The Commonwealth Bank has identified several 'housing tribes' that developers must cater for.
Shifts in the way people live will play a major role in shaping home designs over the next two decades, according to new research by the Commonwealth Bank.
The research has identified a range of 'housing tribes' which developers and architects will need to pay attention to in order to create 'future-ready' homes, including:
• Social singles - about 26 per cent of homes will be single person households by 2030
• DINKS - Double Income No Kids
• Home work tribe - Freelancers who work from home
• Multigenerational Clan - extended families living together
• Midlife flatmates - professionals who home share to generate additional income
• Peter Pans - active empty nesters - tech savvy mature couples
AVJennings QLD General Manager Rod Chadwick says there has already been a shift in the type of home designs being delivered in the developer's communities throughout the Sunshine State.
AVJennings, which is delivering brand new architecturally designed townhomes in Mango Hill, Kenmore, Bethania, Richlands and Meridan Plains, aims to stay ahead of the curve by taking a 'market-led' approach when planning the mix of housing in each new community.
Mr Chadwick says home designs have changed significantly over the past decade and will continue to evolve over the coming years, so it is important for developers to remain flexible and adaptable to shifting social trends.
"In previous years home designs were much more 'static' and centred around the needs of the traditional nuclear family," he said.
"We are now delivering townhomes in our communities to cater for different types of living arrangements. Part of our process is to obtain feedback to understand what works for different types of buyers.
"We have noticed an increase in the 'social singles' and 'home work tribe,' and to cater for this we are delivering more townhomes with multi purpose rooms which can be transformed into a second living area or home office.
"There's also a greater focus on separating bedrooms and living zones to maximise privacy in shared living arrangements - which is particularly pertinent for the multigenerational clans and midlife flatmates, but also remains an important feature for families.
"The DINKS demographic are circling back to entertaining guests at home rather than going out, so some of our newer floorplans include front and rear courtyards to facilitate this trend, with shared recreation facilities including pools and barbeque areas nearby.
"Catering to the 'Peter Pans' - more commonly described as active empty nesters - is a matter of providing enough space and storage to allow people to downsize without sacrificing their lifestyle. As people remain more active in their later years they are also looking for opportunities to connect with their community, which means parks, walking trails and community gardens close to home are key drawcards."
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