, with the flat playing the role of the ADU in this situation. That would immediately double the density of the neighborhood, while still parking 2 cars for the townhome and one for the flat—it’s an attached condition that feels detached. And the community would still have the look and feel of a modern single family development. With the current market proliferation of single family rentals, this type of stacked duplex would feel right at home.
Villages, Not Tracts
With tools like these at our disposal, it’s time to evolve our thinking about lower density residential planning to embrace the concept of villages rather than tracts. Denser single family neighborhoods, including those with built-in ADUs, are plotted alongside a variety of attached dwelling concepts, offering a range of price points to attract a broader mix of families; these are adjacent to appropriately scaled walk-up apartments, which is yet another price point on the attainability scale. In a village concept, there are pockets of amenities and open space distributed throughout which are shared and enjoyed by all residents. This type of village, with denser enclaves of dwellings interspersed with green spaces becomes a highly walkable environment when the pedestrian realm is thoughtfully enhanced, in sharp contrast to traditional suburban neighborhoods with vast tracts of detached homes with long driveways and fewer attractions to comfortably walk to. A denser village community is, well, communal by nature, and completely in keeping with the typically younger demographic moving into them.
We need more of everything, everywhere. Each little creative, careful incremental step forward will help us inch towards a state with enough housing for everyone. Let’s work together to find ways to say “Yes.”
Deep Satisfaction to the Mind
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*Original article was written by Daniel Gehman, AIA, LEED AP, for and published in the MFE 2020 Concept Community Report
As we endure this unprecedented global pandemic we have all been in a season of mental reframing—adjusting expectations, strategies, and anticipated outcomes. By the time you read this, I hope the dust will be settling on the qualities and characteristics of life that best provide meaning and definition. With everything still fluid as we struggle to arrive at the “new normal,” I want to seize the moment and suggest we consider altering our expectations of what is beautiful in housing. Gen Z is a generation coming of age and entering the household formation years having been branded not only by this crisis but possibly by their parents’ experience in the Great Recession. This generation has been described as motivated by a heightened sense of pragmatism coupled with “ethical consumption” and a search for “truth.” What will this mean when it comes to their choice in housing, especially from an aesthetics perspective?
Personal pragmatism in action can be characterized by a desire to balance one’s expenses, not over-reaching for either status or luxury before they can be afforded. Partnered with this mindset is often a conviction not to consume more than what is needed, but to understand, without pretense, exactly what it is they will be getting for their money.
When “beauty” and “housing” are mentioned together, most of our minds turn to cosmetic or distinctly surface is-sues. We know that “beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” but it has also been said that “beauty is only skin deep.” What if the holistic understanding of beauty was expanded beyond mere packaging?
Dictionary.com defines beauty as: “The quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind, whether arising from sensory manifestations (as shape, color, sound, etc.), a meaningful design or pattern, or something else (as a personality in which high spiritual qualities are manifest).
“Beauty” in architecture is a wildly subjective topic. There are voices in our industry that pursue “harmony” or “compatibility” of a proposed structure within its given context as if it were the highest imaginable objective. This often gives rise to design solutions, in the quest for community/agency approvals, that unnecessarily complicate the envelope (through excessive ornamentation, geometric modulation, or both), increasing the cost of the building, which in turn raises the rent.
There is also a “keeping up with the Joneses” phenomenon in multifamily that suggests a project’s amenity offerings must be over the top in order to be competitive. But what if I don’t need or ever plan to enjoy a bowling lane or climbing wall? If I don’t use it, I still have to pay for it, along with everyone else in the community, and, again, the rent climbs.
What if we shifted the lens of our mental cameras to view the values of simplicity, commodity, functionality, and an agreeable atmosphere as beautiful? Over 2,000 years ago Vitruvius, the Roman architect, engineer, and soldier, argued for the beauty of simple but pure forms and pleasing proportionality, suggesting that abundant ornamentation was superfluous or even distracting. He also valued “functionality” (or “commodity”) along with strength and beauty. In fact, in his well-known statement of what defined quality building design, “commodity” precedes firmness or delight, so maybe he was on to something in his order-ing of priorities by putting usefulness upfront.
In a search for a home that fits, could focus on a dwelling that provides what one needs without pro-viding (and charging for) things one does not need be of high importance to a Gen Z? What if a developer, propelled by passion, intention, and discipline, deliberately chose to pursue functionality first, including only the most necessary components of functional, comfortable living to deliver homes in the most efficient manner that cost less to rent, accommodating many more households? What if being disciplined in every aspect of the community design and construction could allow this type of development to be done while still making a modest profit, without subsidy? Wouldn’t making housing for many more people pro-vide a deep satisfaction to the mind? What if all this disruption by the pandemic and its lingering impacts caused this kind of thinking to lead to a huge increase in the amount of housing being created that is attainable for many at manageable costs? Now that would be a thing of beauty.
Millennial Homebuyers Spurring Suburban Trends
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*Original article was written by Cassie Cherry, LEED AP, for and published in the October 2020 issue of Builder and Developer Magazine.
One thing we can all agree on these days: The silver lining for this year has most certainly been the residential housing sector. With low interest rates and ‘windfall savings’ from the postponement / cancellation of many celebrations, travels, and life events – there are even more opportunities to get into a home.
In Danielian Associates’ recent industry-wide survey, nearly 50% of Millennials who identified as ‘currently renting’ said they plan to purchase a home in the next two years despite the pandemic and economic uncertainty. Work from home has morphed into work-from-anywhere, which has effectively opened up additional housing options for those previously unable to relocate. Lesser densities, larger private outdoor spaces, and lower priced for sale housing opportunities are very attractive to the older, Millennial homebuyers that are now planning to start or have started their own families.
Over the summer and in response to demand, we have seen rapid growth in the SFD housing product types that are stretching out into secondary and even tertiary markets. For those urban dwellers wishing to escape to the suburbs, the adage drive until you qualify is becoming a more attractive option now without the pressures of a long commute. Current vacancy rates in the San Francisco multifamily markets are probably the most aggressive example of the outward migration away from the urban core.
With that being said, the oldest segment of Gen Z is now in the early 20s. They are leaving college and entering the work force. While their generational cohort preferences are distinct and unique as a result of their own life experiences, they are not dissimilar from the previous generation of Millennials in the preference for connected, walkable spaces and a desire to live in urban locations. Gen Z has now surpassed the Millennials as the largest generation, and they will be looking for places to live. Multifamily housing has traditionally been the entry point, so purely from a numbers perspective we need to keep building these products to keep up with growing populations and housing demand.
While the recent focus may have quickly shifted to single family housing, multifamily housing is still an important piece of our housing puzzle and will not be going away. Many architectural resources have been spent on rethinking single family home design in the post-pandemic world. We need to be sure we are also addressing post-pandemic design options within our multifamily product types as well. Health and wellness, flexible spaces, daylighting, entry context, safe package handling, indoor air quality, and opportunities for indoor / outdoor living and private outdoor spaces are equally as important and perhaps more challenging to achieve within multifamily housing units. Additionally, we will need to also rethink the common area amenities – opting instead for multiple smaller, more intimate social gathering spaces instead of a single, larger one. The outdoors has become the new frontier for recreation, dining, and social gathering spaces and the planning and design for multifamily projects will need to reflect that. Creative teamwork and collaboration by builders, planners, architects, interior designers, and landscape architects can help achieve project goals while also ensuring these multifamily projects remain timeless while meeting today’s consumer preferences.
Increasing Demand for Attainable Housing
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In our recent industry-wide survey, nearly 50% of Millennials who identified as “currently renting” said they plan to purchase a home in the next two years despite the pandemic and economic uncertainty. With many individuals riding out quarantines in one-bedroom apartments or living with roommates, will this be the catalyst for additional first-time homebuyers entering the housing market, effectively further increasing demand for attainable housing? There was already a significant shortage of this product type across many markets, and we expect to see strong demand continue to grow.
Sales in this product segment have remained strong throughout the first half of 2020, with lower price point homes outselling move-ups and other products nearly 3 to 1. Ali Wolf, Chief Economist for Meyers Research, reported this week how low mortgage rates and the strength of the ‘hypothetical buyer pool’ will continue to fuel demand.
Our team has been hard at work designing homes that provide first-time buyers with purchase opportunities and offer alternatives to apartment living. Take a sneak peek at one of Danielian’s iDA Lab concepts designed to help meet the growing demand for attainable housing.
Danielian iDA Lab ‘Attainable Housing’ Concept Plans
Originally designed to provide Millennials an alternative to apartment living, these floor plans were created to maximize interior square footage and provide meaningful outdoor space thanks to use easements and alternative parking arrangements. Open floor plans with flexible spaces provide the homebuyer opportunities to create their own personal living experience that is best suited to their individual needs.
The above floor plan concepts take advantage of 34 x 40 lot dimensions while yielding 1,075 SF in Plan 2 and 1,000 SF in Plan 1.
In order for these small footprints to feel open and liveable, we focused on maximizing indoor / outdoor living connections and placed them off both the living rooms and kitchens. These outdoor spaces are then interconnected, to maximize yard size and usability. Plan 1 uses a single car garage along with an outdoor parking space that shares outdoor flex space that can also be used for outdoor dining. Plan 2 focuses its outdoor space off the front yard and utilizes a tandem outdoor parking layout with a sizeable storage room, in lieu of a standard garage. Of course, municipalities and local buyer demographics would factor into actual parking considerations.
These plans represent just one of our many R&D solutions we have developed in response to today’s homebuilding challenges. These plans can be adapted to meets the needs of both for sale residential and single family rental communities, with elevation styles tailored to meet local buyer demographics.
The Danielian Team is very excited to announce that we have several of these plans under construction with builder clients in various locations and look forward to sharing details of the built communities in the very near future!
‘Safer at Home’ Shifting Ideas of Design
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*Original article was written by Cassie Cherry, LEED AP, for and published in the June 2020 issue of Green Home Builder Magazine:
For over three months now our industry has been making it happen. We have been inviting colleagues, clients, and competitors into our homes virtually. We have learned to adapt, be resourceful, and leverage technology at a speed we never thought possible.
From a sociological impact, there have been some profoundly positive aspects that have come alongside the ‘safer at home’ orders. In a recent poll, half of all Californians have reported enjoying the increased family time, a third reported they were more self-sufficient, and another third reported a greater sense of community spirit and altruism. With the abrupt stop of life’s hustle and social activities, there has been an increased sense of grounding and mindfulness taking root. Safety, security, and well-being have become central to our daily lives while we slow down and search for new ways to communicate in genuine and meaningful ways with those around us.
When asked how future home designs may look in light of these sociological changes, Louis Bretaña, Senior Designer and Associate at Danielian Associates shared, “This is a reset button for our industry and will produce a longterm shift in how we practice architecture.” One thing is certain, the idea of home has changed. How will the effects of this pandemic shape home design in the future?
The Danielian Team has been hard at work in our iDA Lab studio, designing for the future and exploring that very question. We recently reached out to the industry and conducted a survey, investigating how the idea of home has changed and what that means for the future of residential design.
Over half of all respondents said that the pandemic has shifted what they prioritize in a home – a substantial impact. Particularly noteworthy was our demographic sampling was well distributed at nearly a third each for Boomers, Gen X’ers, and Millennials. Meaning, this information will have an impact across all product types.
Below are some notable findings from our research endeavors:
By a wide margin, the single biggest demand is for open floor plans with flexible spaces. With homes now currently tripling their job descriptions, flexible spaces in all product types will become an even greater focal point. Our design studios have been utilizing flexible spaces in smaller lot floorplans for many years to maximize space. These spaces at all scales can be used for family time and entertaining as well as at home workouts, school time activities, hobby space, impromptu jam sessions, quiet reading corners, extra office and study space, and group “zoom rooms.”
Nearly 50% of Millennials we surveyed who are currently renting said they plan to purchase a home in the next two years, despite the pandemic. With many individuals riding out quarantine in one-bedroom apartments or living with roommates, will this be the catalyst for more first-time homebuyers entering the housing market? There was already a significant shortage of this product type, we expect to see the strong demand in this market segment continue to grow.
Truly, there is never enough storage in a home. While this doesn’t come as a surprise, the idea of being able to store bulk purchases and supplies is now more appealing than ever. Closely behind flexible space, more storage was the second biggest feature that survey respondents were looking for. Additional storage opportunities that make organization easy and leverage clever use of space are a perfect way to set your home apart.
67% of our survey respondents had a dedicated work space in their home, yet over 90% said these spaces were lacking or not ideal. Among the increased home technology and Wi- Fi, will we see a return to formal office spaces and more reliable hard wire connections?
Simple details in the fit and finish of homes like antimicrobial fixtures and finishes, air filtration, and water purification systems can help differentiate products in a competitive market. We have seen very recently that these small details are making positive impacts in sales velocity where they have been implemented.
Meaningful outdoor space with indoor/outdoor connections in the home is always in demand, but again here, we expect this to become an even bigger focus. Sufficient outdoor space rounded out the top three demands in our survey. This becomes a bigger design challenge in smaller lot and single family attached products. Approaching outdoor spaces with potential homeowner uses in mind (outdoor cooking, space to work out, designated areas for gardening even if it is small, etc.) will help maximize opportunities to create these experiences even when lot space is constrained. They say what is old eventually becomes new again – will we see a return of sleeping porches where opportunities for private outdoor space is limited?
To view the original article, please visit Green Home Builder Magazine.
The Future of Home Design – Entry Context
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Health and Safety: The Entry Context of a Home
The idea of “home” has taken on a new meaning with health, well-being, and safety at top of mind for both consumers and homebuyers. Commitment to safety and well-being starts at the front door, and as such, the DA Design Team began here with our deeper dive into the future of home design.
Last month we conducted an industry-wide survey to investigate this topic further, discovering how the idea of home has changed and what that might mean for the future of residential design. Over half of all respondents said that the pandemic shifted what they prioritize in a home, certainly a substantial impact. Particularly noteworthy was the sampling came back nearly equally distributed across each age demographic – Boomers, Gen X’ers, and Millennials. Meaning, this information will have an impact across all product types.
12% of respondents indicated they had either a mudroom or a ‘transition space’ within the entry context of their home. This number contrasts sharply with the nearly 70% who indicated that having this space was either desirable or highly desirable (for reference – 78% of total respondents indicated they had purchased a resale home vs. 22% purchased a new home). With older housing stock making up the bulk of home sales along with the fact this design feature is often overlooked in temperate West Coast housing markets, reshaping the entry context is a great opportunity to differentiate current products lines and adapt these design elements into homes for greater living experiences at all scales and price points.
Thinking of the home’s entry as a ‘transition space’ and what daily activities transpire here is the inspiration for our design solutions. How are we currently using these spaces and what are they lacking in order to better suit our daily lives? It is also important to ensure that design solutions are scalable and adaptable for future use.
As ‘safer-at-home’ orders are eased and we begin to venture out more frequently, this transitional entry space or “Well-Way” will be central to keeping our home’s interiors and occupants safe and healthy – akin to scrubbing in to our homes when we return from work and essential activities. Places to safely and elegantly store shoes, clothes, purses and totes, etc. should be easily accessible in order to avoid tracking these dirty items throughout a clean and secure home. Locating the powder room and laundry area near the entry is important for handwashing and clean up. In larger homes, an opportunity to have a full bath or shower near the garage / secondary home entrance would be ideal. Think of all the essential workers and health care providers that would appreciate that extra bathroom right now, not to mention how convenient it would make cleaning up from routine household chores and weekend work. A secure package reception space can be upgraded with technology to handle both parcels and perishable food deliveries. Lastly, a control hub can be integrated for centralized access to smart home technology as well as news, weather, community alerts, temp scanning, etc.
Anecdotally, taking a quick look back at history shows an appreciation for Janus (the god of beginnings) reaching as far back as prior to the city of Rome. This symbolic nature was often applied to doorways and passageways for safety and protection and has echoed throughout society since. Janus is typically depicted as having two faces looking at opposite ways, one towards the past and the other towards the future. It is often said that history repeats itself, will we see an appreciation for Janus and the concept of passageway safety and protection return within the home?
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The Danielian Associates Team is working hard to provide our clients with creative solutions for current challenges. Contact us today to start a conversation and see what our iDA Lab studio can do for you.