HomeDiagramsDatabaseMapsForum About
     

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Buildings & Architecture


Reply

 
Thread Tools Display Modes
     
     
  #1  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 3:06 PM
drumz0rz drumz0rz is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Posts: 623
The Urban Home Office

When I was apartment hunting last year in NYC I noticed something that was fairly universal across all listings. With the exception of the multi-million dollar penthouse suites, you almost never see a floor plan that includes space for a home office let alone a simple desk.

While it seems every "House Hunter" on HGTV *needs* a home office, I feel like most people do at least have a desk with a computer somewhere in their abode. I don't really ever work from home but I do have a desk with my PC and a few monitors. Finding a good place to fit this in a 1 bedroom apartment was tough!

Do people really not have desks and computers anymore? Why don't developers ever include desk space in their plans? I was just looking over some plans from One 57, spend a few million and get a 3 bedroom condo...with no room for a desk...
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #2  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2015, 4:58 PM
eschaton eschaton is online now
Registered User
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 5,182
Quote:
Originally Posted by drumz0rz View Post
When I was apartment hunting last year in NYC I noticed something that was fairly universal across all listings. With the exception of the multi-million dollar penthouse suites, you almost never see a floor plan that includes space for a home office let alone a simple desk.

While it seems every "House Hunter" on HGTV *needs* a home office, I feel like most people do at least have a desk with a computer somewhere in their abode. I don't really ever work from home but I do have a desk with my PC and a few monitors. Finding a good place to fit this in a 1 bedroom apartment was tough!

Do people really not have desks and computers anymore? Why don't developers ever include desk space in their plans? I was just looking over some plans from One 57, spend a few million and get a 3 bedroom condo...with no room for a desk...
I've seen flips (and new construction) of smallish urban houses where they've added a major closet/full bath to each of the 3 bedrooms. This always shocked me, because if you're a single person DINK couple, having 3 full baths is a huge waste of space. You don't buy houses like that with roommates in mind, and few parents are looking in these neighborhoods. An "office room" (bedroom with smallish closet and no attached bath) would make much more sense.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #3  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2015, 7:34 PM
Jasoncw's Avatar
Jasoncw Jasoncw is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Mar 2007
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Posts: 402
Because the units are designed according to ridiculous real estate/developer logic. The "higher end" (architect-designed but for the lowest common denominator rich people) ones have a similar but different set of requirements which are also ridiculous.

Living rooms need to have tvs in them and there needs to be walls to put the tvs against.

People spend huge amounts of time on computers and you need to provide a good place for this to happen.

TVs and computers are a big part of contemporary life, and they need to be given well designed solutions instead of just pretending that they don't exist.

If developers had their way every house would be a maze of foyers, walk in closets, and bathrooms (why even bother with bedrooms?). The "high end" modern versions of the houses would of course have an infinity pool or two.


When the internet happened there was the prediction that by now office buildings would be obsolete because we'd all be telecommuting. That's silly, but I do think that for urban areas some of the historical live-work typologies should be revived to some degree. In many cities around the world there have been live-work typologies. For a lot of history if you were a professional, you would own a building in the relevant part of town and that building was both your home and your business. I think it would be good to design urban housing in some areas to have the ground floor either be business space or additional living space.

Last edited by Jasoncw; Oct 29, 2015 at 7:45 PM.
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #4  
Old Posted May 16, 2018, 2:15 PM
The North One's Avatar
The North One The North One is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 5,489
Trust fund babies and real estate investors don't need home offices.
__________________
Spawn of questionable parentage!
Reply With Quote
     
     
  #5  
Old Posted May 16, 2018, 3:40 PM
woodrow woodrow is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Posts: 939
There was an article in the WSJ recently that for many people in the city a dedicated office just doesn't make space sense and there has been an increase in the sales of secretary desks, which have storage and shelf space and a flip down desk top. This makes a great deal of sense, especially since so many use laptops now.

Plus they can look really cool.
Reply With Quote
     
     
End
 
 
Reply

Go Back   SkyscraperPage Forum > Discussion Forums > Buildings & Architecture
Forum Jump


Thread Tools
Display Modes

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 4:29 PM.

     
SkyscraperPage.com - Archive - Privacy Statement - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.