The idea of co-working has been around for a long time and co-living spaces is now growing and evolving both in Australia and internationally.
But what actually is it?
Realistically, it can be many things and is different for each situation and person but in essence it is the idea of a community living or working together in a shared space with shared intentions and values. In the working sense, it is about networking, bouncing off each other’s ideas and energy and sharing resources and office spaces. For living, it may be driven by wanting to increase social connection, reduce your carbon footprint, saving money or building a sense of community with like-minded individuals.
The world is rapidly changing economically and the need to embrace out of the box solutions is now more true than ever. Co-working spaces have shown huge benefits in the entrepreneurial space and for small businesses, allowing them to share resources such as boardrooms, office rent, in house support while being a hub for creativity, collaboration and networking. This concept of co-working spaces links closely to co-living, with similar benefits.
While it isn’t for everyone, co-living can provide a lively, exciting and nurturing community. It can also be shaped in many different ways, there is the typical co-living space your mind might immediately jump to (think college dorm) and then there are places like Nightingale Housing where each person has their own separate apartment but also has access to communal spaces, communal laundries, shared rooftop gardens, bath houses, multi-purpose rooms and shared providers, while being sustainable and efficient at the same time.
There are many different forms of co-living and one that is currently growing is the idea of a co-living entrepreneurship. Many are now looking to combine the two and create co-living and working spaces into one flexible environment. Think – private apartments with shared office spaces, laundry facilities, gyms and swimming pools. By doing this it allows you to increase your work-life balance (no 9 to 5 grind), reduce costs associated with renting a traditional office, create a hive for productivity and creatively and create spaces to collaborate and grow new ideas.
If you’ve ever wanted to start your own business and turn the ideas you have into a reality – could co-working and living be for you?