From WeLive to Roam, a host of new companies are setting up modern co-living communes around the world for sociable entrepreneurs. Jenny Southan reports
We’ve all heard about co-working, right? Over the past couple of years, this trend has moved from hipster enclaves to corporate downtown neighbourhoods; even mainstream hotel chains have been influenced to the extent that they have turned once transitory lobbies into buzzing work hubs. The new trend for 2017, though, is co-living, taking collaboration one step further to incorporate cohabitation.
The idea of creating housing for entrepreneurs and creators, rather like student halls or frat houses but with higher spec facilities, has been to build cohesive ecosystems in which to work, play and exchange ideas. Inspiration, after all, can come at any time. But now they are evolving away from “hacker mansions” in Silicon Valley to fully fledged, money-making operations.
Some set-ups are better suited to people working in particular industries such as IT or film-making, while others help foster cross-discipline conversation – be it over dinner in the dining room, at networking parties or ping pong tournaments. Some people are freelancers, others are in full-time employment. Above all, it’s about creating a community.
“In the future we will all be homeless,” told Dezeen James Scott, chief operating officer of the Collective (more on this later). “The median age of marriage has shifted from 20 to 29 in the past 40 years. This suspended adulthood and the rise of the digital nomad result in an increase in mobility and a reduced desire to settle.
“As we decouple the function of living from the physical location, we need to help positively curate more communities. Eventually, we will move to a model of subscription homes or providing living as a service.”
He adds that “in every other industry you’ve got an ownership model and you’ve got a service model [like Uber and Netflix]. I don’t have possessions anymore, I’m all about experiences and it’s high time that our workspaces and living spaces caught up”.
However, companies are also expanding into more exotic locations such as Bali, Tokyo and Mexico City, providing travellers and expats with a less lonely kind of place to base themselves when abroad. (This also taps into the “digital nomad” trend for working with a laptop from anywhere in the world.)
An article on forbes.com reads: “For Gen Xers and Boomers, the thrill of startup life was mostly tied to the risk of striking out on your own. Millennials, however, want a safety net to catch them if all goes wrong. Co-living eases the burden of living alone.” It adds: “For this generation, there’s no reason to own a car when there’s Uber. Or buy a dress for a work gala when there’s Rent the Runway. In that same vein, why pay for your own kitchen when it’s less expensive to share?”
For young professionals who travel for extended periods or are in the process of relocating, they are also the perfect solution. Staying in a hostel isn’t conducive to working and hotels can be expensive and isolating. Airbnb and serviced apartments can be a good choice but there isn’t going to be that same sense of community or the stylish resources or buzz of ideas found in a co-living site.
Six amazing co-living concepts around the world
ROAM
Defining itself as “an experimental co-living and co-working community testing the boundaries between work, travel and life adventure”, one-week leases cost between US$500 and US$1,800.
Interiors are furnished by Tuft and Needle, and Parachute. All bedrooms have en suite bathrooms. This is a picture from Roam Miami.
Roam says: “Ubud is also an energetic technology hub teeming with remote workers from all over the globe. At Roam Ubud, you can work from your laptop on uninterrupted wifi in the rooftop cafe while new friends perform yoga in the open-air studio just across the way.”
THE COLLECTIVE
Described as “a new kind of property company” that creates “innovative co-
WELIVE
Co-working giant WeWork is said to be valued at more than US$16 billion, and is now beta testing stylish co-living spaces under its new WeLive brand, which was unveiled in 2016. By 2018 it is predicted to be generating over US$600 million a year, with revenue from people staying from one night to one month at a time.
WeLive says: “WeLive is a new way of living built upon community, flexibility, and a fundamental belief that we are only as good as the people we surround ourselves with.
“From mail rooms and laundry rooms that double as bars and event spaces to communal kitchens, roof decks, and hot tubs, WeLive challenges traditional apartment living through physical spaces that foster meaningful relationships. Life is better when we are part of something greater than ourselves.”
At the moment it has properties on Wall Street in Lower Manhattan, as well as Crystal City in Arlington, Virginia. For longer-stays, rent starts from US$1,200 a month.
For shorter stays, private rooms start from US$200 a night and come with built-in single bunks or fold-out Murphy beds, sheets, flatscreen TVs, AirPlay speaker systems, wardrobes, fridge/freezers, glassware, cutlery, plates, pots and pans. As you can see, every inch of space is put to use.
PODSHARE
More similar to a budget hostel, PodShare is a membership-based co-living/co-working concept that defines itself as a “social network with a physical address”.
What is a Pod? The companies says Pods are custom built minimalist spaces for social travellers. Twin or queen sized. Some pods convert from a bed (with a memory foam mattress) to a desk, some have closets and trundle areas for suitcases and all have a 22-inch flatscreen TVs with Netflix and Hulu.
ZOKU
Globetrender wrote about Zoku when it first arrived in Amsterdam in autumn 2015. This “home-office hybrid” has 133 Zoku Lofts measuring 25 sqm. Each features customisable interiors – for example, a set of steps leading to a mezzanine bed will slide into the wall to make space for a living area and access to built-in drawers.
LYF
As I reported on businesstraveller.com, Lyf, which is being launched by serviced apartment company the Ascott, proves co-living has mainstream potential. It will be aimed at people in their 20s and 30s, an age bracket that is expected to account for more than half the workforce by 2020, and which is predicted to spend US$200 billion annually on travel.
By 2020, the Ascott intends to have 10,000 Lyf co-living units in a range of layouts – studios, twins and business suites with video-conferencing and hammocks. Communal spaces will offer Foosball tables, giant ball pits and cooking classes.
Other co-living concepts you should know about are PureHouse, CommonSpace, OpenDoor and the Coliving Club. Welcome home…