Use of work-space at home under COVID-19 conditions in the UAE Rund Hiyasat, Marco Sosa and Lina Ahmad Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Abstract Purpose – The study assesses user satisfaction of workspaces modified at home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, thereby analyzing the flexibility of modern homes in the twenty-first century in the United Arab Emirates. Design/methodology/approach – Data was collected using a structured online survey from 113 participants about their home office created to accommodate working/studying from home. Analysis of survey revealed the importance of type of residence in affecting satisfaction of functionality and well-being. Findings – The collected demographic variables played a crucial role in affecting satisfaction with various elements, from indoor air quality of the working space to the amount of natural light received by the space. Finally, participants who felt the need to add color and change furniture layout, experienced feelings of productivity, commitment and motivation by working from home. The same participants decided to keep the amended changes to their living spaces, even after they return to working from their offices. The study concludes by presenting implications of this experience on future home designs; thereby offering suggestions of authorities, and designers to produce more flexible and resilient houses. Research limitations/implications – A relatively small sample with limited professions was considered. Further research recommendations include increasing the sample size to target more categories of the residents of the UAE. Future research can expand the criteria used to evaluate satisfaction and include noise levels as well as accessibility. Practical implications – The study offers suggestions to authorities and designers to produce more flexible and resilient homes, taking demographics into consideration. Roof gardens, shading devices and privacy needs are crucial elements for the future home. Originality/value – The research provides enough information to inform designers about the future of space interiors, how well they are configured, serviced and how adaptable they are, in order to enhance user satisfaction. Highlights – (1) Satisfaction was affected by individual differences. (2) Those who changed furniture layout showed least average satisfaction. (3) Females reported higher satisfaction with indoor air quality and lighting than males. Keywords Pandemic, COVID-19, Satisfaction, Working space, Living space, Interior design Paper type Research paper 1. Introduction In the first few weeks of 2020, a flu-type virus named Coronavirus (COVID-19) was first detected in Wuhan, China (World Health Organization, 2021). The virus rapidly spread across the globe, affecting most countries of the world. By March 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported confirmed cases of 458,479,635 worldwide and 6,047,653 deaths (World Health Organization, 2022). In order to control and contain the crisis, governments around the world issued mandates requiring people to work and study from home under the Stay-at-Home-Directive (SAHD). This life-saving measure impacted lives in many ways, including daily routines, the sense of safety, national economies and security. As a result of SAHD, the influence on personalized design within the domestic environment became more apparent and unavoidable. At the same time, the challenges faced as a result of living at home changed. One of the main threats is to individuals’ expected behaviors in a certain setting, and at a specific time (Quah, 2020). Hill et al. (2003) concluded that, when compared to working from virtual and traditional offices, the home Use of work- space at home The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0969-9988.htm Received 3 October 2021 Revised 24 April 2022 18 June 2022 11 July 2022 Accepted 21 July 2022 Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management © Emerald Publishing Limited 0969-9988 DOI 10.1108/ECAM-10-2021-0857