Could smartphones mean the end of open floor plans?

Some architects are fed up with open concept floor plans. They say that today, “broken-plan” homes offer more privacy for using mobile devices.

“It is an extraordinary revolution that has taken place in the last five years,” London-based architect Deborah Saunt of DSDHA told Dezeen. “People now want a kind of residence that can change to suit the needs of a family. It’s a kind of inherent adaptability over time.”

Saunt and other architects told Dezeen that layouts that include snugs, studies and television rooms are replacing large lounges. But this isn’t a return to Victorian sensibilities. Architects are designing split-level floors and sliding partitions that create flexible spaces within homes.

“There’s definitely a shift in how people want to live, I believe, in terms of changing IT facilities,” Mary Duggan of London-based Duggan Morris Architects, told Dezeen. “Modern technology has consequences to our traditional living patterns and routines, and we are adapting to what is on offer. Like it or not, there is greater independence between family members and more out-of-sequence operations. They need a suite of spaces to accommodate this, so our plans are starting to fragment.” [Dezeen] – Christopher Cameron