Normally when discussing the impact of technology on a home the conversation focuses on home automation technology and other modern features, but what about the way that technology is shaping the very architecture of new homes? Architects in the UK are now saying that a new type of home is becoming popular due to the habits of smartphone and tablet users.
Enter the “broken plan” home. The modern trend over the last decade has been to create “open plan” homes that feature large areas that flow naturally from one space to the next. It seems as though that style is already becoming outdated. The new “broken plan” home is coveted for its division of areas into more private spaces. Walls resume their prominent role in the home and sliding partitions and other barriers are a big part of the design. This is a direct result of peoples’ desire for personal space while browsing their smartphones and their tablets. In a family home, the father might want to read an article on his tablet while one of the kids watches a TV show on Netflix in another room and while another kid plays a game on his phone somewhere else in the home. The look of the modern home is more isolated, more segmented, and more private.
The “broken plan” home isn’t exactly a home divided into a bunch of small rooms. These homes still often have large areas for gathering. The kitchen and the living areas still tend to be large, cathedral-like spaces, but the rest of there will still be separate libraries, studies, or tucked away nooks. The fact that more people are working from home also plays a part in the shift. People work in their office space and then want to enjoy a separate part of the house that has a completely different energy than the work space.
The “broken plan” is gaining in popularity. Is it something that sounds appealing to you or do you still prefer the open-plan layout?
Read the full article here: Smartphones and Tablets Spell The End For Open Plan Living, Say UK Architects