The common areas of a building are shared by everyone and have to be designed thoughtfully to fulfill the needs of residents. Here are four trends in common areas we’re seeing in some of the new buildings that are being built and then trickling down to older buildings when the latter are being remodeled.
- Shared workspaces. With more people working from home and with more freelancers per capita than ever, buildings are seeing the need for a space where people can go to conduct a call or have a meeting.
- Roof gardens. Roof decks have been a thing in Chicago forever, but now there’s more attention to creating green spaces that give residents a break from the urban landscape.
- Rec rooms. Perhaps taking a line from start-up culture with its ping pong tables and couches, more buildings are now building areas where residents can meet to hang out and play games. And, not surprisingly, when these kinds of spaces are created, building residents actively take advantage of them.
- Fitness centers. This used to be something only available in the best buildings, but with the increased attention on self-care, more and more owners are demanding some kind of fitness area in the building.
All these developments are exciting, because they’re giving residents something useful and are also creating spaces that weave tighter building communities.
