pre-COVID, will continue to influence the market. These include market resilience, innovation and health and wellness trends. Gardens and outdoor spaces featured at the top of home buyers wish-list in their homes of choice of at least 66% of the respondents in our Global Buyer Survey. Closer to home, we have observed buyer preference towards gated communities or developments that avail open spaces. RD: The repurposing of office space to facilitate collaboration will be a trend for 2021 because it has been proven that, for many, home working supports individual focussed work but less so for social activities. CRE heads will need to ‘sell’ the office to those who have had a positive home working experience to
WHAT ARE YOUR PREDICTIONS FOR THE INDUSTRY IN 2021 AND BEYOND?
willingly get them back and maximise
JL: We anticipate that in the near-term,
carefully consider the experiences peo-
influences such as global tensions
ple have had whilst working at home.
between the US and China, the
attendance. Any office redesign must
Offices will likely be carved into crea-
Government’s abilities to effectively
tive spaces for collaboration, innovation,
tackle the pandemic, currency changes,
and will also be a place to simply wind
cost of capital and the shift to the ‘new
down and socialise. It will be important
normal’ will continue to impact per-
to ensure that the workforce is made
formance in the corporate real estate
aware of these investments now so they
sector in Africa.
feel confident that they will be kept safe
However, in the long term we anticipate that ‘big picture trends’ that existed
and supported when they return to the office. busi ne ssc hief. a s ia
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