Convenient, flexible, and allowing you to have your own social circle, co-living might the best option! With features that are not found from any other living space concept, co-living apartments have gained much attraction to entrepreneurs and developers.
Newly-built co-living apartments are now springing up in cities across the globe where innovative and smart features are integrated into stunning modern interiors. Who wouldn’t want to live in a fully-furnished and newly built home complete with all the amenities you need?
Aside from the rising cost of housing and changes in the work structures, co-living is an attractive avenue for the young. People in their 20’s to 30’s are more likely to thrive more in a social circle and this is what co-living has tapped on making it an attractive option for the young workers. And, because of these societal and technological shifts, there is a change in the perception of what is ownership and habitat from the present youth’s viewpoint is construed.
At present, developers and the business minds are now raising to capitalize on the new trend as the rise of co-living spaces continuous to soar. Making the modern co-living both an opportunity and challenge for space planners, architects, and interior designers to probe on how to create a shared space different from the traditional co-living.
Understanding the Modern Co-living
The concept of communal space where members are not from the same family but have similar interests is not a novel living system. In fact, “hacker houses” or “communes” have been existing in the heart of North Capitol Hill since the early 2000s. But today’s modern co-living spaces are a far cry from the insufficient co-living space in Silicon Valley.
Most marketed shared spaces offer stunning interiors complete with all the amenities and automated features. Smart and energy-efficient appliances, free Wifi, refilled soaps, and other essentials, community apps, and even having more than three variations of coffee makers are valuable features than no other habitat living can offer.
Open spaces may be hard to come by, especially for cities with limited spaces. With proper planning and consultation, these free spaces are possible to achieve.
The Firsts of Co-living
Before the “hacker houses” the “Isokon” by Wells Coats was designed in north London around 1933 to 1934 as a part of an advanced modernist discourse in Britain spearheaded by Modern Architectural Research Group. The “Kensal House” is another attempt for the design of shared living spaces, conceptualized in 1937 by Maxwell Fry and Elizabeth Denby.
Large companies like WeWork and other property developers have started to integrate co-living with their business ventures, and one of the largest co-living spaces is the Vanke Port Apartment in China that has 60,000 units.
Continued support from major cities such as New York has offered co-living companies to build affordable housing in the city.
Rising Popularity of Co-living
The rise of co-living continues to attract the young both from commuting and remote workers as it mainly offers a cheaper alternative than the typical apartment living. Even moving-in seems breezier as most co-living companies offer hassle-free and online booking. Mobile applications of the co-living companies also provide conveniences and other perks such as news on upcoming social events in your community. These extra services help create a well-connected community.
Opportunities and Challenges for Space Designers
As millennials (born 1980 – 2000) are the main driving forces that continuously boost the thriving co-living community, yet, is there a possibility that these modern habitats can cater to the older generation?
The challenge now is how planners, interior designers, and architects can create a communal space where this time intergeneration and international races can come together.
The Importance of Space Designing
Now, the challenge for space planners is how to strike a balance between the private and public spaces while creating a flexible and innovative habitat.
A lot of space designers have taken interest in this new trend and commissions from developers are starting to pour in.
Being the forefront in providing solutions to designing shared spaces, professionals and entrepreneurs are now at the forefront in providing efficient solutions on how to sustain this growing need.
Takeaway:
Co-living is the future of housing, but for now, the present market for shared living has always targeted young people, most especially those who are in the freelancing sectors. Telecommuters, digital nomads, artists, musicians, and interns make up the patrons of most co-living spaces. The technologically dependent generation will continue to require these kinds of living spaces.
An architect’s craft is more than just creating built environments, instead, these built spaces of interaction are venues for communication and inception of new ideas. Architecture has a great impact on how its occupants live and think. At the same time, a designed space affects its surroundings and the whole community as well.
Public spaces, places of commerce, transportation, and even our humble abodes influence people in the way they live, perceive and think. Built spaces are about people and by their people.
When people are put together, they can behave in many surprising ways. When placed in a space, people will tend to communicate and collaborate just as when observing people in a crowd. While designed spaces can never fully control people, they can encourage or discourage movement and behavior. The unpredictability of human interaction makes designing social spaces the most challenging work an architect can partake.
Architecture is known as the marriage of art and science, and, arguably an embodiment of different fields in humanities and social sciences.
Beginnings
The role of built spaces as an interactive space can be seen at the very onset of human civilizations. In 2011, a review by Wil Roebroeks and Paola Villa state that fire is used in Europe around 400,000 years ago as ancient humans expanded into colder climates. For the cave dwellers, they gather around a firepit were eating, sleeping, making tools and, other daily activities take place.
Roman and Greek architecture are great examples of how architecture influences people in their interactions with society. Thermae, stoa, temples, and theaters are a few examples of communal spaces during ancient times.
Architecture and Social Interactions:
A Common Ground for the diverse building that is intended for public use can be a common ground for people with different philosophies or cultures to come together and express openly. It is a stage where people can openly express, work, and share ideas comfortably.
Public parks, for instance, are designed with the community in mind. Amenities such as picnic grounds, bike lanes, and cycling create activities that individuals and families can enjoy.
This is key to building vibrant neighborhoods and lively communities. With a community space where shops, groceries, residences, and others that bring different families together to a single communal space. A neighborhood with multiple nodes of destinations create a layered multiplicity of experiences. This structure fosters connection and communication while creating culture from the daily routines that interplays within the community.
As architecture values human experiences, it creates spaces where social connections are created among different cultures. Museums, galleries, and monuments can provide a glimpse if not tell stories of the past for generations to see.
Architecture educates us making us closer and understanding of different philosophies and cultures.
Probably the best example of how a place creates a new culture is our learning environments. Where a school houses students with different backgrounds congregate and build new social circles and networks.
Let’s not forget that architecture brings families together. Homes are designed in the context of their owners’ preferences and their ways of living. The residential building is the perfect example of how architecture can bring a balance between aesthetics and function. With a common space that both serves individual and communal needs of the family.
With the advent of technology, the concept of space may obscure as traditional social interactions through physical spaces are challenged by online and remote communication. But as social beings, our sense of belongingness and need for social connections to a personal level is still innate within us. And, there’s a sense of authenticity and deeper connection when it comes to the traditional social interaction compared to the online version.
As a conceived design can either unite or isolate us, the architecture will definitely stay as a powerful force that the society will have in the many years to come.
The interplay of natural lights in an interior space creates mood, enhances materials, and energizes a place. It is indeed a design element like no other.
Indoor places with beautiful plays of light create an alluring ambiance and ensues a lively feeling to its occupants. This correlation of positivity and natural light has been a fascination for both the architecture and the scientific field. Evidence of this undeniable connection is seen in case studies of places on hospice, work, education, and even our humble abode love the natural lighting.
How Natural Lighting Keeps Us Healthy?
We’ve provided a list of major reasons how daylight can affect our health:
But why does natural light keep us healthy? Aside from helping us to get healthy doses of Vitamin D, natural light syncs on our Circadian rhythm, our built-in body clock. Designing workplaces, for instance, require natural light and ventilation to seep through the workspaces. Without the glare and unwanted heat, a properly designed work area with the consideration of natural lighting creates a lively and inspiring space for employees.
Natural light is one design consideration when preventing the negative effects of Sick Building Syndrome. SBS is where workers experience headaches and respiratory problems, which are contributed by poor ventilation and working conditions. Though SBS mainly focuses on natural ventilation, studies show that natural lighting can help in preventing Sick Building Syndrome in buildings.
There’s a reason why kitchens are best oriented on the east and west directions. For most places, the east area is the perfect spot for your breakfast nook as well as the kitchen area because you get the healthy sunlight while keeping it cool during the afternoon sun. Kitchens can also be placed along the west side, where it is the hottest spot during the afternoon, provided that you have a longer roof overhang to prevent glare and heat build-up.
When kitchens are oriented on the hottest areas, it prevents mold and mildew build-up. Bathrooms and other damp spaces should also have ample daylighting as it serves as it kills bacteria and fungi naturally.
Like other benefits of sunlight, science backs up how the natural light improves our mood and kicks off the so-called winter blues. According to an Australian study, serotonin (known as happy chemicals) levels are higher during sunny days compared to cloudy ones. Serotonin not only stabilizes your mood, but it also helps to heal wounds, stimulate nausea, and maintain bone health.
The brain dedicates more space to our visual senses compared to all other senses combined. As our visual perception signals our memory and decisions, it also affects our emotions that can affect our state of wellbeing.
Light can bring out the rich color and texture of materials better than artificial lights. With visually stimulating views, we feel relaxed and optimistic, which can greatly improve our overall wellbeing.
Probably the most obvious benefit of sunlight is that it provides energy and warmth to our bodies. Not only on its physical form, but natural light can also bring a sense of warmness or coziness in an interior. Understandably a room with light seeping through windows is more inviting and creates a sense of liveliness than a dark room.
For many years we simulate natural light in our architectural elements such as white painted walls and ceilings or luminaires with different color tones. We also allow natural light through our windows, skylights, light tubes, and clerestories to reach the nooks and corners of our interior spaces. Indeed, natural light has a great impact on our daily lives, and we continue to plan, assemble, and create spaces that can capture the benefits of the free but depleting energy source.
When it comes to food and drinking establishments, proper lighting is paramount. Lights from both natural and artificial lighting, when properly planned can create an inviting atmosphere. Strategic illumination can set the mood of interior space. This further boosts the occupants’ sensory experiences and provides the desired ambiance.
Aside from creating an atmosphere, lighting is critical when to efficiency, productivity, and safety of the staff and employees.
Your lighting should never be an afterthought. Without proper lighting, it can break the overall look of your restaurant or bar, however beautiful or stunning your other design elements may be.
We’ve listed here the 4 Important Lighting Types for your Bar or Restaurant.
Importance: Safe circulation of space, foundational layer of lighting
Ambient lights are placed to provide general lighting to your establishment, helping your customers and employees to maneuver easily and safely through space. These lights serve as the base lighting when it comes to the layering of your lighting. For ambient illumination, these are usually overhead luminaires, recessed lights, chandeliers, track lighting, or pendant lights.
Importance: Highlight important areas or features, creates overall contrast
Creating visual interest and makes a lively and dynamic atmosphere. You can highlight décor elements such as paintings, feature walls, or any other artwork. This lighting level is also perfect in accenting points in your operation, such as menu boards, advertisements, or open kitchen areas. Emergency lights should also be highlighted using focal luminaires like troffers or recessed lights.
For a dramatic effect, your focal lighting should be 3x brighter than your ambient lights. Sconces or pendant lights, adjustable track lights, torchiere lights, and cove lights are a few focal lights that can be incorporated.
Importance: Safety of kitchen staff, ensures the efficiency of employees
If you have excellent task lighting, you’ll expect employees to complete the task accurately. Task lights are generally placed in the kitchen, reception, or counters. Kitchen areas should be well lit, as safety is a priority. With proper lighting, kitchen staff should able to see clearly all the kitchen utensils and ingredients being used.
Task lights include both fixed and adjustable luminaires. Adjustable task lights include gooseneck, balanced-arm lamp, and track lights. Fixed task lights on-the-other-hand include pendant lights and downlights.
Importance: Natural anti-bacterial properties, creates a lively mood, saves on energy costs
Regardless of what restaurant or bar business you have, natural light from the sun is beneficial, and it should go hand-in-hand with your artificial lighting. Natural illumination should be maximized, but glare and heat retention should be avoided. Surface materials can also affect your overall lighting, so be sure to include all design considerations when planning.
To control natural lighting, blinds and draperies can be installed as well as smart windows that can self-tint during the day when the sun is at its highest.
Just like in a theater stage, layers of light create, enhances, and highlight key elements. Regardless of what type of restaurant, lighting is critical. It’s not enough in having beautiful luminaires, all your lights should work harmoniously, and it helps to have controllable features on your lighting system. This makes it easier to adjust the degree of brightness and color.
Around 50% of the energy consumption of bars and restaurants comes from lighting alone. You can choose LED or sensory lights to cut off costs. Along with a properly planned lighting system, you can ensure that your costumers and staff are getting the optimum benefits of natural and artificial illumination.
Farmani Group assembled LIV Hospitality Design Awards as an inclusive platform promoting Hospitality architecture, Interior Design and Guest Experience. LIV is expending Hospitality to all types of accommodation as well as Food & Beverage.
LIV Hospitality Design Award is the sibling Award of International Design Awards (IDA), DNA Paris, Architecture MasterPrize all focusing on Architecture and Interior Design.
The Farmani Group, established in 1985, is responsible for many successful awards around the globe. Farmani Group organizes the International Design Awards (IDA), Architecture Masterprize (AMP) DNA, Paris Design Awards, London International Creative Awards (LICC), Prix de la Photographie in Paris (PX3), and the Annual Lucie Awards for Photography, which has emerged as one of the world’s most prestigious awards. Learn more about Farmani Group here.