The last few months have been unprecedented for everyone and the situation has brought, and will continue to bring, short- to medium-term negative impacts as well as longer-term benefits for our industry.

We all had to adapt to home working quickly and, thanks to modern IT hardware and software, many of us were able to quite successfully. However, a number of us quickly realised that internet access and working conditions at home were not what we required. Lots of colleagues have said that not only do they not have a private space to work or a desk and office chair, but also that the space they are using is too hot, too bright or too dark. They may well also be too cold in winter. And this will be echoed in many households where homes have not been designed for working for long hours day after day.

We are likely to see a desire for homes to be more cellular in part, to create private spaces for work and study as we expect to continue to spend more time at home – not just now but for future ways of living and working. We will see designers and developers responding with dwelling designs and potentially through the inclusion of local community co-working spaces in new developments to combat home-working isolation and encourage local collaboration.

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