Co-living & Productive space usage
In collaboration with HSB Living Lab, KTH Live In Lab and several industry colleagues, Akademiska Hus wants to run a collaborative project to get clearer answers on how we design the shared living and Co-living environments of the future.
Background
The entire construction and real estate sector needs to reduce its environmental impact and energy use. At the same time, there is a great need for more housing and premises. More and more people are living alone today at the same time as the housing shortage is increasing. How can we, by sharing more, reduce the need for resources and capital for new buildings? Can the collective use of our built environments be an answer to these questions, which contribute to sustainability in all aspects - social, ecological and economic? The answer is probably Yes, But then new incentives and studies are needed that can verify what works and what needs to change in order to be able to influence the current regulations in the right direction to enable increased use and more collective use of our buildings.
There is a shortage of students and research housing in several places of study in Sweden at present. Building more is important, but building sustainable, purposeful housing that students can afford is just as important. Akademiska Hus will contribute to more living environments that create attractiveness and life on campus. This has now been formulated to our vision – to create innovative homes for a sustainable quality of life. Student and research housing is a long-awaited addition that can contribute to Sweden's as a knowledge nation being able to compete in an international market.
Akademiska Hus's overall task is to manage and together with the customer create suitable buildings and premises, thereby ensuring that they are used resource efficiently. In addition, Akademiska Hus aims to become fossil-free by 2050. It will require innovative measures for how we resource efficiently plan, build and use every existing and newly built square meter we create.
By conducting this study based in Svergie's two most important research labs for living and building environment, HSB Living Lab and KTH Live-In Lab, there is an opportunity for effect and breadth linked to each location and university, in further studies/phases of the project and in its entirety. Given HSB living Lab's varied and experimental nature and KTH Live-in Labs' ability to rebuild in the long term for a higher degree of 'shared space', we believe that it is useful to have a study that connects them and examines design, floor plan, common and private spaces in relation to social community and efficiency and what it generates for added value from the user's perspective.
Hypothesis
By sharing our surfaces more, we can reduce the need for resources and capital for new buildings. This can be done in different ways, with different efficiency and well-being. Collectively and more resource-efficient use of our built environments can be a way to contribute to sustainability in all aspects - socially, ecologically and economically. The economic sustainability should be seen both from the perspective of the property owner and the resident, i.e. market conditions and enable affordable housing.
In order to substantiate/verify this hypothesis, we need to analyse existing environments to demonstrate what works from qualitative and quantitative aspects based on all aspects of sustainability regarding - building design, users and society's perspective.
We can create new incentives to encourage a more collective way of life if we better understand the users/users' perspectives.
A review of regulations and standards is also needed to be changed to enable a more collective way of life that can contribute to increased use and resource-efficient use of our buildings as a whole.
Project description
In collaboration with our project partners, researchers, consultants and other property owners, we want to study and analyse what has been built today regarding different types of shared living and collective lifestyles. The analysis should focus on both quantitative and qualitative aspects of the shared housing.
The selection of case studies - Is a mix of student/ research housing, Co-living living and both HSB – Living Labs housing cluster and as reference project KTH live-In Labs 305 individual compact student housing. The study aims to conduct a mapping and baseline study of newly built student and co-living residents who all experiment based on increased sharing of services, resources and functions in the shared shared home.
The two parts of the project:
Analysis from a housing perspective – This part focuses on in-depth interviews that will, among other things, map the residents' preferences - What values are prioritized when choosing accommodation, why you choose shared accommodation, what makes you feel comfortable/ dissatisfaction and what would be an incentive to stay? The survey is carried out as part of a degree project, by Jonathan Heidler through BTH and Akademiska Hus.
The analysis of building design – To be based on a spatial & function-based analysis of several newly built collective living forms to specifically study which rooms/surfaces/functions are private and common, and how they work. Good/bad, significant/ less significant. To this we do an analysis of how resource efficient/energy efficient they have been designed and built.
All in all, the work should result in a report that includes the two analyses and that the value from a sustainability and societal perspective should be highlighted based on the results of the analyses.
Proposed method:
A classical multicriteria analysis is a structured approach used to explain the degree to which different alternatives meet one or more desired purposes.
Criteria are used to break the task down to a manageable level. Each such thing is considered in relation to the set options and is defined independently of the others. Each criterion is assessed on the basis of a template, often a point scale, and then weighed up with the others to give an overall picture of the option under investigation.
Here we intend to use MKA to be able to sort all the variables that we want to be able to study We have envisioned a working model in the form of one or more multicriteria analyses (MKA). In this one you can work with both qualitative and quantitative variables.
Defined quality and quantity aspects are highlighted – they are selected, described and weighted. Criteria selection is carried out in workshop form with all concerned, so that those who are to receive the result are fully aware of how it has arisen.
Implementation
How are living environments designed with regard to the individual in community today? "Have we really looked at the users' perspective of what they value? The study will take into account how the housing perspective is valued in relation to how collective housing forms are designed today. The analysis shall also look at the overall financial incentives and sustainability aspects that are valued.
We therefore want to study what has been built today regarding collective ways of life. Based on three perspectives – building design, user needs and value from a societal perspective.
To that, a historical account to include and better understand how collective living has evolved. Co-living is not a new phenomenon, is a form of living that existed in all times. By looking at history, we can better understand our future.
The analysis of building design – To be based on a spatial & function-based analysis of several newly built collective living forms (See list below) to specifically study which rooms/surfaces/functions are private and common, and how they work. Good/bad, significant/ less significant. To this we do an analysis of how resource efficient/energy efficient they have been designed and built.
Analysis from the housing perspective - This survey links a housing survey and in-depth interviews that focus on residents' preferences - What values are prioritized when choosing accommodation, why you choose collective housing, what makes you feel comfortable/dissatisfaction and what would be an incentive to stay? The survey is carried out as part of a degree project, by Jonathan Heidler.
The selection of case studies - Is a mix of student/ research housing, Co-living living and both HSB – Living Labs housing cluster and as reference project KTH live-In Labs 305 individual compact student housing + research apartments.
Goal
The goal of the project is to get clearer answers on how to design shared housing with a view to smart use and functional optimization with the user's needs in focus. The two parts of the study will together study and provide the basis (baseline) to further (phase 2) look at proposals for future opportunities and business models that can lead to an economically sustainable future-proof construction, with users' needs in focus.
Purpose
- Provides an evaluation of which built living environments work and therefore gives a focus on what to invest in in terms of collective living and Co-living
- Increased functional optimization and utilization of each built square/cubic meter - leads to reduced unnecessary resource use
- Increased perceived benefit/service delivery of each built square/cubic meter – leads to customer satisfaction (living as a service)
- Increased flexibility in identified parts of buildings/systems/functions – leads to future proofing of built environments
Results
All in all, the work should result in a report/article where the value from a sustainability and societal perspective should also be highlighted based on the results of the analyses. In addition, a communicative material shall be produced that highlights the different results of the case studies.