Nearly three-fifths of respondents (60%) to a recent survey by Multifamily Design + Construction magazine (a BD+C sister publication) had included free WiFi in a project in the last 24 months; this trend will surely accelerate in the near future as free WiFi becomes more or less a given for marketing purposes in the multifamily arena.
Smart technology like individual metering (48.3%), electric vehicle charging stations (an encouraging 42.0%), and fiber optic service (37.9%) are clearly catching on with developers and designers. Nearly one in four (24.7%) have placed a smart home system (such as Nest) into a project.
More than one in five (21.3%) respondents said they had built phone-charging stations into their complexes.
Some brave pioneers are experimenting with exciting new concepts like co-working spaces (27.6%) and so-called “maker spaces,” innovation centers, or incubator spaces (10.9%).
Is this movement toward individualized smart technology a signal that the days of the “computer room” or business center are numbered? Think about this: What could you do with that valuable found space?
More results from the MFDC survey to come next week.
Business services amenities:
Free Building-wide WiFi: 59.8%
Conference Room: 48.3%
Individually Metered Utilities: 48.3%
Business Center: 42.0%
Electric Vehicle Charging Station: 42.0%
High-speed Fiber Optic Service: 37.9%
Computer Room/Lounge: 36.8%
Media Room/Media Center: 29.3%
Base: 174
Source: Multifamily Design + Construction Reader Survey, June-July 2017
Related Stories
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Structure Tone, DPR, Gilbane top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction contractor and construction management firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
URS, STV, Wiss Janney Elstner top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Reconstruction Sector Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Stantec, HOK, HDR top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest reconstruction architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the U.S.
| Jul 19, 2013
Renovation, adaptive reuse stay strong, providing fertile ground for growth [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Increasingly, owners recognize that existing buildings represent a considerable resource in embodied energy, which can often be leveraged for lower front-end costs and a faster turnaround than new construction.
| Jul 17, 2013
Top Multifamily Construction Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
Lend Lease, Clark Group, Balfour Beatty top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest multifamily contractors and construction management firms in the United States.
| Jul 17, 2013
Top Multifamily Engineering Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
STV, URS, AECOM top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest multifamily engineering and engineering/architecture firms in the United States.
| Jul 17, 2013
Top Multifamily Architecture Firms [2013 Giants 300 Report]
IBI Group, Niles Bolton, Perkins Eastman top Building Design+Construction's 2013 ranking of the largest multifamily architecture and architecture/engineering firms in the United States.
| Jul 17, 2013
CBRE recognizes nation's best green research projects
A rating system for comparative tenant energy use and a detailed evaluation of Energy Star energy management strategies are among the green research projects to be honored by commercial real estate giant CBRE Group.
| Jul 16, 2013
Amid single-family housing’s comeback, rental market not skipping a beat [2013 Giants 300 Report]
As the economy recovers and homeownership becomes a realistic option for more consumers, will it spell the end of the multifamily sector’s hot streak? The experts say no.
| Jul 15, 2013
Developer plans to convert historic Kansas City high-rise to mixed-use with 55 new apartments
An $18 million redevelopment proposal would convert a historic Kansas City high-rise into a commercial/residential property.
