Co-Living in the Now
A cool-headed but composed professional, Ismail always surpasses confidence and excellence in whatever he does. When we look back at 2020, it will be the year of big changes, every industry has virtually changed and re-ordered. Even though restrictions on our movement and activity are already being relaxed gradually in some parts of the world, the common doubt is how will our lives ‘return to normal’ with the spectre of COVID-19 still hanging over us. Whether mandated by the government or fuelled by personal concern, we will mostly be avoiding situations that force physical proximity and precautions taken to minimise the risk of infection. There will be a behavioural shift in how we move and interact with one another in public and private places, and what ultimately ‘space’ should be and do for years to come.
During these unprecedented times, we have all gotten a taste of the utmost importance of ‘home’ - a safe haven, a de facto classroom, a remote office and an impromptu conference room. Real-estate market is rapidly rethinking their visions for the future of homes, offices and private spaces, particularly co-living spaces. A co-living space was centered around a few core ideas: building community through open, interactive spaces, shared experiences through intimate group activities like music and yoga
lessons, and eliminating mental and physical clutter with things like interactive touch-screen technology.
Few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these concepts already seem woefully out of date, even irresponsible. The industry, all of a sudden, seems vastly more interested in things like privacy, virtual, distanced, and mine. So what exactly will co-living spaces look like post-corona? Staying relevant, responsive, and ‘conscious’ and the constant process of ‘staying cognizant’ at the top of the real estate market-particularly now in the wake of a global pandemic-inevitably sets new design paradigms for different companies.
The entire cycle of rental homes has been evolving. The concept of house-hunting is rapidly changing to virtual tours via video conferencing or virtual reality. Smart locks could replace human intervention while moving to a new home. Fear of infection and a desire for greater personal space will result in de-densification of co-living space, therefore increasing the demand for private rooms. While temperature checks, masks, sanitizers and gloves are becoming staples; air purification, cleaning protocols, aromatherapies and others are becoming the ‘new-normal’, as they call it.
Co-living companies have started introducing exclusive work-areas with functional desks, high speed internet and lounging areas, now that work-from-home is becoming a norm and going out for coffee is considered an extreme sport. However, gatherings amongst friends and residents will never change. Amenity spaces will have to encourage more elbow room, and seating will need to be farther apart to encourage natural physical distancing. Some amenities may also become more virtual, like cooking and yoga classes.
Corona may be accelerating some trends that were already happening. But what we all have to realize is that this isn’t going away any time soon. This virus is going to change everything. No matter how much what the current crisis may mean for us – but the only sensible conclusion at this stage tends to be “it’s too early to tell.” Because it is too early to tell.
Few months into the COVID-19 pandemic, many of these concepts already seem woefully out of date, even irresponsible. The industry, all of a sudden, seems vastly more interested in things like privacy, virtual, distanced, and mine. So what exactly will co-living spaces look like post-corona? Staying relevant, responsive, and ‘conscious’ and the constant process of ‘staying cognizant’ at the top of the real estate market-particularly now in the wake of a global pandemic-inevitably sets new design paradigms for different companies.
There will be a behavioural shift in how we move and interact with one another in public and private places, and what ultimately ‘space’ should be and do for years to come
The entire cycle of rental homes has been evolving. The concept of house-hunting is rapidly changing to virtual tours via video conferencing or virtual reality. Smart locks could replace human intervention while moving to a new home. Fear of infection and a desire for greater personal space will result in de-densification of co-living space, therefore increasing the demand for private rooms. While temperature checks, masks, sanitizers and gloves are becoming staples; air purification, cleaning protocols, aromatherapies and others are becoming the ‘new-normal’, as they call it.
Co-living companies have started introducing exclusive work-areas with functional desks, high speed internet and lounging areas, now that work-from-home is becoming a norm and going out for coffee is considered an extreme sport. However, gatherings amongst friends and residents will never change. Amenity spaces will have to encourage more elbow room, and seating will need to be farther apart to encourage natural physical distancing. Some amenities may also become more virtual, like cooking and yoga classes.
Corona may be accelerating some trends that were already happening. But what we all have to realize is that this isn’t going away any time soon. This virus is going to change everything. No matter how much what the current crisis may mean for us – but the only sensible conclusion at this stage tends to be “it’s too early to tell.” Because it is too early to tell.
