Goldcrest launches urban co-living brand

Developer Goldcrest has expanded into the co-living market with a brand called Kör. The venture, which focuses on urban living, is aimed at young people seeking “alternative, progressive and affordable” ways of renting in inner cities. Developments will range from 50 to 200 rooms, incorporated into smaller homes. In each home, five to six people will share a large, open-plan kitchen and living space. Each resident will have their own bedroom and en suite facilities. Kör will target sites within high streets and town centres in particular and also aims to include amenities. Francesca Butterworth, land acquisitions executive at Goldcrest, who devised the brand, said: “I wanted to develop a co-living experience that serves the needs of my generation. “For too long we’ve put up with substandard conditions because there was no alternative. I recently had the opportunity to live in a co-living building, yet I felt there were so many things that just didn’t feel quite right. “Whether that was the location, the underutilised and rather rigid communal spaces or the isolating way in which the building and the bedrooms were laid out, it struck me that co-living could be so much more than fancy furnishings and a cinema room.” Goldcrest chief executive Tim Smith said: “Co-living is not as niche as its reputation suggests and is, in fact, merely the next step in the shared living lifestyle that has occurred, particularly in cities, for years. “The more companies that offer diverse rental solutions the better, since each space and its services holds appeal for different groups of people.” To send feedback, e-mail pui-guan.man@egi.co.uk or tweet @PuiGuanM or @estatesgazette