The next architectural trend: co-living
It may have started as a niche real estate trend, but now co-living – where people reside together and share communal spaces – is here to stay
neighbourgood is A next-generation property developer and manager that focusses on modern living. ‘We’re inspired by the value of the shared economy and purpose-built real estate and we’re driven to create accessible community centric spaces for the modern-day consumer,’ says Murray. At Neighbourgood, friendliness is valued over anonymity.
GQ: What’s driving this co-living and communal housing movement? Murray Clark: Co-living solutions like Neighbourgood are at the forefront of meeting the demands of today’s digital nomad, freelancer and modern professional population. It integrates an element of social and environmental awareness that people value. We construct and design our buildings with sustainability in mind. This sustainability carries over into other areas of operation, down to the food we serve to guests and community members. Humans are taking on a disproportionate amount of mental work compared to the physical labour they used to do. For decades, people have adapted to long commutes because they generally accept that they probably won’t be able to afford to live where they work. The proportion of people who’re freelancing, joining the gig economy, or otherwise working remotely, is growing exponentially. People now value freedom and flexibility in their jobs over pay rises. They crave human connection over a large but isolated home in the suburbs. There’s a lot of untapped potential for businesses to solve these problems.
GQ: What attracts people to co-living spaces?
MC: I would say price, experience, flexibility, convenience, community and technology all are things that co-living offers that attracts people. It’s a modern living concept that we believe suits the era. As an example, we hold wellness classes on our rooftop deck at the Cape Quarter in Cape Town, host social events and gatherings, partner with local coffee shops to create discounts, have a complementary co-working space on-site. We offer so much more depth than a traditional residential scheme.
GQ: You promote “knowing your neighbour”. How does this concept better your living experience? MC: Ultimately, we believe that people are more fulfilled living in a supportive community of like-minded humans. “Knowing your neighbour” means supporting your neighbour and in turn, them supporting you. A smile at the door goes a long way to brightening up someone’s day. We encourage connection and collaboration between people because we believe in its value to society.
GQ: Is co-living safe?
MC: Absolutely. Every member has their own apartment or suite and we manage the safety and security of our members with the utmost care. There’s a Neighbourgood members app that our members can use if they encounter issues, and we station full-time security at every location.
GQ: Is the most important part of co-living building community?
MC: Community, at its core, is about supporting one another. In the world we live in, in the absence of religion and family, there’s little community at all. We live our lives on smartphones or at the workplace, and we lack a tangible, meaningful connection to other human beings. Being part of Neighbourgood means embracing what it means to live in a community, to know your neighbour, and to support and care for those around you. It doesn’t mean you lose your independence or privacy because you have the best of both.
GQ: Are there any disadvantages?
MC: The operator (such as a hotel business) is crucial when it comes to choosing a co-living space. All companies drive culture by leadership, and it’s a representation of the collective organisation and its people. It’s crucial when you’re choosing a space that you can identify with the values of the operating company, whether it be Neighbourgood or otherwise.
GQ: I lean towards the introverted side of life, so where others welcome community activities, my brain jumps to forced socialising. How would you market Neighbourgood to someone like me?
MC: I’m probably in the middle [of that spectrum]. Community is organic. At its core, you live in a co-living space because it creates a sense of connection to others. Whether you’re an introvert or not, we all want to belong – and that’s what makes us human. That’s what co-living is all about. »
british-born south African Entrepreneur And youtube star Caspar LEE has co-founded and invested in over seven businesses in the UK. Now, he’s launching a new property development project for students and young professionals in
Cape Town, which will open in January. Situated close to the country’s leading universities, the 98-unit project will offer comprehensive accommodation packages and state-of-the-art security.
GQ: Is co-living the future of urban living?
Caspar Lee: Co-living is no longer the future; it’s the present. When people come together, they’re able to enjoy better facilities, learn from one another and build lifelong friendships. When we talk about co-living at
Proper Living, we’re not talking about living on top of each other. Our residents still enjoy the privacy of their spacious rooms, but we know how much they value being close to each other.
GQ: Co-living is quite popular in the UK, where you’ve invested in several businesses. Did you look at similar models there before launching in
South Africa?
CL: Co-living is popular in the UK, for sure, but what inspired me was co-working and the perks created when a bunch of companies work together. I had a look at the UK market and decided to launch Proper Living in South Africa because I felt that the market wasn’t as mature and there was an opportunity to enter it with something special. I’m always looking for ways to get involved in South African projects – it’s a great excuse to spend more time at home, and I love the idea of investing in acountry where I grew up.
GQ: What was the thought process behind creating Proper Living?
CL: We launched it to advance the wellbeing of young adults. When we were conducting our research, we noticed that student accommodation had a messy and unsophisticated connotation. We felt that because there was such a high demand for student accommodation, property owners could get away with inferior products and lousy customer service. It was the perfect market to disrupt with sophisticated design, perks and security. I also felt like other companies in the space didn’t understand how to reach young people via social media, which I have a lot of experience in, and building a reliable brand was going to be essential. We now have the most active and most significant social following in the market and have rented our apartments through viral advertising on Instagram and Facebook.
GQ: People have a few concerns about co-living. Two of the most FAQS are ‘Does one have enough privacy?’ and ‘Is it safe?’ CL: At Proper Living, most of our apartments are private studios, and the bigger apartments all have private rooms, so every person has their own space. To us, co-living is about being able to reach out and have a community there for you when you feel like you want to be social or learn from someone else, rather than always being surrounded by others. In terms of security, we offer state-of-the-art CCTV surveillance monitored by a specialist team, 24/7 rotational guards, advanced biometric fingerprint scanners, guest tracking systems and our Proper Living app with incident reporting.
GQ: How do technology and social imperatives such as sustainability enable new forms of communal living?
CL: Technology and the sustainability imperatives are accelerating how a change will occur in all aspects of life, including communal living. I think they’re quite different things, so I don’t want to bundle them up in the same answer. Still, technology allows us to build systems that help eliminate issues that might’ve been a problem in the past when it comes to communal living, such as security.
The imperatives of sustainability make people rethink how they can use spaces in more efficient ways, and people sharing products is undoubtedly a plus.
‘Student housing was the perfect market to disrupt with sophisticated design, perks and security’