The global pandemic has increased the need for more space and privacy for work spaces in our homes. Given we're all expected to work and go to school from home, the way this important place functions has changed radically. A lot of people have been driven to find larger houses in suburbs, exurbs, and beyond but there are also a lot of changes to the way we use our existing spaces.
Companies like Shopify have seized on work from home culture to hire employees from all over North America. The genie is out of the bottle; its unlikely these employees will ever work in the same office space again. But this passes pressure on to people's homes to function as places of work and often there are children going to school in the same space.
Women in particular have been negatively impacted by the new work from home reality given the realities of balancing often non existent child care and work. Finding a private work space is a key part of that challenge.
A panel at this week's Ontario Association of Architects annual conference examined the changes in use of space, and the way we work now in detail, sharing their diverse perspectives. Panelists included Fan Zhang AwAwDe of Awesome Awesome Designs, Ceara Copps – Edwards of the Ontario Chamber of Commerce, and Michael Szabo of
Diamond Schmitt.