{"id":13456,"date":"2022-06-08T18:02:51","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T17:02:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old\/?p=13456"},"modified":"2023-08-18T18:18:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-18T17:18:31","slug":"the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/","title":{"rendered":"The impact of Covid-19 on property development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In March 2022, I joined a panel discussion hosted by Zebra Property Group with several influential figures from the property industry in London. The purpose of the evening was to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on property development in the Capital; the changes, opportunities and current trends.<\/p>\n

I was delighted to be joined on the panel by Chloe Leefe, Director Aykroyd & Co<\/a>. Preston Benson, Founder of Really Local Group<\/a> and Marcus Neale, Director of Moncreo<\/a> a developer working in the capital<\/p>\n

The event highlighted some interesting themes summarised below. All these trends impact how we design properties for our clients, whether they are a\u00a0family doing a self-build project, or a developer thinking\u00a0about the best\u00a0possible ROI from a\u00a0commercial development.<\/p>\n

Trends:<\/strong><\/p>\n

A critical impact of lockdown is that it provided our clients with more thinking time. This extra time has changed their overall perspective on housing and the value of a quality environment. We have fewer conversations about the number of bedrooms. Instead, people have reassessed their personal environment and questioned the quality of their space, and flexibility it enables.<\/p>\n

The perspectives for the ideal house \u2018floor plan\u2019 have altered since the pandemic. For example, there is now a greater focus on people working remotely, and this has forced a re-think for homeowners.Whether working remotely is a long-term shift or a temporary trend remains to be seen. The consensus among the panellists is that within creative\u00a0and collaborative\u00a0industries\u00a0like architecture, or construction it\u00a0doesn’t\u00a0work well either as a business model or for the individuals. However, this is different for employees in IT for example.<\/p>\n

Another key trend is that Individuals have changed their preferences from the open plan house. We are seeing an increased requirement for versatility in the home, with rooms having multiple functions.\u00a0 Ownership of pets peaked during Covid and people are now demanding better quality external private space. This means that private gardens are more of a priority and clients are prepared to invest more than ever.<\/p>\n

As a result further thought is now required when planning gardens and outdoor spaces, for instance specifying long reach broadband connections and external electricity sockets; these are essential features for those working from home. Of course, the garden room\/office is one way of delivering for home workers, while giving some\u00a0physical\u00a0separation from the family home.<\/p>\n

We have noticed homeowners are seeing the benefits of investing in their properties as a tool to improve their quality of life, in the short and long term. The emphasis is less on financial gain and more on lifestyle enhancement. Another impact of Covid has been to accelerate trends. Homeowners have re-evaluated their day-to-day life choices, as well as exploring their unexplored neighbourhood. This might be sourcing a local supplier or bread-maker or engaging with a local community group. There\u2019s a further pursuit of quality of life and creating a functional environment for an office, a living room and a kids room etc.<\/p>\n

The London Property industry must think\u00a0similarly if it is to tap into providing what our clients want or need.<\/p>\n

Clients\u2019 Changing Design Requirements:<\/strong><\/p>\n

When it comes to specifics in homes, people are\u00a0asking\u00a0for pocket doors or screens to isolate themselves from their family so they can fully zone in on their work or play! They also want a free flowing internal-external space so they can use it appropriately throughout the whole day.<\/p>\n

There is a further creativity requirement for versatile internal and external spaces. For instance a \u201cwardrobe can\u2019t just be narrowed down to a storing device, it must have multiple functionalities such as a workstation or dressing table. This is especially important in small apartments where rooms have multiple uses and must be flexible for different people and different times of the day.<\/p>\n

There has been considerable shift in focus from homeowners looking to design utility rooms into their homes.\u00a0Now more than ever, further innovative ways are required to deal with individuals’ growing needs as people have reprioritised.\u00a0On a macro scale, covid has accelerated employers\u2019\u00a0ability and intentions to become flexible to attract the next best talent – the home has to be designed to keep up.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0opportunity for Architects and Developers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The changes London has experienced in the aftermath of Covid has emphasised the significant shortage of houses. The UK Government is massively behind on their projections, therefore there’s a need for an innovative strategic policy in the family home sector.<\/p>\n

Demand is strong so it\u2019s forecasted the London property market will remain resilient.\u00a0Most of the high street isn\u2019t fit for purpose because the idea of retail has changed so much in recent years. Covid has spurred this on with the rise of Amazon and online purchasing, creating opportunities for communal office hubs or alternative commercial enterprises with a focus on local and small artisanal producers.<\/p>\n

With Covid starting to become a distant memory, its presence will continue to have a long-lasting impact on how we operate.\u00a0There has been and remains huge value in areas in London, such as Paddington, Earls Court and Hampstead, as their shared external gardens are huge selling points.\u00a0Generally, developers aren\u2019t building anything now without significant outdoor space, both\u00a0private\u00a0and shared.<\/p>\n

Aside from meeting the London Plan standards, or meeting a Planning Condition, clearly many can see the financial benefit of investing in high quality gardens and attracting a more\u00a0discerning\u00a0buyer. It\u2019s the spaces between the buildings that become more\u00a0important\u00a0than the buildings themselves.<\/p>\n

If we as Architects can work with developers to provide\u00a0beautiful\u00a0well designed, flexible homes, but also high quality external gardens or amenity space – in essence creating a place that\u00a0communities\u00a0can grow into – then we can tap into this massive market\u00a0opportunity.<\/p>\n\"\"\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Introduction: In March 2022, I joined a panel discussion hosted by Zebra Property Group with several influential figures from the property industry in London. The purpose of the evening was to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on property development in the Capital; the changes, opportunities and current trends. I was…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":11319,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[3126],"class_list":["post-13456","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commercial-development","tag-post-pandemic-living"],"yoast_head":"\nThe impact of Covid-19 on property development - Granit<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The impact of Covid-19 on property development\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Introduction: In March 2022, I joined a panel discussion hosted by Zebra Property Group with several influential figures from the property industry in London. The purpose of the evening was to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on property development in the Capital; the changes, opportunities and current trends. I was...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Granit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Granit-Architects-639885616142327\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-06-08T17:02:51+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-08-18T17:18:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"800\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"James Munro\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@LondonArchitect\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@LondonArchitect\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"James Munro\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/\",\"name\":\"The impact of Covid-19 on property development - Granit\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-06-08T17:02:51+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-08-18T17:18:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#\/schema\/person\/1574fd5585f1d1fd4d07228ed217869b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":800},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The impact of Covid-19 on property development\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/\",\"name\":\"Granit\",\"description\":\"Architecture + Interiors\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#\/schema\/person\/1574fd5585f1d1fd4d07228ed217869b\",\"name\":\"James Munro\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/099cc0d517dad173f21b51732edc4fa9c251b98e5bc6d5bef1357e679a2ddd34?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/099cc0d517dad173f21b51732edc4fa9c251b98e5bc6d5bef1357e679a2ddd34?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"James Munro\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/author\/jamesadmin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The impact of Covid-19 on property development - Granit","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"The impact of Covid-19 on property development","og_description":"Introduction: In March 2022, I joined a panel discussion hosted by Zebra Property Group with several influential figures from the property industry in London. The purpose of the evening was to discuss the impact of Covid-19 on property development in the Capital; the changes, opportunities and current trends. I was...","og_url":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/","og_site_name":"Granit","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/Granit-Architects-639885616142327\/","article_published_time":"2022-06-08T17:02:51+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-08-18T17:18:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":800,"url":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"James Munro","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@LondonArchitect","twitter_site":"@LondonArchitect","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"James Munro","Estimated reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/","url":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/","name":"The impact of Covid-19 on property development - Granit","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg","datePublished":"2022-06-08T17:02:51+00:00","dateModified":"2023-08-18T17:18:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#\/schema\/person\/1574fd5585f1d1fd4d07228ed217869b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/ab_killieser_avenue_low_res_03.jpg","width":1200,"height":800},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/the-impact-of-covid-19-on-property-development\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The impact of Covid-19 on property development"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#website","url":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/","name":"Granit","description":"Architecture + Interiors","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#\/schema\/person\/1574fd5585f1d1fd4d07228ed217869b","name":"James Munro","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/099cc0d517dad173f21b51732edc4fa9c251b98e5bc6d5bef1357e679a2ddd34?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/099cc0d517dad173f21b51732edc4fa9c251b98e5bc6d5bef1357e679a2ddd34?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"James Munro"},"url":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/author\/jamesadmin\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13456"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13469,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13456\/revisions\/13469"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11319"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rwarchitect.co.uk\/old2024\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}