Design is adopting AI faster than it is measuring its environmental impact

For years, concepts such as sustainability, wellbeing, flexibility and digitalisation have shaped the conversation around spatial design. Yet the sector is entering a new phase. It is no longer enough simply to talk about these ideas: architects, interior designers, developers, hotel operators and brands now face the challenge of using data to demonstrate the real impact of their decisions on people and the environment.

The sixth edition of The New Habitat 27/28, the annual trends report commissioned by APE Grupo, identifies this very shift. Drawing on international research and a survey of 352 professionals working in design, architecture and the creation of spaces, the study examines how residential, hospitality, workplace and retail environments are evolving against a backdrop of rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI), the need to move towards more sustainable models and profound social changes affecting how people live, work, travel and consume.

One of the report’s most significant findings is the difference in the pace at which the sector is adopting technological innovation and environmental assessment methods. While seven in ten professionals use AI tools in their work, and one in three uses them almost daily, only one in six projects currently measures its environmental footprint using verifiable systems. The figures reflect an increasingly clear reality: technology is rapidly becoming part of creative and management processes, while objective measurement of sustainability continues to face barriers relating to budgets, technical complexity and market demand itself.

This was one of the key findings presented at the launch of The New Habitat 27/28 at APE Grupo Middle East’s flagship store in Dubai. The event brought together architecture and design professionals to discuss the report’s findings and their implications for the future of the spaces we inhabit.

The New Habitat was developed with trend research consultancy Futurea, with the international organisation Women in Office Design (WOD) as the study’s partner. The report also draws on insights from experts at major international architecture and design practices, including Gensler, M Moser Associates, DLR Group in Dubai and Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA), among others.

For José Miguel Pellicer, CEO of APE Grupo, this sixth edition confirms the maturity of a project that the architecture and design community has embraced: “The sector has become very good at talking about itself; now it needs to demonstrate that it can deliver on its claims. Moving from words to action is the real challenge at this stage.”

Homes: healthier, more adaptable spaces for every stage of life

Residential spaces are entering a new phase of maturity. Following several years in which homes had to accommodate new functions brought about by lockdowns and the growth of remote working, residential design is now moving towards a more considered approach, conceived to support people over time. As Saúl Castellanos, Specifications and Procurement Manager at AEDAS Homes, explains: “The challenge is no longer to design a home for a particular moment, but one that can support you throughout your life.”

Although energy efficiency remains a priority for professionals, attention is increasingly turning to health, comfort and the adaptability of homes. Connections to the outdoors (22.1%) and the use of sustainable materials, together with users’ willingness to invest more in them (up to 11.3% more), reflect an understanding of the home that goes beyond shelter to become a space that supports physical and emotional wellbeing.

Against this backdrop, the concept of the low-tox home is gaining ground, driven by growing concern about indoor air quality, exposure to potentially harmful substances and the creation of healthier environments. The rise of filtration systems, air quality sensors and air-purifying plants points to a trend shaped by growing consumer awareness of how the domestic environment affects health.

Indeed, seven in ten consumers say that keeping their home clean gives them a sense of achievement and wellbeing. As Italian architect and designer Monica Armani observes: “Today, we ask more of our homes: not just functionality, but emotional balance; spaces that make us feel protected, understood and truly at ease.”

The report also finds that difficulties in accessing housing, an ageing population and new living arrangements are driving more flexible residential models designed for different stages of life. These include arrangements such as Living Apart Together (LAT), which call for more versatile, accessible spaces that can adapt to new forms of relationships and living arrangements.

The visual language of the home is also changing. After years dominated by neutral, standardised interiors, the trend towards colour confidence is emerging, championing colour as a means of expressing personality, optimism and wellbeing. As Irene Trujillo of LIMA Flexliving explains: “We are moving away from cold minimalism that places too much emphasis on aesthetics towards a more sensory and emotional approach to the home.”

Hotels: from individual wellness to shared wellbeing

After years in which hotel stays were associated with constant entertainment and conspicuous luxury, today’s travellers are seeking experiences that offer connection, balance and meaning. The New Habitat 27/28 finds that 88% of people worldwide want purposeful experiences. “We have moved from seeing travel as an expense to seeing it as an investment in quality of life, health, knowledge and personal development,” says Daniel Mayo of Vivood.

Guest comfort and experience have become the top priority for 89.4% of professionals in the sector, ahead of factors such as a space’s identity, inclusive design and sustainability. Hospitality design is therefore evolving from an aesthetic consideration into a strategic tool capable of meeting new expectations and needs. As Marta Palazuelo of HBA observes: “True luxury today is being able to switch off, which means integrating services almost invisibly, without noise or ostentation.”

One of the most significant changes identified in the report is the evolution of wellness. Alongside approaches focused exclusively on individual care, shared experiences are gaining prominence, including communal saunas, guided rituals, wellness clubs and activities that encourage interaction between guests. Wellbeing is no longer seen solely as a private experience, but also as a means of building social connections.

This search for balance is also driving alternatives that bring people closer to nature and away from crowded destinations, supporting the growth of glamping, astrotourism and accommodation integrated into natural surroundings. At the same time, in a more challenging economic climate, the report identifies a rise in short, frequent breaks, grouped under the concept Ordinary, Elevated. As Naji Safi of DLR Group explains: “The most valuable experiences are those that leave a lasting emotional or personal impression.”

This transformation is already reflected in investment decisions: hotel design budgets will grow by 7.1% over the coming year — the largest increase across the four sectors analysed — and clients would be willing to increase their design investment by 16.2% to improve the sustainability of their properties.

Offices: the working experience begins before you reach your desk

The office is undergoing a profound rethink. At a time when work can be done from many different locations, the question is no longer where people work, but what gives them a reason to travel to the office. Workspaces are therefore increasingly seen as a strategic investment in attracting talent, encouraging innovation and strengthening corporate culture, rather than simply an operating cost.

The report shows that employee health and wellbeing are the top priority for 28.4% of professionals in the sector, ahead of factors such as flexibility and creativity. This shift is extending the traditional boundaries of the office. Under the street-to-seat concept, the working experience is understood as an entire journey, encompassing far more than what happens at the desk.

The building’s location, accessibility, local amenities, transitional spaces and communal areas all become part of the working experience, helping to strengthen employees’ connection with the organisation. As Francesca Heathcote Sapey, architect and urban designer at Sapey + Partners, explains: “The working experience does not begin when you walk through the office door, but encompasses the entire journey beforehand.”

Offices are also incorporating more amenities and experiences that are difficult to replicate at home. Restaurants, terraces, gyms, auditoriums, event spaces and areas for informal gatherings are being integrated into workplaces to encourage spontaneous interaction, creativity and the development of professional relationships. As Megan Dobstaff, Design Director at Gensler in London, notes: “Today, every decision must be informed by research, connecting design with performance, inclusion and people’s real needs.”

According to The New Habitat 27/28, workplace design budgets will grow by 5.1% over the coming year, driven by the pursuit of more flexible, experience-led environments aligned with professionals’ changing expectations.

Retail: the physical shop evolves from a point of sale into a space for experience and community

Despite the continued growth of e-commerce, physical shops retain a strategic role for brands. Their distinctive value lies in what online shopping cannot replicate: human interaction, sensory experiences and the ability to build community. As Cecilia Guarás of Bobo Choses explains: “A physical shop brings a brand’s world to life in a way that e-commerce cannot.”

Against this backdrop, the report identifies the rise of the so-called meaning economy, a trend that turns shops into spaces where much more than shopping takes place. Events, workshops, product discovery and shared experiences transform the point of sale into a place that strengthens the emotional connection between consumers and brands. Flexibility is becoming a strategic priority in responding to this new reality: 23.4% of professionals identify the ability to adapt shops to different uses, activations and experiences as one of the main challenges facing retail design today.

Artificial intelligence is also beginning to form part of the retail experience, albeit in a clearly complementary role. While digital assistants provide recommendations, help locate products and streamline payment processes, human service remains a point of difference when customers seek trust, advice and personalisation. As Leticia Yangüela Martí of HMY, a specialist in national and international Brands & Retail projects, puts it: “Technology should handle the operational side — stock, product location and payment — so that the physical space can focus on enjoyment, inspiration and building a more meaningful relationship with the brand.”

Alongside these changes, the report highlights the rise of infiltrated retail, a trend that blurs the boundaries between shopping, culture, leisure and everyday life. Shops are no longer conceived as isolated spaces, but are integrated more naturally into the city and people’s routines, creating hybrid formats that combine the functions of a shop, café, gallery, library or meeting place. The result is a more open, flexible retail model, more closely connected to its surroundings, in which the experience becomes as valuable as the product itself. Investment is following this shift: retail design budgets will grow by 4.3% over the coming year.

Across the different sectors, The New Habitat 27/28 identifies a common trend: spaces are moving beyond a single function to respond to increasingly fluid ways of life. Homes accommodate new living arrangements and the needs of an ageing population; hotels are evolving towards experiences centred on wellbeing and connection; offices seek to attract people through experiences that add value; and retail is becoming a space for relationships and community. In every case, design is moving beyond broad claims to focus on a fundamental question: how to demonstrate that spaces make a tangible contribution to improving people’s lives.