Abstract:
Architectural remodeling is the heart of product development in the housing business. The development of houses from 2016 to 2022 in Thailand encountered the Covid-19 crisis. In 2020, the sales rate of single detached houses in Bangkok and the vinicity areas was higher than that of other types of accommodation. The current research endeavor aimed to study the architectural remodeling strategies of single detached housing projects from 2016 to 2022 that belonged to the four companies with the highest sales rate of houses including AP (Thailand) PCL (AP), SC Asset Corporation PCL (SC), Sansiri PCL (SIRI), and Supalai PCL (SPALI). Thirteen housing plans in eighteen projects from the four companies were collected and studied. The first step involved collecting strategic data reports from an annual reports from each companies and gathering images from the project review websites. The second step included conducting interviews with relevant parties about the implementation of the strategies and checking the housing adjustments. The results revealed that before 2020, there were two different types of strategies including strategies that were oriented to physical development adopted by AP and SC and those that focused on accommodation and housing development adopted by SIRI and SPALI. After being impacted by external factors and the Covid-19 pandemic, all four companies remodeled their strategies to be in the same direction which was to develop the residences that could respond to different target groups of customers. This led to the adjustment of product development strategies from the old ones in each company. It is found that there were two types of customers which were those who received high incomes targeted by AP and SC, and those who received lower incomes targeted by SIRI and SPALI. The remodeled strategies can be divided into the strategy for developing usable space (AP), the strategy for developing flexible usable space and functions (SC), the strategy for flexible space and outstanding design (SIRI), and the strategy to increase housing types with diverse usable spaces (SPALI). The adjustment of strategies increased the number of housing types from 13 to 54 types and there were different house sizes. AP and SC developed large houses with an average space of 219 to 224 square metres, while SIRI and SPALI focused on developing medium-sized and small houses with an average space of 158 to 166 square metres. It was discovered that all of the companies modified their houses according to their own strategies. AP had the highest increase in the overall space by 16% compared to the initial housing space and all usable spaces were also increased, especially the common areas for family members. SC changed from focusing on flexibly providing different functions to giving more importance to private areas by increasing the sizes of bedrooms by 10 to 25% and reducing the sizes of common areas, while also increasing the sizes of balconies. SIRI changed from focusing on creating flexible spaces that responded to residents needs with prominent designs and affordable prices to increasing the size of common areas, private rooms and smaller bedrooms by 14 to 20%, and decreasing the size of master bedrooms. SPALI shifted their focus on increasing usable area types to satisfy Generation Z customers to increasing the number of housing types, especially medium-sized houses and increasing the sizes of common areas. In terms of the locations of usable areas, all companies made minor adjustments with the master bedrooms undergoing the most significant change from being located in the front to the side of the houses and the ventilation in all bedrooms was improved. The results revealed that first, strategies are an important factor contributing to the adjustment of housing styles for housing companies. Therefore, the companies should focus on product development which is the heart of the development of the companies. Due to the crisis, all companies ensured the readjustment of the existing strategies to suit the needs of different target groups. Moreover, even though Covid-19 was a factor for the strategic changes and changes in housing styles, they were primarily in response to customers demands rather than solely driven Covid-19. Thus, it is recommended that single detached housing companies prioritize strategies to effectively prepare for global warming and natural disasters like Covid-19, as there is a tendency for disasters to increase in frequency and severity. It is essential for companies to address these crises by starting with strategic planning. Additionally, adjusting the styles of small houses is more challenging compared to their larger counterparts. Companies should conduct research on enhancing flexibility for small houses to cater to future needs".