Real estate developers are offering flexible designs to cater to the changing needs of homebuyers like work from home and extended stays at home due to Covid-linked mobility restrictions, according to property consultants and builders.
With the use of technology, developers are offering flexible walls and convertible rooms that can be turned into a bedroom at night and study during the day.
“The work from home has emerged as the dominant undercurrent for shaping homebuyers and preferences,” said Ashok Kapur, Chairman, Krisumi Corporation, which is executing a residential project in Gurgaon.
A Bengaluru builder, Karle Infra, is executing a mixed use project that offers this flexibility to the buyer and even allows the buyers to test these features.
“Customers now want homes that allow all three—living, working and earning,” said a spokesperson for Karle Infra Pvt. Ltd, a Bengaluru-headquartered developer.
Experts say that since homes cannot change overnight, architects have been innovating new products that can be integrated into existing homes, including automation, smart devices, flexible furniture, movable furniture.
“Due to the pandemic, India has been seeing an upward trend for such features. People have the same space as before the pandemic, but they need to do much more – hence the need for flexibility. We are seeing a lot of queries for flexible furniture. The concept was already there in Mumbai, where space comes at a premium but we are now seeing similar trends in other metros. People want flexibility in interior design and want to maximise the use of space they have,” said Saurabh Garg, Co-Founder and CBO, NoBroker.com.
Developers are also experimenting with converting extra rooms into an office, creating a small cabin-like space within the flat and adding a smaller room along with one or two BHK.
Developers now are offering complete open floors and design them as per homebuyer requirements from a range of design options.
“Anticipating this trend at the beginning of 2021, we have started creating residences that are perfectly suited for the work from home (WFH) lifestyle for both Indians working with global firms and the expat communities,” Kapur added.
Another NCR based developer ABA Corp is giving additional space in the corridor of its existing projects, which can be used as a small office.