Flexibility, Eco Friendliness, and Smart Technology are Key in 2021

Residential developers are always looking for new ways to attract tenants, whether through innovative design or exclusive lifestyle offerings. Those offerings are usually a result of relatively predictable market demand and industry trends. But just like every other industry in 2020, condominium developers have had to pivot their thinking to buyers’ quarantine-time needs. So, while well-designed foyers might have been important to buyers at one time, private outdoor space is now at a premium. Here are the development trends industry experts predict will be big in 2021.

Agile Spaces

As people spend more time at home than in the past, they’ll need the rooms and areas within their homes to play more than one role. That’s why experts like Ximena Rodriguez, principal and director of interior design at CetraRuddy, predict a rise in multipurpose “flex spaces.” For example, the adaptable 8’x10’ alcoves at the Rose Hill condominium tower in New York were designed pre-COVID to accommodate a range of resident needs. Now, the flex spaces have become a significant value-add for buyers because they offer room to set up a home office or library or a learning space for children.

Sometimes this flexibility is found in unexpected places. At 11 Hoyt, the facade design creates inhabitable window bays of varying depths inside the homes, providing built-in seating for residents to work or relax while taking in the incomparable city and water views.