Sweden: British designer Tom Dixon has launched the first in a series of experimental coliving and coworking spaces, under the brand name Unity.
Opening in November, the first property is located in a former transformer production factory in Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm. Covering more than 62,000 square feet, it offers 140 studio apartments, 200 flexible and fixed coworking spaces, an event space, a gym, and a café. Each residence has been designed with multiple room layouts accommodating different uses depending on the tenant’s preference.
The Unity concept has been designed in response to a brief set by the Unity housing company, with students, freelancers, families and travellers in mind.
Dixon and his Design Research Studio examined the current demands of the housing market and found an overwhelming need to provide a feeling of community, along with multipurpose spaces and high-quality interiors proved prevalent. “Lower cost does not necessarily mean less design value,” he said.
The rest of the properties – two further locations in Stockholm, two Finnish locations in Helsinki and Tampere; Malmö, Sweden; and Aarhus, Denmark – are expected to complete by 2023.
The properties feature space-saving kitchen units and modular storage cupboards, meaning that they can be arranged in different layouts depending on preference.
Dixon said: “Young professionals and students deserve quality design and future thinking. Lower cost doesn’t necessarily mean less design value. UNITY is a response to this challenge. A key element in our thinking is that the future will have to become more cooperative. For us to achieve higher specifications, sharing becomes the solution. UNITY is a step towards addressing some of these fundamental issues or capturing the opportunity to rethink affordable housing with top-quality services, spaces planning, and community building.”
