It may have taken a global pandemic, the necessity of office closures and a great resignation to break into mainstream consciousness, but digital nomads are (ironically) not going anywhere. As this rising demographic searches for a seamless blend of hospitality and work, how are hotels responding? And what new typologies are emerging to fill the gap? These are just two of the questions we explore in the July/August issue of Frame.
In the July/August issue of Frame, we explore how digital nomads are reshaping stay spaces – and much more.
Reporting From
Ukrainian Aleksey Nilov shares what the design community is doing to help his country rebuild. And, during a trip to Oslo, Tracey Ingram encounters a design scene stepping up to the sustainability plate.
Business of Design
What’s behind the trend of flagship factories. How hospitality design can become more inclusive. Will 3D printing reshape the future of housing? Workspaces head for the metaverse. The big potential of biomaterials in spatial design.
In Practice
Sara Ricciardi on why every interior should respond to its occupants’ needs. WORKac on why you can’t replace real space. Krista Kim on how NFTs can shape creative economies.
Spaces
Why living spaces are turning translucent. Street culture moves from back alley to high street. Chinese hotels offer new perspectives on their neighbourhoods. Workplaces take biophilia beyond pot plants.
Hospitality Lab
A 50 per cent rise in US-based digital nomads alone since 2020 has seen this demographic reach 32 million strong worldwide – a number expected to rise to 1 billion by 2035. As Gen Z turns to freelance roles at a higher rate than any previous generation, and the movement makes inroads even among the salaried workforce, this prediction may prove equally prescient. Frame Lab explores how the digital nomad movement is driving a new typology of hotel space that highlights fluid transmissions between form and function, and why hospitality design at large is being redefined in the image of wandering lifestyles.
The Challenge: Work wanderers
In the lead-up to each issue, we challenge emerging designers to respond to the Frame Lab theme with a forward-looking concept. The remote working revolution has caused a surge in digital nomadism and the expectations of this new generation of wandering workers are a far cry from those of the traditional business traveller. What new or upended hospitality typologies will be needed to serve this group? We asked three creative practices to share their ideas.
Market
Classic furniture models are revamped and reinvented, designers take a stand against overconsumption, furniture that shapes itself, and flexible seating for changing postures.
