LANDLORDS CHANGE CO-LIVING LAYOUTS AS WE ADAPT TO NEW NORMAL
COMMERCIAL landlords are having to change the layout of their apartments and co-living buildings to adapt to the ‘new normal’.
Communal facilities and spare bedrooms, once designed for parties and visiting guests, are now being converted into office spaces to allow people to stay safe from Covid-19 and work from home.
Other perks of apartment living, such as on-site gyms, have also undergone an organisational overhaul to comply with public health advice.
Vesta started letting apartments in its first development, One Three North in Clongriffin, north Dublin, in February, and continued to let to tenants during lockdown, using online viewings.
The apartments, which rent from €1,550 per month for a one-bed, €1,990 for two beds and €2,499 for three beds, have undergone major changes as the pandemic has progressed.
They have an onsite gym, yoga studio, cinema, hot desk access and super-fast WiFi, as well as Bluetooth door locks and onsite security.
A Vesta spokeswoman said: ‘The co-working spaces are now reopening at limited capacity, as there is huge demand with so many people working from home, but there are plans to convert the communal party room and kitchen into additional co-working spaces to give residents more space. Parties are clearly out for the foreseeable future.’
She said work has recently been completed to convert some two-bed apartments into one-beds with an office, to meet the needs of people working from home. The first ‘one-bed plus’ office was rented within six hours of going online, she added.
The on-site gym was closed during lockdown, but has now reopened, with residents having to book a 30-minute time slot. A Novaerus machine has been installed to disinfect the air, as is done in hospitals, and the gym is cleaned regularly each day.
Pilates classes have also moved online, with residents now Zooming in to communal workouts. Vesta said that despite the challenges facing the sector, 60 leases have been signed online since April. Bartra Capital, the developer behind a number of co-living developments planned for Dublin, said that with Covid-19 in mind, residents’ safety was a priority and that necessary alterations have been made for communal areas. Its chief executive, Mike Flannery, said shared kitchens and fitness centres would be closed for deep cleaning several times a day, and that numbers allowed to enter would be limited.