Tech Farm: Space-efficient coliving 2.0

Purpose and goal

It may be possible to decrease living space with 60 % yet increase wellbeing. We tested the thesis on a prototype with ten "apartments" between 4 and 12 sqm/person and large common areas with 50 test users. Self-esteem has increased among the residents over time. "The community will definitely give you a safety net, enabling you to take risks in life. If you fail, you always have somewhere to go,” says one resident, followed by the researchers for one year. Through observation, we have seen that the residents can put their masks down and experience fellowship, without sacrificing themselves.

Expected results and effects

We have developed an innovative method for how property owners can build residential housing according to the principles of sharing economy. Our users live on a smaller area yet pay more per square meter, which raises great interest on the market. Three companies are already planning to implement the solution in real estate projects and are willing to invest money in order for the solution to be verified before construction starts. We have had study visits by municipalities and real estate companies from all over the world and we have appeared in international and Swedish media.

Planned approach and implementation

We built up ten innovative sleeping modules and designed 400 sqm common areas in a few months. There have been shortcomings in our workflow, sometimes it has gone too fast, but we have completed everything according to plan: research, constructive dialogue with the National Board of Housing, developed a sustainable business model, etc. We worked on the basis of a user-centered development process, which has sometimes been challenging for partners who normally have a more traditional method.