Last December, in my Westcoast Homes year-end forecast, I told Vancouver Sun readers to expect an increased focus on the design of healthier buildings and communities in 2020.
Now, before you assume that I have psychic powers like my namesake Uri
Geller, I did not anticipate the coronavirus pandemic. Rather, I was responding
to what I perceived to be a growing awareness regarding the negative health
impacts of traffic pollution and noise. I completely ignored the
possibility of a pandemic.
As we look to 2021,
we most certainly cannot ignore COVID-19. Much will depend on the timing and
effectiveness of the vaccines that have recently become available.
However, regardless of when life returns to ‘normal,’ as evidenced by
past pandemics, COVID-19 will have lasting effects on the design of our
housing, neighbourhoods and cities, and in particular, where we choose to live
and work.
During the tuberculosis epidemic in the late 19th and early 20th
centuries, before antibiotics became readily available, sunlight and fresh air
were the best-known cures. This led to the introduction of sleeping porches on
the upper floor of Victorian houses.
Illustration of a woonerf (living
street) called Lions Gate Lane to be located at Lions Gate Village in the
District of North Vancouver. jpg
While today’s homes no longer have sleeping porches, they often have
decks and balconies. In my 2019 year-end forecast, I predicted that in 2020, we
would start to see a wider application of European-styled retractable glass
panel systems to make balconies more useable year-round.
COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the benefits of having a balcony. Over
the coming year, expect to see even more municipalities allowing retractable
glass panels on balconies, decks, and patios to make them more functional
throughout the year.
The 1918 flu pandemic introduced the ‘powder room’ in houses to keep
guests away from other bathrooms. It also transformed bathroom designs. Shiny
white seats replaced wooden toilet seats. Pedestal sinks, built-in bathtubs,
and white subway tiles were introduced to minimize the spread of germs.
Around the same time, the famous French-Swiss architect Le Corbusier
urged people to strip their homes of needless clutter, eliminate carpets and
heavy furniture, and keep the floors and walls clear. He envisioned a city
where every home was whitewashed, and “there are no more dirty, dark corners.”
Even before COVID-19, an increasing number of Metro Vancouver
multi-family developments began offering clean, white interiors and exteriors.
However, most spec-built, single-family homes often seemed to belong to another
era and place.
In the coming year, I will be interested to see if some single-family
homebuilders replace their traditional Georgian, Victorian, and Edwardian house
designs with cleaner, more modern designs.
COVID-19 has forced many of us to work from home. This will impact other
aspects of residential design.
While for many, the kitchen or dining table often served as the ‘home
office,’ households now need a quieter place to work, preferably away from the
rest of the family.
A separate home office is the ideal. However, in smaller apartments,
this will generally not be possible. Therefore, expect architects to modify
suite layouts, possibly by adding a door to the living room.
This will allow both a visual and acoustic separation from the kitchen
and dining area, which is not possible with today’s standard apartment layouts.
It will also allow some living rooms to function as bedrooms at night.
Over the past year, many started to question whether COVID-19 will spell
the end of urban density and apartment living.
Another idea may be a ‘lock-off’ arrangement with a separate portion of
the suite having direct access to the corridor, serving as an office by day and
bedroom at night.
Previous pandemics and epidemics often transformed built environments.
The 19th century cholera pandemics resulted in new tree-lined boulevards and
urban parks around the world. In the 1850s, New York City’s Board of Health
created Central Park, the nation’s first public park, on the premise that open
urban space improved human and environmental health.
Many years ago, Vancouver established a park space requirement of 2.75
acres for every 1,000 residents. In recent years, this appears to have been
forgotten. However, in the coming year, expect Vancouver and other
municipalities to explore how to create more parks, plazas, and
public open spaces.
One solution may be to reallocate road space by reducing vehicular
driving lanes to allow wider sidewalks. We may even see plans for some streets
to be converted into pedestrian zones, like those found in many major European
cities.
Over the years, as Lower Mainland housing prices increased, commuting
times often became correspondingly longer. It seemed like many homebuyers had
to keep driving until they could find something they could afford.
However, in recent years, many households have started to move away from
the Lower Mainland to smaller communities like Squamish and Pemberton. In a
recent Westcoast Homes & Design article, I wrote about
younger households moving to Lillooet. A similar trend has been happening on
Vancouver Island where households are moving away from Victoria.
As a result of COVID, and a greater familiarity with technologies like
Zoom and Microsoft Teams, more households realize they no longer need to live
so close to where they work. In the coming year, expect an increasing number of
people to move away to smaller, more affordable communities, with corresponding
shifts in housing prices.
Over the past year, many started to question whether COVID-19 will spell
the end of urban density and apartment living. While there is no doubt many
households will prefer ground-oriented housing over elevator accessed
apartments, I do not expect to see an end to higher density developments in
either the short or distant future.
However, I do expect a much greater interest in what is being called
‘the 15-minute city’ in which most residents’ needs — from work to shopping to
leisure activities — can all be found within a 15-minute walk or short bike
ride from their homes.
For most of us, this has been an awful year. However, COVID-19 may offer
a silver lining in that, just as I predicted last year that we would witness a
greater focus on the design of healthier homes and communities in 2020, we
should most definitely expect this to continue in 2021.
On this positive note, let me wish you all a Happy New Year.
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