Specialty Rooms shift from Luxury to Practicality
Energy-efficient products and systems remain popular, despite the troubled housing market.according to an American Institute of Architects survey. Homeowners have turned to affordability, focusing on functionality over extravagance in special function rooms and home features. Willingness to invest in energy-efficient products and systems has skyrocketed to help reduce utility costs.
According to Kermit Baker, AIA Chief Economist, “As the overall economy has slowed in recent years home offices have become the new home theaters. Homeowners are placing far greater priority on specialty rooms that get the most use, as well as incorporating outdoor living elements within their lifestyles.” On the AIA website, pie charts and graphs display findings from the American Institute of Architects Home Design Trends Survey (HDTS) for the second quarter of 2010, that focused primarily on emerging home features such as systems, technologies, and function rooms in the home. Check out the full report here, http://www.aia.org/practicing/AIAB085952.
AIA Home Design Trends Survey highlights: Outside living rooms increased in popularity 41% in 2010; Home Offices went from 43% popularity in 2009 to 34% in 2010; Mud rooms went from 25% popularity in 2009 to 17% in 2010; Au pair/ in-law suites dropped from 7% popularity in 2009 to only 2% popularity in 2010; Hobby/ game rooms had 9% popularity in 2009 but then saw -9%, decreasing popularity, in 2010; Home theaters dropped from -19% to -38%. These overall percentages show how home theaters have transferred into the home office, and how outside living rooms are slowly defining the future of home living space.
Products within the home that have grown in popularity actually share many of the same characteristics as special features and systems/technologies. In addition to energy conservation and management, home products that are increasing in popularity often promote other environmental concerns. This explains why numbers decreased from 2009 to 2010, yet still remain steady and popular as homeowner interest continues to rise.
Baker added, “High levels of adoption for certain products and systems have not yet taken off to a high degree, but residential architects are reporting that saturation rates are likely to rise substantially in the next few years as demand continues to rise and prices continue to fall.” So far only solar panels and wireless systems decreased in popularity, which could be due to cost or because adoption of such systems hasn’t caught homeowners’ interest just yet.
Special home features for 2010 have been relatively moderate, where exceptions to this trend are confined to insulation projects that have immediate energy saving implications. Special features include alternative insulation (e.g. panels; foam), extra insulation (attic), ramps/elevators, 1st floor master bedroom, and easy-to-use features. Only extra insulation (attic) has remained the same, staying at 65% popularity for both 2009 and 2010, while all others have fallen in popularity uniformly over the past year according to residential architects. These features, though, are still reported to be increasing in popularity by a minority of respondents.
For housing market business conditions, there was a fall off in billings at residential architecture firms in the second quarter of 2010. The national billings index was 41, following a two-year high of 50 during last quarter. Inquires for new projects also fell sharply from 62 to 41. This seems to be triggered by a general back-tracking in the overall economy, but also exacerbated by the home buyer tax credit that expired at the end of April. Kitchen/bath remodeling remains the only specific construction segment that has seen positive improvement. Additions/alterations are still popular, but went down 4%. All others, such as the first-time buyer/affordable home market, move-up home market, custom/luxury home market, townhouse/condo market, and second homes have decreased or have risen in popularity but remained in a weakened state nonetheless.
Visit the American Institute of Architects website, www.aia.org, to see more on the AIA Home Design Trends Survey, which helps to identify emerging trends in the housing marketplace. Future surveys will focus on community design trends (December 2010), and kitchen and bath trends (February 2011).
—Sonja York
