28 Fev What is a co-living

Co-living was born from the Danish cohousing concept of the 60’s and  adapted to the current times. A Co-living is a place where one can sleep, work and live a lifestyle set on convenience, comfort, community and sustainability – where collaboration, open-mindedness and tolerance are key.

The 60’s concept emerged in Denmark as  an alternative option to the traditional housing model and as a consequence to the lack of community belonging some families felt. It then translated  into an intentionally raised community of private homes, clustered around areas of shared space. Each private home had traditional amenities, including a private kitchen. The shared spaces were typically featured in a common building, which could  include a large kitchen and dining area, laundry, and recreational spaces. Shared outdoor space was also considered in the form of parkings, walkways, gardens and other open spaces.

The Danish term bofællesskab (living community) was later introduced to North America as cohousing by two American architects, Kathryn McCamant and Charles Durrett, who visited several cohousing communities and wrote a book about it. The first community in the United States to be designed, constructed and occupied specifically for cohousing was Muir Commons in Davis, California.

The sharing economy, the community belonging sense and the increased interest in living more sustainably inspired the birth of the co-living concept –  also explaining why it is so popular now. The likeliness of becoming a considerable sustainable solution, answering both the cities and people’s necessities, revealed a surprisingly positive research for this type of   service accommodation. The concept is now a huge trend with several co-living spaces emerging across the globe.

Co-living makes the greatest sense as part of the Millennial Generation – defined on   values such as flexibility, sharing and a detachment from material possessions – from the intelligent resource management point of view and through the access to a like-minded community without giving up privacy, in a platform that encourages experience and knowledge sharing. All the above conveniently shaped by the needs of the residents – humans looking for  “location flexibility” and with an experience-oriented mindset – unlocking uncountable lifestyles possibilities and bringing together people on a similar journey.

New experiences, being able to find a new home wherever and whenever one goes and lives out of a suitcase or backpack, for a long or short  time, is what co-living is all about. In these homes everything is designed to allow people to share their stories and interact within the community, through the creation of  common areas, shared agenda of events and provision of all the amenities and “hotel services” considered as basic convenience features by the Millennials

Some spaces host roamers  on a monthly or weekly basis, while others offer exclusive month-long retreats. Residents of these  typically include digital nomads, hardworking professionals, entrepreneurs, freelancers, creatives and artists who look for an environment where they can get  inspired.

In short, co-living is made for people who seek to live with purpose and meaning, in a home built by the same values.