The Woodlea estate town square in Rockbank will feature co-working spaces.
A Melbourne developer has discovered barely a quarter of its residents intend to return to the office full time after COVID-19.
And they’re not the only developer seeing signs our homes and local neighbourhoods will become a major part of our future work life.
A survey of more than 400 residents at the Woodlea estate in Rockbank found 43 per cent did not work from home before coronavirus.
RELATED:
Demand for home office space growing among Aussie buyers during COVID-19
Union Quarter, Spotswood: Build-to-rent project to have perks
Surge in Victorian home building approvals
But only 27 per cent indicated they planned to return to their workplace full time post-pandemic.
Almost one in five intended to work from home three days a week.
Project director Matthew Dean said the figures had motivated a decision to include a co-working space at the estate’s town centre.
Woodlea Estate by VIP and Mirvac in Rockbank will have green spaces built within 200m of homes as a result of higher community demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s opened everyone’s eyes about what you can actually do from home, and people are realising that the travel time is a time waster,” Mr Dean said.
The development, headed by Mirvac and Victorian Investments and Properties, is also moving to increase resident proximity to parks, and the number of green spaces from one within 400m of every home to one within 200m. This follows an increase in people wanting to spend more time outdoors.
The Inkerman and Nelson by ICON Developments has seen high demand for home offices.
ICON Developments also reported 78 per cent of the townhouses at its Inkerman & Nelson project (right) were now being designed to integrate a home office space, be it a built-in desk or converting a room into a dedicated study.
The Balaclava development still has a handful of two- and three-storey homes available, priced from $1.285-$1.595m via Eisen Property.
Buyer Simon Vallegra said he had asked for a home office to be included in his future home to suit his wife’s fashion-design work, and expectations he would work from home with greater regularity.
“The future is that it won’t matter where you are or the hours you work, it will be about the output,” Mr Vallegra said.
If not a full study, many buyers are opting to have a built-in desk included in the homes.
Castran Gilbert director Michael Lang said his project marketing firm was already discussing a range of work-from-home changes to apartment living with developers.
“So you will see more of what we are calling ‘Zoom rooms’, (with) an area for a computer and desk, as opposed to your straight one- or two-bedroom homes,” Mr Lang said.
MORE: Victoria freeze on evictions, rental support package could stretch into 2021
Melbourne stage four: How to get ready to buy this spring
Surge in Victorian home building approvals
The post Melbourne developments evolve for work from home demand appeared first on realestate.com.au.