TORONTO – When Adèle Rankin envisions condos of the future, she sees people exercising on balconies, booking "Zoom rooms" or using coworking spaces within their buildings.<\/p>\n
The managing principal of B+H Architects' Vancouver studio and others working in real estate say more outdoor spaces, areas catering to those working from home, touchless technology and additional elevators will feature heavily in post-pandemic condos.<\/p>\n
"We've all discovered over (the pandemic) how important the home is, but we have a lot of people who cannot afford amplified homes or individual spaces dedicated to working, especially if there's two people working from home," said Rankin.<\/p>\n
These people are sparking a shift in condo features and amenities as they seek opportunities to enjoy fresh air and be productive without venturing far from home or exposing themselves to the virus.<\/p>\n
While there has long been demand for outdoor amenities, Jared Menkes said the pandemic cranked up the interest condo dwellers have in outside spaces.<\/p>\n
"They want that balcony, even if they're just going to put their bike out there," said the executive vice-president of Menkes Development Ltd.'s highrise residential business.<\/p>\n
People didn't think much about balconies before, but now they're asking if they're large enough for an outdoor seating area, lounge or space to enjoy a meal, said Rankin.<\/p>\n
Architects are also mulling whether they should dedicate space on balconies for hanging a yoga mat, storing weights or exercising, even when temperatures begin to drop, Rankin said.<\/p>\n
"I think we've all decided that this is not throwaway space," she said. "This is a complete extension of my living space."<\/p>\n
But it's not just the balcony people are thinking about. Condo owners want mini dog parks and outdoor theatres, lounges and barbecue settings too.<\/p>\n
"Everything that we program on the inside, we want to be able to do that on the outside," said Menkes.<\/p>\n
That philosophy isn’t completely attributable to the pandemic. As condo prices soared over the last decade and many bemoaned a lack of housing supply, developers were pushing past standard gyms and party rooms.<\/p>\n
Now there is a Vancouver building offering access to a BMW fleet, Toronto properties with rock climbing walls, pet washing stations and rain and meditation rooms, and others in Montreal with rooftop gardens and badminton courts.<\/p>\n
The pandemic is just refining which amenities are in demand and boosting confidence in some of the choices developers have already made.<\/p>\n
For example, when the crisis began, Menkes was working on its Festival project in Vaughan, north of Toronto. It will have an outdoor park and screening area — offerings that became more desirable when favourite places were shut down and health officials recommended people keep their socializing at bay or outdoors.<\/p>\n
Aoyuan International’s M2M project by the Finch subway station in North York, Ont. has been thinking similarly.<\/p>\n
The development has been underway for years and will feature a gym, yoga deck, bocce and basketball courts, hammocks, kids' play area and putting green outside when it opens, said Vince Santino, Aoyuan’s senior vice-president of development.<\/p>\n
Inside, residents will have access to a co-working space, a document centre equipped with photocopiers and Zoom rooms for people needing privacy from family or roommates — or even barking dogs and construction noise.<\/p>\n
These amenities became more popular as work from home was increasingly permitted by employers, but Rankin said they also stem from a realization developers and architects are having around lounges meant to suit a wide range of activities.<\/p>\n
“We were finding that one generic space for every need wasn't making a lot of sense and … wasn't getting used,” she said.<\/p>\n
“We started to look at the things people were really demanding, and those were individual spaces where you can be 'alone together' within your larger building, but still have individual areas.”<\/p>\n
How people move from their units to those public areas will also get easier because limits on elevator capacity during the pandemic created problems with mobility.<\/p>\n
Rankin has heard of people on the 25th floor waiting half an hour for a lift, so she’s expecting additional elevators to figure into future plans.<\/p>\n
Santino, meanwhile, expects to see condos look for ways to reduce high contact surfaces. Touchless entry systems, apps controlling admittance to a building or area and facial recognition are on his radar.<\/p>\n
“It just makes life a little easier for the condo board and residents, but also, we want to be safe with things like COVID, if going forward we happen to encounter the same situation.”<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2021.<\/p>\n
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