Health is the New Property Wealth

As we leave the safe bubbles of our homes and hug our kith and kin with wild abandonment - it seems COVID, hasn’t so much changed, as reaffirmed the way we’d like to be living in the future, propelling many of us to stop ‘being’ and start ‘doing’ when it comes to finding that idyllic beachfront bolthole, or moving to palatial pastures new.

A significant trend now emerging, is the propensity for both first and second-home purchases to be less investment, more ‘health is wealth’ focused; an abode that will be enjoyed with increasing frequency, by those that matter to us and for longer periods of time.

Almost universally - the world’s largest developers are also rethinking their strategies for the future of the built environment. This top-down re-visioning will unquestionably have an impact on real estate design benchmarking, the materials used, how we move and interact with one another in public and private places, and what ultimately ‘space’ should be and do for years to come.

Yet, while we might all agree that humanity’s collective wellbeing is key, this actually doesn’t begin or end with COVID. Our buildings and homes simply have to be more eco-friendly - net-zero buildings should emit lower amounts of carbon. We need to recycle building materials and make everything more sustainable - from appliances and lighting to sources of energy for heating and cooling. That way, we can better rally to the sustainable future cause.

Real estate development and architecture have always had a symbiotic relationship. Architects are paid to be visionaries and idea factories. But it’s often the developers who hire them, that inspire the most transformative innovations. Long after the architects have moved on, they’re the ones who still answer to the homeowner, process feedback and are pushed continually to innovate and problem-solve.

Staying relevant is no easy feat. It involves full-time construction teams on each and every project. The constant process of staying ‘cognisant’ at the top of the market - inevitably sets new global design paradigms into motion that eventually pull everyone else along. Real estate agents, developers and architects who don’t want to be left behind, should pay close attention to what they’re thinking about next. Failing on the design and build parameters that shape the story boards of our lives, simply isn’t an option.