Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, our homes have been serving as makeshift workplaces, schools, gyms, and pubs. And many of us are spending more time in them than ever before.

People often choose to buy or rent their particular home because of its location–perhaps it offers access to good schools or an easy commute to work by car or public transport. This means people often invest in more expensive homes in locations with access to quality facilities and then adapt them to accommodate the activities of their daily lives.

As an architect and researcher in housing and sustainability, my research examines adaptations ranging from extensions and loft conversions, through to the installation of renewable technologies and retrofits. Many homeowners view their homes in desirable areas as a financial asset they plan later to cash in. For this reason, renewable and energy efficiency measures are often not included in adaptations, due to uncertainties about how these will be valued when they come to sell.

But with fewer people now commuting and more people working from home, where people choose to live and how they want their houses to function may change after this prolonged period of lockdown.

There have already been suggestions that people may want to escape city life and move to the countryside, with many longing for more space and better access to nature.