MINI Living Shanghai
Co-living is “not just for ‘alternative’ types, or simply a last resort for those who can’t afford to buy on their own. Instead, it is as diverse as the individuals who live in it,” said architect Je Ahn.
Co-living is experiencing a boom in cities around the world. With pressures on space and shifts in lifestyle among the under 40s, shared housing is becoming an increasingly attractive option, combining private space with communal facilities and, in some cases, access to unique events.
Community living is not a new idea, but coliving is moving away from the old image of the commune and creating a way of living that has mainstream appeal. Here, we explore some recent examples of different approaches to co-living from around the world, from a townhouse that combines shared living with co-working, to membership networks, co-housing, and modular sheds that are bringing new life to empty buildings.
WeLive, the co-living organisation launched by co-working giant WeWork, is one of the best-known developers and is planning to add a new residence in Seattle to its already successful properties in Washington DC and New York, while The Collective, dubbed “the world’s largest co-living complex” opened in London earlier this year. Much of the conversation around co-living has been dominated by the idea that millennials are less interested in permanence and have been forced out of the conventional property market. But two recent reports suggest that the motivations and age-range for co-living are much broader.
FUTURE LIVING
INNOVATIONS IN CO-LIVING Anna Winston is an award-winning editor, writer and curator. She is a former editor of Dezeen and Bdonline. 60
TREND REPORT 2019
Space 10, IKEA’s Copenhagen-based innovation laboratory, launched a mass survey to find out what the future of co-living might look like and found that most co-livers are primarily attracted to the model as it creates new ways of socialising, rather than for financial or geographical reasons. Space 10 suggests this reflects a major cultural shift in many cities, with young people increasingly choosing to stay single and real-life social networks shrinking, despite the rise of social media, leading to record levels of loneliness in both younger and older generations.
Robinhood, Berlin By Dennis Prinz for Robinhood The creators of the Robinhood project call it the first “Pod Living Space” in Berlin. Named after the historic figure who robbed from the rich and gave to the poor, the objective is to reclaim industrial space and empty buildings for affordable co-living by inserting private, soundproof sleeping pods alongside “five star” communal spaces, like kitchens, gardens, pools and saunas.
The pods are designed by Robinhood’s founder, Dennis Prinz – also founder of Berlin co-working space Enklave – who will unveil three prototypes for members to vote on in September. The modular design means the company could potentially transform a space Living Closer, a new report from the Royal into a co-living community in a matter of Institute of British Architects and architecture weeks. Residents of Robinhood will pay less firm Studio Wave, has also suggested that than the market rent for a room in a shared the introduction of a wide range of co-living apartment and more than 1,000 people have models could help with both rising levels of already registered for membership. The team loneliness and also the increasing need to hope that the first development in Berlin will assisted living for ageing populations, as well open this year inside a former bank. as pressures on housing availability in cities. robinhood.berlin TREND REPORT 2019
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