Sharing space with strangers is becoming an increasingly popular option for a new breed of professionals looking for housing that combines private living space with shared communal facilities.

And with many new co-living developments offering shared spaces like wellness studios, gyms, and gardens or terraces for BBQs and entertaining, it’s becoming easier than ever for residents to get to know their neighbours.

Rising rents and an increase of young professionals looking for living spaces in urban areas is one of the factors driving the trend, but there is a deeper motive for the development towards multi-occupancy constructions.

While the modern version of co-living is a little different to the hippy communes that began to spring up in the Sixties, or the artist communities prevalent in places such as Germany and Denmark, the concept is based on the same ethos: to create a lifestyle based on sharing and community.

People need connection in the physical world as well as online

In an age where much day to day contact is online, and with loneliness a widespread issue, a sense of ‘real’ connection is increasingly welcome.

The growth of the sharing economy and the rise of co-working and other partnerships suggests there is an appetite for greater sharing and social engagement, says architect Manisha Patel, who specializes in urban design and planning for practice PRP.

In the recent RSA report ‘Co-living and the common good’ Patel writes of the balance between privacy and social interaction that co-living manages to address – and points out that humans are the most social of mammals.

“Our communication skills set us apart; social interaction and the search for a sense of wellbeing is hardwired into all of us,” she says. “The desire for communal interaction is balanced with the need for each individual to choose their degree of separation.”

While physical connection is important, so too is the technology that allows people to connect with each other. As you might expect, ‘Generation rent’ is looking for far more than the bare essentials in their new home: the burgeoning use of smart phones, smart TVs and a plethora of connected home devices mean fast, immediate access to broadband and WiFi connectivity is today as essential as running water. Technological progress has enabled large new developments to improve significantly by providing a seamless connection to their facilities.

Curve IT is strategically placed in the PRS internet services sector

Curve IT has been working with a number of BTR and PRS operators over the last few years, notably Essential Living with whom we worked on with the flagship new builds Dressage Court, Vantage Point and Creekside Wharf (opening mid to late 2018).

Residents received high-speed internet access with broad WiFi coverage and a high quality branded portal page, both in their apartment and throughout the building, from the day they moved in.

With hundreds of residents living in close proximity using multiple devices, often at the same time, providing Wifi connectivity to support a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) requires a deep understanding of the fundamentals of WiFi technology, and this is where Curve IT’s experience comes to the fore.

We are passionate about delivering PRS internet services through robust, scalable WiFi networks for multi-occupant buildings, and have a specialist team which designs, creates and delivers an intelligent, futureproof IT infrastructure.

Curve IT are involved from RIBA stage 1-3  onwards, and early site visits enables our IT team to translate ideas into a high tech spec which can be incorporated before construction even begins.

As Patel puts it so succinctly: “These technologies have the potential to allow co-living residents to share resources more efficiently; to make opportunities for social interaction more visible or likely; and to connect residents to services and civic opportunities within the wider area in which they live.”

And as Essential Living says in its recent blog about the benefits of co-living, “It helps to build friendships in the physical world rather than the digital, and being part of a thriving community is perhaps the oldest and most effective way to make those connections.”

Co-living offers more connection – both on and offline.

To talk to one of our expert IT consultants regarding our WiFi design practice Contact the team at Curve IT on contact@curveit.com or call 01273 806220.

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The multi-tenant sector is one of the hardest environments in which to deliver robust WiFi networks, with hundreds of residents living in close proximity using multiple devices, often at the same time.

Providing an IT infrastructure to support a multi-dwelling unit (MDU) requires a deep understanding of the fundamentals of WiFi technology.

The benefits of calling in Curve IT from the word go

• Curve IT are involved from RIBA stage 3 onwards.
• Curve IT consultants begin by establishing the client’s aims for the residents and the building. An early site visit enables our IT team to brainstorm with and advise PRS developers, translating concepts into a tech spec which can be incorporated before construction even begins.
• Using the most technologically advanced industry tools and techniques available, Curve IT will carry out a site survey across your premises, determining where there is most demand and identifying ‘dead spots’.
• We provide comprehensive recommendations to create a secure, successful and fully scalable WiFi network.
• Curve IT recommends a converged network, which is more efficient than multiple networks. The hardware cabling design can be fitted alongside other services rather than being retrospectively installed and the use of multiple communication modes on a single network offers a convenience and flexibility that is not possible with separate infrastructures. (By using a converged network, we save on cabling too.)
• An optimised WiFi network throughout a building based on WiFi modelling means there is no over-scoping, reducing hardware and installation capex.
• Advanced techniques such as Personal Area Networks (PAN) ensure the best experience for residents, including access to the IoT.
• Additional services can be incorporated such as VoIP, CCTV, Security systems, door control and more.

High-capacity, reliable, secure broadband and WiFi for MDUs & PRS Broadband

Curve IT has the latest on-trend information about the IT systems which best benefit clients, actively seeking out systems that will save money and reduce carbon footprint. We help clients confidently address technology-related decisions such as speed of access and cabling, recommending enterprise grade equipment within a client’s budget to ensure a great feature set and good warranty level for equipment.

Early planning of IT infrastructure, networks and PRS Broadband before the building construction begins reduces time-consuming and expensive retrospective IT installation in the construction schedule – and prevents expensive variations in construction; we dovetail our installation into the other service installation schedules.

It also means Curve IT can adhere to and enhance demanding brand standards including:

• Security controls within the building for residents to feel safe;
• Minimum setting for the WiFi signal wherever a resident may be within the building;
• A minimum number of wired ports within an apartment in the optimum locations;
• A WiFi portal for residents that is user friendly and offers services, and further revenue opportunities;
• Home-style technology delivered to enterprise standard within an MDU which feels individual to the resident but utilised by numerous tenants;
• High speed Internet supply optimized for 5Ghz.

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced his vision for London to become the world’s leading ‘Smart City’ at London Tech Week last month, outlining his ambition for digital technology to be at the heart of living and working in the capital.

“New technologies are…reshaping our societies, our economies and our culture,” said Khan, who called on technology companies to get more involved with solutions for a number of issues facing Londoners – including housing.

Curve IT is proud to be at the forefront of a number of exciting new technological developments in the residential housing sector.

New Breed of High-Tech Residential Developments

• Vast technological change is happening at breakneck pace, and high-speed digital connectivity is fundamental to a new breed of vibrant residential developments aimed at the private rental sector.
• Curve IT’s involvement with premium developer Essential Living recently resulted in the opening of flagship rental block Dressage Court – a testament to technological advances within the private rental sector.
• High speed broadband connectivity – “the fourth utility” – is a deciding factor for anyone wanting to rent or buy new property, and the government has also pledged the technology for all new build properties in the UK.
• Residential development companies such as Be and Quintain are also developing incredibly high-spec apartments and houses for the private sector.

A High-Speed Network for Everyone

At Dressage Court, Curve IT delivered the hardware and software to ensure each resident has their own personal high-speed network the minute they walk into the building.

WiFi connectivity follows them wherever they are in their block, whether they’re popping upstairs to sunbathe on the communal roof terrace or logging onto a fitness app in the gym.

“It’s crucial that an IT Infrastructure is able to respond to the inevitable changes in technology throughout the lifespan of the building, so we ensure optimal wireless network design,” explains Curve IT managing director Simon O’Hare.

“Using the RIBA Plan of Work methodology, our early involvement in the planning stage saves considerable capital expenditure later in the build, and ensures optimal wireless network design.”

Service-Focused, High-Tech Homes and Apartments

• The offer of a high quality, modern ‘simpler’ lifestyle is driving interest in the private rental sector.
• The digital, connected future is one of the main guiding principles of the design.
• Homes and apartments are designed to be service-focused, network-connected 24/7, and future proof.
• The number of smart living developments in the private rental sector is booming.
• By 2021 one in four people will be renting, according to new research.
• The sector is forecast to grow 24% by 2021.

With ‘smart technology’ gradually becoming accepted as a part and parcel of everyday living, the concept of a smart city is closer than you might think!

To discuss your IT Infrastructure project, call our consultants on 01273 806220 or email us.

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