How Technology Is Shaping the Future of Coliving
Suppose there is one thing that the Covid-19 pandemic has taught us. In that case, it is that the power of technology to facilitate community, connection, and accessibility is paramount to our ability to create meaningful connections and a sense of home. These values are at the core of HOME’s mission statement, which is why the integration between technology and coliving is at the forefront of all of our developments.
Qwerky Coliving has broken down the five major ways that technology will enhance coliving through smart communities. These include voice control, sustainability, touch panels, smart locks, and integration. Here, we break down how HOME views these five tech trends and explore how they will benefit the future of coliving for both the members and investors.
Voice control services such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home have already made their way into millions of homes worldwide. With the ability to customize each coliving member's room individually, voice control will allow them the opportunity to truly make their space into their home. Mood lighting, wallpaper design, and music playlists are just a few of the ways voice control can help a new member of a coliving community feel at home.
Sustainability is one of the core principles at every HOME Is Coliving development. From the social sustainability of creating diverse communities and facilitating connection to the economic sustainability of reducing individual home needs through shared spaces, and the environmental sustainability of energy efficient material choices and close proximity to alternative transportation, sustainability can be incorporated into the coliving model at conception. Tools such as Google NEST thermostats that allow you to customize the temperature of your room to your daily routine, using building materials such as recycled plastics and bamboo, and creating a positive impact in the community through gardening and pro-environmental behaviour are all ways that sustainability is woven into the fabric of HOME.
iPads have long taken center stage when it comes to touchpads, but there are many other ways to integrate larger touchpads when managing smart devices through the walls you live in. Smart mirrors such as QAIO and HILO help users multitask while providing relevant data and often promoting well-being, Ring home security cameras allow you to monitor any action outside or inside of your front door with a click of a button, and in-wall touchpads give a modern design to personalizing the settings of your home. All of these technologies and more will provide coliving members with a cutting edge experience for a fraction of the cost to the investor, as these top-of-the-line upgrades have a greater return on investment in the long run.
One of the features HOME is most excited about is the integration of smart locks in all of our developments. Instead of searching for your keys at the bottom of your bag or worrying about losing them, smart locks take out all the guesswork. Smart locks, or RFID’s, can enable community members to come and go as they please without the need for a physical key. Some smart locks, such as The August Smart Lock, even allow people to grant access via mobile app. These technologies also let the community manager know who is home in case of an emergency situation such as a fire.
The way in which all of these means of technology can come together in coliving is through integration. By organizing every device in a coliving community through a central hub like a mobile app, the community organizer and the coliving members can easily control things like lighting and temperature, pay bills, arrange community events, and more. Companies such as Kin, Kndrd, and The House Monk have already developed operating systems tailored to coliving that help promote accessibility that is automated, organized, and simple to use.
An exciting example of real-life technology implementation is that between the recent partnership of Latch and Common. Common, a leading residential designer and manager of multifamily apartments offers coliving along with private apartments. Latch has partnered with Common to provide smart access to all of their new developments. Latch provides Smart Access, Guest, and Delivery Management systems to the resident experience. Latch aims to secure a better experience for everyone at a building, from residents to property managers to service providers through their smart access systems, and it is working. Technology solutions like Latch offer flexibility and convenience for traditional and coliving members and streamline the day-to-day operations for everyone involved.
The success of coliving on a global scale depends on our ability to embrace state-of-the-art solutions. As builders of community, coliving businesses need to integrate technology to help foster human connection and create an interactive experience for everyone involved. Technology can clearly help accelerate the growth of coliving, increase profitability, enhance community and support all kinds of inspiring and disruptive new shared living concepts. We can't wait to see where the future of coliving takes us, and the innovative ways technology will assist in the process.
