Multifamily interior design is in constant motion. Changing with the times, new designs reflect the necessity of energy conservation and "at home" work space. Home office workspace, while still on the kitchen table all too often, has moved to permanent space as part of apartment homes. Modern multifamily designs include home office workspace. Sometimes this is a nook, other-times a room with full connectivity set up for what seems like space flight from the second bedroom.
How soon until the place we call work and the place we call home are the exact same place? Do we really want to work from "home" as a society? Sustainable cities are devoting larger portions of their shrinking budgets to creating transportation districts, centralized living and working environments that reduce the need for motorized transportation. Is this evolution dissolving the already vague line between work and home?
We are only 100 years removed from Dirt Roads. Now we travel on electronic highways going faster and further in a single day than our grandparents could circumvent in a lifetime. The Federal Government and private sector have expanded "work from home" policies exponentially in recent years. These policies reduce the need for office space and time spent commuting. They are referred to as family friendly and remote site, among other names.
How many offices do you personally interact with? Corporate office, regional office, State office, metro office, car office, hot spot, laptop, cloud, smart phone. And, home office; gotta have that too. Are we all insane? Is there an app for that?
I remember getting my first laptop from my employer back when this was high-tech (weight ten pounds). I was so excited. My boss looked at me grimly stating; 'so now you know this means we expect you to work 24/7".
We have turned our televisions into e-machines and cell phones into MS Office mini-suites to edit documents and e-sign changes. Like the six-million dollar man, how long until we can no longer tell the difference between human and artificial intelligence?
While we are deciding this point consider that between 10-20% of people work from home on a full time basis. And the other 80% work from home some of the time during their work week. Home office environments continue to evolve into fully functional work space offices. The multifamily industry must adapt to this sea-change.
Providing secure wireless is, anymore, just a starting point of "business services" to residence. It's a brave new technological world. Electronic inter-connectivity will increase, asphalt roads to and from work, while expanding some, will continue to be over-crowded.
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Multifamily Insight is dedicated to assisting current and future multifamily property owners, operators and investors in executing specific tasks that allow multifamily assets to operate at their highest level of efficiency. We discuss real world issues in multifamily property management and acquisitions. This blog is intended to be informational only and does not provide legal, financial or accounting advice. Seek professional counsel. www.MultifamilyInsight.com