UK: Amro Partners, in partnership with NTT UD Europe, the real estate subsidiary of the Japanese telecommunications company NTT Group, is preparing to launch The Rex, a £85 million coliving development in Kingston, south-west London, to the market.
The project, which is approaching practical completion this autumn, aims to become a flagship for sustainable living in the UK and offer a pioneering model for coliving developments.
Located directly opposite Kingston train station, The Rex is looking to become the first UK coliving development to achieve a full suite of sustainability certifications, including BREEAM Outstanding, Fitwel 3, and WiredScore Platinum.
The project features dual means of escape on all floors, in line with the company’s commitment to fire safety.
The 212-unit, part-retrofit scheme, also integrates low-carbon technology. Amro said the project will exceed building regulations energy performance standards by 60 per cent and meet 2030 LETI targets for whole-life embodied carbon.
The building was originally constructed in the 1960s as an office, then converted into student accommodation in 2012.
Now, with the existing substructure and superstructure retained, it is being repurposed once again, this time as an ESG-focused co-living community.
Amro’s said its iterative design improvements have resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in embodied carbon for the substructure and 50 per cent for the superstructure, compared to the original design stage.
Housing demand in Kingston, south-west of London, is high due to affluent demographics and a large graduate population, especially with the opening of Unilever’s new global HQ.
Thanks to these factors, said Amro, pre-leasing for The Rex has been strong, positioning it as one of the most sought-after rental developments in the region.
With 212 studio apartments, the development will include coworking areas, a residents’ lounge, a private dining room, a gym and yoga studios, a cinema room and a roof terrace with a view of London.
Completion for The Rex is scheduled for September 2025.
Tom Donnachie, managing director of UK investment at Amro Partners, said: “In today’s heavily constrained market, we are proud to bring forward this exceptional co-living project, which achieves the highest possible standards of sustainability and fire safety. Appetite for fully futureproofed green Living assets remains strong, and, along with our partners at NTTUDE, we look forward to engaging with the investment market as we approach practical completion.”
