CREJ

40 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2021 ELEMENTS Multifamily Design The Future of Multifamily Residential Design: The Hybrid O ur firm surveyed residents of ma- jor metropolitan cities to under- stand their unfolding experiences of COVID-19. The Gensler City Pulse Survey 2020 shows urban residents are navigating the “new normal,” such as working from home longer term. Initial findings point to a hybrid model for the future of work – where we spend part of our time working at home and part in the office. Be- cause of this, we’re seeing a rise in new features that will change the way residential buildings, common spaces, and amenities are designed in re- sponse to tenants’ shifting needs. Adjusting to new lifestyles: We have been work- ing with multifamily clients to design creative floor plans of existing and new units with home office spaces to help increase tenants’ productivity. Howev- er, if we consider long-termhappiness and productiv- ity, the solution may be more entailed. The Gensler U.S. Workplace Survey for Summer/Fall 2020 shows many U.S. workers expressed evolving expectations for the future of work and the physical workplace. This data helps us explore how employers and work- places can best support workers in a post-pandemic future. When we look at an individual’s work-from- home setup and how it can be optimized for a better experience, we consider four work modes: socialize, focus, learn and collaborate. We take a holistic view of the building, within the unit and amenity space, to satisfy these work modes. For example, finding a completely private spacewithin a unit or integrating private office nooks in an amenity space within the building can provide a longer-term solution. • Explore fundamental unit changes for new proj- ects. Another solution to the work-from-home sce- nario is to provide tenants with more quality space. However, property owners have a challenging eco- nomic market to navigate. In office buildings, we have seen amenities grow in size and scope to attract and retain top talent. Will we then start to see em- ployers subsidize the top talent with quality in-home work environments along with their quality in-office environments? We’ve also been pushing unit sizes down with micros and co-living to achieve an attain- able price point for renters, especially in urban areas. Another idea to explore is the lock-off within a rental unit – can we design an office space with a separate entrance and restroom that could be used as a short- term rental? This could generate the additional in- come to support larger spaces for renters. • Adapting to new property technologies in the multifamily sector. “Prop tech” goes well beyond smart thermostats. Innovations in technology will keep driving building performance and user ex- perience – from design through implementation. Fundamentally, the technology must support the values and goals of tenants. Multifamily proper- ty owners will need to keep up with the increas- ing demand for bandwidth as tenants continue to work from home. Building owners also can strategically reposition multifamily properties to appeal to tenants through technology. For in- stance, 75% of survey respondents in our Residen- tial Experience Index found smart thermostats Nick Seglie Regional Residential Leader and Architectural Designer, Gensler Urban residential development located in Colorado Springs