The Covid 19 pandemic has given us many things which are soon to become the 'New normal'. One such daily activity is 'Work from Home' or WFH as its acronym. Common earlier to mainly fields related to Information technology , the WFH is now the norm in almost every field to ensure that work continues even though we are confined in our homes. The WFH is also the new norm for even children in form of SFM - School from Home. Every day everyone in the house is transported mentally in the world of work while physically we are omnipresent in our home.
But is it easy for everyone to get adjusted to this new online reality? We cannot take it for granted . The limited physical space in larger cities and poor internet connectivity in small towns or villages gives a relatively different picture in a diverse country in India . India has one of the lowest per capita available housing space in the world. In the USA, the average per capita housing space is about 832 sq ft /per person. In United Kingdom it is around 356 sq. ft./ per person (data from shrinkthatfoorprint.com). Same figure of average per capita residential space India in is just around 117 sq. ft. / person for urban areas and 103 sq ft / person in rural areas ( https://m.timesofindia.com) As per the study by TOI, the average house size in urban India is around 504 sq ft. These statistics emerge from the r 63rd round survey of the National Sample Survey Organization. The data shows 32% of urban houses are 258 sq ft or less in area. Roughly 504 sq ft translates itself as a 1BHK or 3 room house and 258 sq ft translates itself into a 1RK or a 2 room house. Most families in urban areas are 4 to 5 persons competing for the per capita space of around 60 sq ft or even less. This means that at the same working day morning, two adults and two kids are either in WFM or SFM mode , occupying whatever corner they can in a little house . Against this almost everyone in USA will have dedicated work space in the 2500 or more sq. ft. house.Let's now look at the fact that given the above challenges, where can this formal WFH or SFH corner can be located. Ergonomically, a minium of 4 feet × 4 feet of physical space may be required to accommodate the required desk with laptop / desktop/ tablet / mobile Infrastructure , along with a comfortable seating to sit for long hours. The desk must always locate itself in way that we sit with our back to the wall, thus avoiding our houses being visible in the camera of other participants. This also will give us a secluded undisturbed corner for day long work. The issue of background noises getting mixed during online meetings remains a concern in smaller houses but points of work can get distributed as far as possible from each other. In case of smaller homes with limited size, the WFH corner can be located in following areas:
1) Living room:
An obvious option is to create a corner or even multiple corners in the living room with a work desk. As compared to the bedroom, it is easier to shift the furniture and create the space required. An occasional visit by a colleague or a client can be easily managed in the living room without disturbing the privacy of the remaining house. A standalone wooden / aluminum folding partitions can be wrapped around the work corner to lessen down the visual appearance or noises from our homes.
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The WFH corner in our homes |
2) Kitchen & Dining :
The dining table / breakfast table in the kitchen area is one good option for converting into WFH or SFH area for few working hours. Here the required infrastructure of a table and chairs is available. But must be taken to make it sure that we have our back towards a blank wall.
3) Attached terrace:
An unlikely but useful area especially if you have a semi covered terrace , to create your WFH corner. Here one can enjoy the nature around while working. But care should be taken to select a terrace which has minimum external noise.
4) Bedroom :
Working in a corner of your bedroom can create a secluded undisturbed space. Bedroom always have doors which can be closed to create a quiet and noise free environment. One can just turn the study table in our bedroom by 180 degrees so that you can sit with your back to the wall to avoid the view of the bedroom.
5) Half room :
These days many apartments come with a half room located near living or dining. This is a small room enough to be converted to a small home office. There is a great demand in real estate market today for apartments with these kinds of half rooms.
It is very important to choose the correct location for this day long formal activity which has good natural light as well as good ventilation to keep oneself comfortable. Though above suggestions are general, one can go out of the box to re invent the work space in our home based on the work you do.
I am also sharing a unique idea of WFH pods which could be multifunctional as well in the pandemic to be converted into storage areas, shelving corners. pet cubicles or places to grow food plants. These could be shifted at various locations in the homes as required and may even have a folded variant that can be packed up and kept in a corner after use. The sketch plan accompanied shows possible.
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Locating W.F.H movable pods in houses |
The future homes will be very different and multifunctional against the rectilinear definition of rooms we see in todays houses. Mostly beyond the four external walls, the rest of the internal spaces will be defined by the people based on their free will and high technology. The pandemic has given us an opportunity to question our present and with WFH becoming a norm in future, the work corner is here to stay in our homes.
Do connect with me to take these ideas forward or share more ideas like these !
Hrishikesh Ashtekar
Architect
