The Zoom Room
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
When video calls happen in living spaces, the household loses its privacy, the caller is anxious about what's visible in the background, and the rest of the family must tiptoe around a closed door — all for a conversation that requires only a small, well-lit, acoustically isolated space.
Evidence and Discussion
Post-pandemic, most remote workers spend two to four hours daily on video calls. The typical home was not designed for this. A call from the kitchen means the family can't cook. A call from the bedroom means an unmade bed on camera. A call from the living room means a child can't play.
The solution is not a better home office — it's a *smaller* space. Video calls require roughly two square meters of usable area: a seat, a neutral background, good front lighting, acceptable acoustics, and a door that closes. It belongs off a secondary circulation path — not the main hallway, not adjacent to the kitchen — somewhere its use doesn't block household movement. Acoustic isolation to STC 40 or better keeps both sides of the wall comfortable.
Therefore
in homes where video calls are regular, provide a small, dedicated enclosure — as little as two square meters — with a closeable door, a neutral background, front-facing natural or artificial light, acoustic dampening to STC 40, and reliable connectivity. Position it off secondary circulation, not main household paths. This is not the office — this is the phone booth. The office is where you think; the Zoom Room is where you perform.