2020.06.08 Hyundai Engineering & Construction
The Future of Home, The Home of Future
How will the future of housing look? Let's take a closer look at our future home.
COVID-19 certainly is making everyone stay at home. Futuristic terms such as 'Untact economy', meaning contactless, and work-from-home jobs have come true already. And the reasons are many - the fourth industrial revolution, single-person households, and the millennials. In these circumstances, we tried to predict how future houses would look like.
Back to Basics
The most important elements for humans include food, clothing, and shelter; these are essential for maintaining our dignity. At least in South Korea, houses - especially apartments - have been the best long-term investment option. But as the virus spreads and it is no longer safe to be outside, experts now say people will depend more on their houses and spend much more time inside.
As we no longer feel safe outside, we started to 'remodel' our homes. There are fewer posts of fancy coffee shops or restaurants, and more of home interior pictures on social media. And people began to redecorate their homes based on cool images they got from those posts because home is not just a place for sleep anymore.
In addition to this, the artificial intelligence system embedded in the Internet of Things(IoT) would analyze each user's taste and maintain the mood to make them feel comfortable while staying inside.
This kind of interior optimization will later become one of the lifestyle services that the future housing industry will offer, according to experts. Such a 'Smart Home' will make your home not only energy-efficient and safe but also customized to your needs.
Evolution of houses: offering diverse usage
Work from home is becoming more feasible after the COVID-19 spread. A super-fast internet connection has long enabled almost everything you needed when you're working from home, but we felt it was inappropriate somehow until the COVID-19. However, the situation has changed and we now have to work from home. We are no longer obligated to 'go to work'. And if you look on the bright side, there are so many good things; nobody has to be stuck in a traffic jam or deal with a toxic co-worker. These can be great reasons to work from home even after everything becomes normal in the future.
IT moguls in the U.S also assume that working from home will become a significant and efficient part of strategies in the future. 60% of Google employees will go to work just once a week this year, and Mark Zuckerberg said half of Facebook’s staff will work from home within 5 to 10 years. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey also told workers that they could continue working from home permanently. This isn't just about the IT guys. Mastercard has created a "future of work" task force that is figuring out how best to handle employees' needs, and about 90 percent of the workforce is currently working remotely in both the U.S. and overseas locations.
Children are also taking online courses while social distancing. Thanks to information and communication technologies, a house now works as an office, and a classroom, too.
Houses: Divided
So, how exactly are houses changing? A block-type house, which usually has a master bedroom with two small bedrooms on the third floor, a living room and a dining room with a kitchen on the second floor, and an entrance with a garage on the first(ground) floor. Since the attached garages are not included in the total floor area of a house legally, owners could convert it to a different purpose.
But these days, many house owners build a small lounge on the ground floor for their guests or children's tutoring space. This lounge maintains their home's privacy by keeping their guests on the ground floor.
Hyundai Engineering & Construction recently showcased its apartment complex, Hill State, housing the 'Alpha Room' in each apartment. This room can be utilized as a study, family lounge, or a large pantry if the area is right next to the kitchen.
Some people use this cross-platform space to bring the outdoors inside. Hiking is trending among those who are in their 20s and 30s in South Korea, hence 'Planterior' is emerging as a new fashion in interior design. This is why they like to have a terrace in their apartment.
Sitting on a terrace surrounded by greenery is indeed better than just hanging around at a coffee shop. This terrace becomes middle-ground between interior and exterior. A terrace attached to an apartment building is already trending in Singapore, Sidney, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. More and more people in South Korea, too, began to live in an apartment with a terrace and might get rid of the privacy window film sooner.
Your House Shows Your Taste
Mads Arlien-Søborg, a European trend and lifestyle expert, said "we all have different lifestyles. So, I would say, finding your trend is trending. Your personal trend really is a global trend." This 'trend' can be found in the housing industry, too. People usually asked experts questions and get their advice when they wanted to decorate or remodel their homes. But now, the 'MZ generation'(the 'Me' generation plus the generation 'Z'), whose people are in their 20s and 30s, know what they want clearly and can find whatever information they need through the internet. For this reason, they are sometimes referred to as 'Pro-am' (professional-amateur), or 'Proteur' in South Korea. They use smartphone applications such as 'Today house', 'Zipdoc', or Homify' to easily do the interior. Now indeed is the era of personal taste.
So far, single-person households and the DINKs(Double Income, No Kids) especially had cravings for a 'cozy home'. But now we all do. Social distancing made everyone yearn for having a cozy, safe place to work and rest, away from the virus.
Also, trend leaders found their voice silenced as international fairs and exhibitions are canceled due to virus concerns. It somehow made people find their own taste and preference. "2020 could be a good opportunity for us to build our healthy homes our own," said an expert, and it sounds good enough.
Words. Harry Jun
- Design & architectural journalist
- Editor of 〈SPACE〉, 〈Monthly DESIGN〉, and 〈Noblesse〉
- Deputy Chief Editor, Editorial Advisor of 〈BRIQUE〉 magazine
- Writes columns for 〈The Chosen Ilbo〉 and other printed/online medias
Help. Joonwon Lee, Professional at LG Electronics H&A Advanced Product Planning Team / Sungwook Joh, Principal at Johsungwook Architects / Habong Chun, Head of LG Hausys Corporate Design Center
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