COVID-19 Influenced
Residential Designs to Utilise
Outdoor Spaces
Just Patios
COVID-19 has had a significant impact on Australians’ lifestyles. It severely limited outdoor recreational
activities, and there have been fewer chances to socialise.
Australians are spending more time at home, which creates a need to utilise spaces within residential
properties better. The housing market responded by placing a greater focus on outdoor living spaces.
Increased Backyard Use
Australians are using their backyards with increasing frequency and transforming them to meet their
needs better.
Some homeowners are adding multifunctionality by creating separate zones for different activities. These
include a calm area for reading or yoga, vegetable patches for gardening and outdoor dining areas.
In terms of greenery, many choose tall, fast-growing shrubs. On top of enhancing the view and improving
air quality, they also provide household members with some privacy by blocking their neighbours’ view.
Resort-Style Homes
Resort-style properties have become one of the biggest residential design trends during the pandemic.
These properties incorporate indoor-to-outdoor design approaches with indoor spaces that lead to
central courtyards.
A resort-style design allows homeowners to more easily enjoy the outdoors, even while stuck at home,
greatly benefitting their lifestyles. The increased outdoor accessibility may stay popular even after COVID-
19 has passed.
More Communal Designs
During the 2022 Asia Pacific Architecture Festival in Brisbane, three academics discussed how to improve
contemporary designs to allow for more interaction within communities. According to them, contemporary
designs included unnecessary rooms without having a balcony or garden. They suggested that designs
incorporate these areas while also adding some form of controlled privacy.
One way to create a safe outdoor room would be to make space for enclosed patios and other covered out