Covid : The consequences in real estate ?

The global coronavirus pandemic has not been without repercussions for the real-estate market. Indeed, developers and builders are now embracing new demands and trends in the fields of well-being, work and health.

And with good reason: this pandemic, the scale of which has not been seen since the Spanish flu of 1918, has made us rethink how we live, work (teleworking) and interact with our environment. We take a closer look.

For some years now, the real-estate industry has made a decisive shift towards new technologies in order to improve real-estate services and products. Innovation, which plays a key role, is also making it possible to manage the ecological and technological transition that the market is undergoing. Thanks to these advances, the housing of the future is just around the corner.

Smart buildings

Teleworking shows just how important it is to be able to work with complete flexibility thanks to a reliable and powerful Internet connection. Of course, fibre optics plays a significant role in providing an unparalleled browsing experience. In addition to fibre, the mobile phone operators are also banking on the development of 5G.

Customised solutions

In order to satisfy the demands of private individuals and professionals, the technology of “home automation” is constantly innovating and meeting some of their needs with connected, customised and continuously updated solutions.

This technology therefore makes it possible to improve the security, comfort and energy consumption of your home, for example: recharging electric cars. In short, energy, heating, lighting, plugs and alarms can all be controlled remotely with a smartphone or tablet. As well as being practical, it also helps to save energy.

Senior citizens can also benefit from home automation, which has proved to be an invaluable aid for their safety (in the event of a fall) and their health.

Antibacterial materials

As a result of the coronavirus, automation, voice and face recognition, sensors, antibacterial materials and robotic disinfectant machines are all new technologies that are set to develop further in the coming years.

The aim? To limit contact with contaminated surfaces as much as possible. Buttons in lifts would no longer be of use.

The professionals in the hotel industry are also concerned; from now on, robots will provide concierge services. This has in fact been the case in the Hilton Group’s hotels in the United States since 2016, thanks to their partnership with IBM.

Health and ecology

Finally, at a time when the conservation of the planet has become a major concern, the issues of well-being and the ecology have not been forgotten, quite the opposite.

For example, in Greater Geneva, due to increasing demand, the development of soft mobility is now on the agenda of urban projects, with the development and creation of a large number of cycle paths.

The whole of spatial planning has now become a social issue. The reduction in the number of urban heat islands, air purification, the well-being of citizens and tree planting are just a few of the elements that the inhabitants of these homes of the future will very soon regard as the norm.

To find out more, contact Swissroc Properties.