Co-living complexes like WeLive and The Collective aren't just for millennials ? they could also be used to house the growing population of senior citizens, according to architect and Architizer co-founder Matthias Hollwich.
Speaking at the World Architecture Festival in Berlin, the HWKN director said that current housing options for older people, from retirement communities to nursing homes, are "storage devices" that create social segregation.
He claimed that co-living complexes ? a cross between student housing and hotels, where residents share facilities ? are a much better solution, and could lead to happier communities.
"I believe we have to start a whole new attitude to how we treat society in relationship to ageing," said Hollwich. HWKN's Skyler concept incorporates 600 residential units, including micro studios, pooled apartments and duplexes
"We as architects and planners have a responsibility to make a big difference, to activate communities so that people don't become lonely."
Hollwich said that WeLive ? a co-living brand that HWKN is collaborating with ? creates homes that are just as suitable for the baby-boomer generation as they are for young people.
Like many examples of co-living, WeLive offers small, serviced, dorm-style rooms, but residents also have access to a wide range of communal facilities, including a gym, a mailroom, bars, event spaces and a hot tub.
"WeLive is looking into serving the millennials ...