News Opinion: Co-living isn't going anywhere. Get ready

Opinion: Co-living isn't going anywhere. Get ready

Features, News

March 20, 2024

Image: Simon Kennedy Photography

Co-living is here to stay, and is now becoming more readily accepted into the pantheon of housing products for the modern era. With more and more councils greenlighting projects and the GLA issuing a mid-cycle refresh to its own guidance document – London Plan Guidance for Large Scale Purpose-Built Shared Living – momentum is starting to build in favour of co-living schemes. 

The GLA updates contain the usual clarifications and simplifications you’d expect from a re-appraisal of an initial document; however, what is very gratifying about this update is that they have listened to industry feedback and are taking a more positive and pragmatic approach to the tenure type with a significant focus on quality.

In my mind, the exciting thing about co-living is the focus on the communal offer and the user lifestyle experience, and this is where the most significant changes have come.

Biggest, and most important to placemaking, is the focus on the ground floor. The GLA are now supporting social integration between residents and the local community by encouraging the latter into the building to use the facilities, without penalising the development by excluding this space from communal area calculations.

This is a really positive, if subtle, move and means that there will be a welcome overlap and engagement between residents and the local community without impact to the development viability. We know from various projects we have been delivering that the previous guidance document steered the project towards a more isolated ground floor, to avoid over-provision of communal space. Co-living is about social groups and social engagement, so encouraging interaction can only be a good thing.

There is also a welcome change in emphasis from quantity to quality of communal spaces. The space standards have been reduced to be in line with market demand; however, the document focuses more now on quality of location, usability, flexibility, and access to good daylight, ventilation, and views.

With this, we as designers are now encouraged to think harder about the user experience rather than wrestle with plans to hit a burdensome space standard, just to tick a box. That means not forcing communal amenity onto typical floors, because the guidance states we have to, and being given freedom to propose it where it has the best view, ease of access, and engagement with the street.

The advice on the communal spaces also starts to recognise individual needs. Places that allow people to be autonomous, areas for interstitial and serendipitous interaction, and spaces for group engagement. It starts to articulate the different user types, including those with physical and mental challenges. It promotes outside space for al fresco dining, aligned with internal kitchens and the recognition that some co-livers have partners and might want to share. This thinking about the end user experience and is welcome, guiding the designers away from the formula and toward a more contextual, bespoke response for each site.

There's more to the update, but, in my mind, these are the biggest game-changers for co-living design and development. They should be celebrated and embraced by designers and planners alike.

By Craig Sheach, Partner at PRP