Brunet Arquitectes is a leading advocate for coliving solutions in Spain, firmly believing in its potential to improve housing accessibility, particularly in places like Mallorca, where the real estate market faces significant challenges. The implementation of coliving in Mallorca could be an effective response to alleviate the housing issue, offering affordable and flexible options that cater to the needs of various resident profiles, from young professionals to older adults seeking a community-focused environment. Additionally, coliving offers substantial benefits for the real estate market, promoting more efficient space use and fostering greater social cohesion.
The housing access crisis in Spain has led to a re-evaluation of traditional solutions to meet society’s evolving needs and preferences. One concept that has gained momentum in this context is coliving—a trend that not only addresses housing issues but also redefines cohabitation in the 21st century. In the following sections, we will explore what coliving is, how it works, its advantages, and how it could be part of the solution to the housing problem in Spain.
What is Coliving and How Does it Work?
Coliving is a living model that combines private spaces with extensive shared areas, fostering a community experience. It is designed as a solution to the shortage of affordable housing, especially in large cities where rental costs have become prohibitive for many. Unlike traditional renting, coliving provides an environment where residents not only share space but also experiences, values, and support networks.
This model, inspired by the rise of remote work and the digital nomad lifestyle, offers flexibility and accommodations tailored to residents’ needs. Contracts are generally more flexible, allowing tenants to easily move from one coliving space to another based on their preferences or personal circumstances. Additionally, modern coliving spaces offer added-value services such as cleaning, shared workspaces, entertainment areas, and community activities.
How Did Coliving Begin?
The concept of coliving originated in Silicon Valley, where a housing shortage and a high concentration of young professionals led to the search for new ways of cohabiting. What began as a practical solution to a lack of housing quickly evolved into an appealing option that encourages collaboration and the development of personal and professional networks.
In Europe, cities like London, Berlin, and Copenhagen rapidly embraced this concept. Today, it is expanding in Spain, especially in Madrid and Barcelona, where the demand for affordable housing continues to grow. In these urban centres, coliving has become a viable option, enabling residents to access quality housing without the financial strain of conventional rentals.
What Spaces Does a Coliving Include?
Coliving spaces feature a mix of private and shared areas. Each resident has a private room, sometimes with an en-suite bathroom, while common areas are designed to foster social interaction and wellbeing. These usually include work areas, shared kitchens and dining spaces, gyms, libraries, and even amenities like pools and terraces.
Coliving architecture is crafted to enhance community. From hallways connecting different areas to open spaces encouraging visual interaction among residents, everything is oriented to facilitate mutual support and cohabitation.
Advantages of Coliving
- Economic Savings: By sharing the costs of utilities and communal spaces, coliving offers a more affordable alternative to traditional renting, especially in cities where housing prices have surged. Coliving residents can access services that would otherwise be costly to maintain independently, such as gyms, coworking spaces, and cleaning services. Sharing these expenses significantly lowers monthly housing costs. Additionally, coliving spaces are often centrally located or well-connected, reducing transportation expenses and allowing residents to enjoy a better quality of life with premium facilities that would not be affordable in conventional rentals.
- Flexibility: Coliving offers more flexible stays, ideal for those who don’t want to commit to long-term contracts. This is especially useful for digital nomads and professionals who frequently move between cities. Coliving contracts are often monthly or even weekly, allowing residents to adapt to life changes. Flexibility also extends to the range of services, letting residents upgrade to larger rooms or add services like more frequent cleaning or meals as needed. This makes coliving ideal for those who value freedom of movement without bureaucratic hassles or high cancellation fees.
- Community Life: Living in a coliving space promotes socialisation, allowing residents to share experiences, form new friendships, and establish professional connections. Community events and activities foster bonds among tenants, making community life a core aspect of coliving that extends beyond simply sharing a physical space. Residents find a sense of belonging, which is crucial in an increasingly individualistic society. Coliving spaces organise communal dinners, workshops, and wellness activities like yoga, encouraging mutual support and enriching cultural exchanges, making it a personally and professionally transformative experience.
- Professional Growth: Many colivings have coworking spaces, which is ideal for freelancers and entrepreneurs. Living together with people from different professional backgrounds can lead to synergies and collaborations. By living in an environment where personal and professional lives are organically intertwined, coliving residents have the opportunity to develop joint projects, receive immediate feedback and create connections that could lead to future career opportunities. These spaces are often designed with productivity in mind, with quiet zones for concentration and common areas where teamwork and networking are encouraged. In addition, some co-working spaces organise talks, workshops and mentoring sessions with experts in different sectors, which adds significant value to the experience. For digital nomads and freelancers, this combination of living and professional space is particularly attractive, as it allows them to reduce the barrier between work and home without sacrificing access to a productive and collaborative environment.
- Sustainability: Sharing spaces and resources contributes to a more efficient use of the territory and to reducing the carbon footprint. In addition, many colivings are built with sustainability criteria, using renewable energy and environmentally friendly materials. The philosophy behind coliving is aligned with the optimisation of resources, which has a positive impact on the environment. By sharing facilities such as kitchens, living and working areas, energy consumption and the need for additional building materials are reduced. Many colivings are designed with green technologies, such as solar panels, water recycling systems and efficient thermal insulation, which minimise environmental impact. In addition, these spaces promote sustainable habits among their residents, such as bike sharing, waste minimisation and the adoption of a more environmentally conscious lifestyle. This mindset not only contributes to the reduction of each resident’s ecological footprint, but also creates a community committed to protecting the environment, which can inspire others to adopt more sustainable practices in their daily lives.
How Much Does it Cost to Live in a Coliving Space?
The cost of living in a coliving space varies depending on factors such as location, included services, and facility quality. In Spain, prices range between €500 and €1,200 per month. While coliving isn’t always the cheapest option, its services and flexibility make it attractive to those who value community and convenience.
In recent years, high-end coliving options have emerged, where the main appeal lies not only in affordability but also in quality of life and opportunities to connect with other professionals globally.
Coliving in Spain: A Partial Solution to the Housing Problem
Coliving is positioning itself as a partial but relevant solution to the housing problem in Spain. With more than 33,800 coliving places expected to be offered in the coming years, this modality could alleviate the pressure on the rental market, especially in cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, where demand far exceeds supply.
This type of co-living is not only attractive to young professionals, but is also evolving into coliving for the elderly, where older people can enjoy a communal environment with care and support services. In this way, coliving is proving to be a versatile and adaptable option for different needs, promoting a shift towards more collaborative and sustainable housing.
Coliving is emerging as a viable alternative in the current context of affordable housing shortage in Spain. By combining economy, community, sustainability and flexibility, it is presented as an innovative solution that responds to the needs of new resident profiles: mobile professionals, digital nomads and seniors seeking community. Brunet Arquitectes strongly believes in the ability of coliving to redefine the concept of housing, not just as a roof to live under, but as a space to share, learn and grow.
Are you ready to experience the future of housing? Coliving could be the answer you’ve been looking for.
