IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019 - 40

DEFENSE
One of the biggest obstacles impeding the
development of co-living spaces is that
many cities don't know what to do with
them. "Zoning can be a real challenge,"
says Eli Sokol of Starcity. "It is case-bycase in terms of where it's allowed and
where it's not. Many cities have never
contemplated a use like this before."
Gensler's Jonathan Breen, AIA, agrees:
"Co-living is not student housing, but it's
substandard size technically, according to
the building regulations and the planning
regulations."
Inevitably, there's a learning curve
local governments will have to overcome.
When Sokol was getting plans approved
for Starcity's latest facility in San Jose,
California, for example, the team had
to work with the city to create a coliving zoning code. The plans called for
individual living quarters that included just
a bedroom and bathroom-a format most
cities do not consider a legal unit because
it has no private kitchen. "It's the first code
in the country that is specifically written to
encourage this type of use, distinct from
hotels, distinct from multifamily or singlefamily," says Sokol. "It's a stand-alone use.
And so now we believe there's a blueprint
for other cities that are a bit tricky from a
regulatory standpoint."

Credit

To ensure there
is ample room
for resident
bonding, Starcity's
future San Jose,
California space
will include
double-height
landings on every
other floor.

When designing their co-living spaces, Sokol says
Starcity tries to think hospitality, not residential. "It's more
high touch than residential," he says.
In service of a better community, Sokol says co-living
designers must prioritize:
* Communal space: "We want every resident to feel
like they have equitable access to those communal
spaces-so making sure you distribute them in a way
that's meaningful," Sokol says.
* Flow: "We're also focused on how to activate those
communal spaces," he says. "So if there's an elevator
in the building, making sure the circulation at least
gives residents the opportunity to filter through a
living room on the way to the bedroom, as opposed to
just going straight to your bedroom. There's a lot of
psychology that goes into creating what effectively is a
city or neighborhood within a building. That is the way
we look at it."
* Acoustics: "That means making sure that partitions
between every bedroom unit as well as across floors
and between bedroom units and communal spaces are
managed thoughtfully," he says.
This kind of thinking will certainly be front and center as
Starcity embarks on its biggest space to date in San Jose,
California. Starcity's goal is to create a virtual neighborhood
within the 18-story, 803-bed facility that encourages
residents to interact across floors. To that end, on every
other floor the design includes a double-height area that
includes a big living room and a big outdoor terrace. "It's
a chance for people residing on different floors to interact
serendipitously," he says. "And have a chance to meet people
not just on their floor."
The San Jose co-living space will also have three kitchens
on every floor. But designers aren't relying on a copy-andpaste design. "The last thing that we want is to create a sense

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IIDA – Perspective Fall/Winter 2019

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