When Getting Outside Keeps Luxury Renters In

As the weather warms and spring takes hold, engaging people outside of their building through innovative experiences and activations becomes key in retention. “Space and open-air amenities were more important than work-from-home amenities,” according to GlobeSt’s analysis of a 2021 RentCafe survey on renter preferences. At URBN Playground, we focus on programming that inspires connection with a focus on engagement beyond the built environment. 

Fitness is a critical opportunity for building community outside the home. This can be done by traditional classes, group runs, and marathon training, or through unconventional programming. For Earth Day, we have Brooklyn and Manhattan tenants signed up in groups to “plog” – or pick up and jog – focusing on cleaning the streets by picking up litter with your neighbors.

During the pandemic, many people learned the art of entertaining outdoors. Yet URBN has planned outdoor events far before Covid. Families line up for our outdoor movie nights, where some buildings opt for a giant inflatable screen for twice-a-month summer movie nights. Casablanca in the courtyard, with Moroccan iced mint tea anyone?

For our littlest residents, music classes relocate into the sunshine, and the Sunny Songsters perform for ARO and the Oosten buildings throughout New York City in building amenity terraces, roof-decks, or courtyards.

Warmer months usher in the Ice cream carts, outdoor wine tastings, and bubble shows. And as renewal season comes due, renters are likely to reflect on the memories they make with the experiences with neighborhoods in and around their homes.

Bringing Nature Into Urban Spaces

Covid-19 has underlined how critical nature is to our urban spaces, and city and building design trends are beginning to reflect that.

As the world hunkered down and sheltered in place this year, the importance of nature became more clear to us than ever before. 

With travel restricted and outdoor activities limited, we lost access to the usual distractions and escapes we used to turn to. We’re going without the usual stimulation of commuting to and from work, or knowing when we can look forward to the next vacation. And many of us have turned to nature to cope. House plant sales are up and pet adoptions from shelters have surged. And, as reported by UNESCO, there is a renewed interest in nature-based experiences and rediscovering local heritage. 

What are some of the key trends in city planning and design that developers, architects, designers and consultants should consider for a post-pandemic world? This article outlines some big themes shaping urban design and programming of space.

Sustainable cities growing in mainstream consciousness 

Before Covid-19, green building design and sustainable cities were already gaining momentum. Increasing green cover in cities (such as parks and marshes), has shown to “significantly reduce water run-off rates, making floods less severe and protecting water treatment facilities,” reports The Possible. “Studies in the US have calculated the flood prevention “service” provided by green spaces saves public authorities millions of dollars a year.”

Additionally, cities trap a lot of heat. During the summer, overheating has been blamed for excess deaths. This is predicted to only increase with climate change. However, research shows that “a 10% increase in tree cover could reduce climate change-driven temperature increases by nearly 4ºC”.

Besides the environmental benefits, greening cities also has a positive economic impact. Property prices located in close proximity to green space “command a price premium of up to 19%, with most suggesting between 5-10%.” Additionally, “New York’s High Line park is estimated to have delivered a US$4bn boost to nearby real estate,” according to the same article in The Possible.  

Instead of formally-designed and neatly manicured green spaces, city planners and architects are also realizing the importance of “rewilding”. This essentially means bringing untamed nature closer to where people live. In the UK, a plan to replace the “bleak” Broadmarsh shopping centre in Nottingham with an ambitious “post-Covid wildscape” has been revealed. The goal of the project is to reconnect the millions of people who live in and visit the city to “Sherwood Forest, invoking the spirit of Robin Hood.”

Green spaces: Not only beneficial to the environment but also to mental health

Throughout this pandemic, there has been an increased mainstream awareness not only of the importance of sustainable buildings and cities to preserve our physical environment - but also to preserve our mental health. 

Recent research presented amid Covid-19 reaffirmed that green spaces are a vital benefit to our mental health and can mitigate some of the difficulties of social isolation, reported Technology Networks. According to the studies, people with more frequent exposure to urban green spaces report more positive emotional experiences. The researchers argue that exposure to urban green spaces could be protective for people at risk of mental illness.

Smaller and walkable cities for greater wellbeing and ease of commute 

As car traffic has reduced during the pandemic, people have turned to biking and walking to continue to maintain physical activity. Decision-makers have also realized that these are activities that allow people to get around while safely maintaining social distancing. 

As a result, the World Bank reports that, “many cities in both developed and developing countries have been deploying pop-up bike lanes over the last few months, from Paris and London to Berlin, Milan, Bogotá, Mexico City, Lima, and Wuhan. As part of this trend, new design guidelines help local governments implement simple changes to road infrastructure or signage, allowing for the creation of bike lanes at a low cost and in as little as ten days.”

The increased focus on walking and biking, as well as the economic disruption caused by the pandemic, has placed a greater spotlight on what equitable transport means.

“...walking is and will be a crucial pillar of urban mobility in developing countries, particularly for women and the poor. People walk to access public transport, to shop, or even to commute to work. Promoting pedestrian-friendly streets can make travel safer, reduce air pollution, improve public space, and create a more inclusive environment for all users, including children and people with disabilities.” 

There are other benefits to making cities more walkable too. By keeping cities more compact, it prevents the urban sprawl that contributes to climate change and preserves local biodiversity. Also, it potentially saves governments and employers millions annually by keeping people healthy and reducing the risk of sedentary lifestyle-related diseases. 

Urban design becomes more sophisticated and multipurpose

During Covid-19, it’s easy to point a finger at city density for the spread of infection. Throughout history, as plagues and disease broke out, people blamed crowded cities. But some experts believe that managed correctly, dense cities can be safe while providing opportunities for innovation in a post-Covid-19 world. 

Writes William Fulton, Director of the Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University, “the threat of infectious disease is likely to ramp up urban design as a solution — perhaps, for example, by creating more separation in public spaces like restaurants and parks.” 

Martha Thorne, dean of the IE School of Architecture and Design, part of the innovative IE University in Madrid/Segovia, Spain, said at the virtual Business of Design Week 2020:

“The great advantage of dense cities is [their ability to make] effective use of resources, agglomeration to support innovation and economic activity, and a generous offering of urban services… we need to avoid single-use buildings, and also have accessible spaces where people can go to see nature, be alone and enjoy the outdoors.

Many uses are compatible with each other. Having different services and spaces close at hand means we are not forced to travel great distances to meet our needs. Having diversity in our neighborhoods also helps us to feel connected to our community, which in turn relates to quality of life in cities.”

Conclusion

Covid-19 has accelerated trends that already were gaining momentum, underscoring the importance of seeing nature not just as a feature, but critical to sustaining urban life. Moving forward, we look forward to seeing buildings and spaces designed around green and natural spaces. 

Pockets of nature will be embedded throughout buildings and communities, rather than as added an afterthought. 

Instead of seeing a green wall as an aesthetic, Insta-worthy feature, it’s time we also started valuing nature for the health and mental benefits that are critical to our survival.

Introverts Need Love Too

'In a gentle way, you can shake the world.' -Mahatma Gandhi

In recent years, most of the marketing and dialogue around property amenities (and even proptech) has been about building community and increasing social engagement. The pandemic has added to this. Predictions are leaning towards the notion that people can't wait to get back out in the real world and start being around people again.  

But for some, the pandemic was a bit of a blessing. There were no obligations to socialize at the office, in large groups or crowds, or get stuck on public transportation. This isn’t a small group either. According to most research, up to half of the people in the world identify themselves as introverts. Yet when most people think about designing amenities for residential and work environments, it tends to center around features geared at extroverts. From open work areas and engagement areas to ever-growing lounges and community spaces. But there is a reason that the quiet car is the most popular one on the Acela and that private offices are so coveted.

Susan Cain’s seminal Quiet highlighted the introverts’ plight in finding more quiet environments to think, reflect, and focus permeated the mainstream consciousness. Consequently, more conscious efforts are starting to be made to cater to the needs of the other 50%. 

At URBN, we let the quiet crowd know that we hear them -- giving them a voice in directing our physical amenities spaces and programs. Here are our tips on how you can cater to the needs of introverts in your residential and working spaces.

Residential Space Design for Introverts

In residential amenities, we create private offices and individual and small group meditation spaces. When looking at lounge and co-working spaces, we use materials and furniture groupings that acknowledge that many people just want to be left alone for a little while and find a little slice of solitude. 

For the introvert who needs quiet spaces to recharge, subtle modifications can be made to evoke a peaceful and calming atmosphere that introverts need. Neutral tones and shades that are calming and gentle to the eye help to create a balanced and elegant atmosphere in living spaces. 

When it comes to furniture, less can be more for introverts - having a minimalist approach by reducing the number of furnishings and matching the color schemes of furniture to that of the surroundings further accentuates a calming atmosphere. Using furniture and decor with sound dampening features reduces echoes and other discordant sounds. 

Residential Amenity Design for Introverts

In the wake of the pandemic, work, school, and play had to take place within residences. From a work standpoint, co-working and learning spaces have become essential for working professionals and students. For introverts who work best with minimal distractions and quiet conditions, cubicles can be installed within these working spaces for individuals who prefer to work alone or within small groups. 

Soundproof booths can also be installed to contain conversations within the booths and avoid audio distractions. Some co-working spaces also have quiet rooms which can be used for meditation or to catch a quick snooze, with sofas or cushions to kick back and relax from work or studies. Such facilities could actually boost the wellbeing of inhabitants. Research by the National Sleep Foundation found that 30 minutes or so of catnapping “reduces sleepiness, improves learning, aids memory formation and regulates emotions”.

Amenities at residential properties could similarly be tweaked to accommodate the needs of introverts. Gyms can have segmented workout and meditation spaces for individuals who prefer solitary exercise sessions. Additionally, not everyone’s idea of a Friday night is to head out to bars to socialize; building games and movie lounges for smaller social gatherings may do better for residents who prefer a social night in. Besides indoor amenities, outdoor landscaping can incorporate private patios and secluded garden areas cordoned off by landscaping and hedges, for introverts looking to take a break and have a private moment outdoors.

Professional Working Spaces for Introverts

A similar trend to co-working spaces in residential buildings is taking place in commercial buildings. 

While the previous trend in commercial property development was open office spaces intended to foster “interaction”, newer work environments are now incorporating a balance of open and closed office space setups to accommodate a range of needs in recognition of staff who are introverts. 

The same tenets used in developing residential spaces for introverts could similarly apply in a work setting. Building spaces with minimal decor and furniture minimises visual distractions and helps employees focus better. Private offices or discussion rooms can be fitted with privacy glass that can be made opaque depending on the needs of the user(s). Similarly, soundproofing rooms would minimize animated discussions from leaking out or from other working spaces. 

In offices, we create phone-free zones and meditative niches and places in the cafeteria where you can dine in peace and quiet. As with co-working spaces, modern offices could also be fitted with reflection rooms for employees to catch a meditative break or a quick snooze throughout the working day. 

Wrapping It Up

Not all residents or employees (even extroverted ones!) are constantly seeking novel experiences or stimulation. The human mind benefits from and needs moments of hiatus (even briefly) to take a break from the constant barrage of stimulation and engagement in our daily lives. 

In an age of information overload, spaces that meet these needs and provide moments of respite and peace are more coveted and invaluable than ever.

Incorporating Mental Wellness In Building Design

When we think of amenities that promote wellness, we usually think of gyms, tennis courts and swimming pools. However, physical wellness is only part of the picture of overall wellness, and the body is only as strong as the mind. Before the pandemic, mental wellness was already becoming an essential need in our busy and stressed out world, but the emergence of COVID-19 has since brought the importance of mental wellness even more to the forefront. 

At URBN Playground, we realize the importance of programming for mental wellness, in addition to physical wellness. Here are our tips on how to run amenity programs that address mental wellness needs, both at home and at work. 

Having quiet spaces to breathe, think, and reflect

Mindfulness and meditation have gained widespread popularity in coping with the pandemic. In real estate, this has led to a greater shift toward quiet spaces for meditation and mindfulness practice. This also includes a greater focus on landscaping that allows residents to walk, get some fresh air, and enjoy time in nature and silence. Research has shown that just walking in nature contributes to mood regulation and physical and psychological well-being.

Developing common interests

Another crucial element to mental wellness is building and maintaining quality social interactions. Research has shown that people who have social support from family, friends, and their community are happier, have fewer health problems, and live longer. Conversely, a lack of interactions is likely to lead to more stress. A report in The Journal of Health and Social Behavior found “consistent and compelling evidence linking a low quantity or quality of social ties with a host of conditions”. 

When thinking about amenity programming, it’s worth thinking about how to convene people with like-minded interests. Reading clubs, cooking classes, kombucha brewing, and floral arrangement classes all provide opportunities to develop friendships based on common interests.  

Providing opportunities to contribute

Volunteering and contributing to society has also been shown to improve mental wellness. A study published by the Journal of Happiness Studies found that people who volunteered reported being more satisfied with their lives and rated better overall health. This was true even when controlling for prior levels of existing happiness and satisfaction. 

Connecting residents and tenants with opportunities to volunteer, participate in, or give towards causes via building apps and bulletin boards can engender wellbeing, by providing a sense of purpose and wellbeing that comes from generosity. This could include donation or adoption drives for charities, or encouraging sustainability practices such as reusing, reducing, and recycling within properties.

Dedicated programs at the workplace

Work is where we spend most of our time, and the office similarly offers opportunities to promote mental wellness. While stimulation is great to promote creativity at work, rest and recovery is equally as important. 

Today, employee perks have extended beyond foosball tables and gym memberships to include meditation app subscriptions, reflection rooms and quiet spaces, and yoga and meditation classes. 

Additionally, education and awareness programs also play a role to combat the stigma of seeking mental wellness resources at work. Hosting talks on mental health and wellness issues, as well as providing resources and access to trained counselors is another way to support mental health in the workplace. 

In summary

The notion of wellness was previously associated with amenities and programs that cater to physical wellness. But the changing times and the recent pandemic has highlighted that mental wellness plays a crucial role in our overall well being. 

The good news is that properties can meet this need by tweaking amenities and programs to cater to this, and creating spaces that facilitate greater mental wellness.

8 Ways to Make Your Properties Environmentally Friendly

Why are Green Buildings Important?

While there has been plenty of focus on the pandemic and how amenities have to change to meet the needs of a post-COVID world, many developers also saw this as an opportunity to revamp building design and amenities towards sustainability. With climate change at our doorstep, developers have been redesigning buildings with green elements that not only benefit residents, but that also are more sustainable and help reduce maintenance costs for developers in the long run. Here are 8 ways to make your building amenities more environmentally-friendly. 

1. Encourage residents to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The first step to making buildings environmentally-friendly is through awareness, education, and cultivation of habits among residents in reducing energy consumption and waste production. Reducing the waste we produce, reusing goods so that they are not discarded, and recycling waste materials, can be achieved by having recycling bins and services readily available at your premises. You can also inculcate a reduce and reuse culture within your buildings by having digital platforms that allow residents to resell or exchange goods instead of discarding them, especially electronics, electricals, and other non-perishables.

2. Use energy efficient lighting and natural light

Lighting is estimated to cost around 15% of an average home’s electrical use, and residents stand to save $225 in energy costs annually through using efficient LED lighting. Design buildings to allow as much natural light into the spaces during the day also reduces the reliance on electrical lighting. Installing automatic controls such as timers that switch off lighting when not in use (in driveways or stairways during the day time) further conserves energy consumption. Dimmers achieve the same outcome by lowering the light levels based on the environmental light intensity throughout the day. 

3. Automate your amenities

Automation can help to reduce energy consumption by only turning on when it is in use. Motion sensors that are paired with lighting fixtures turn off when no movement is detected after a period of time. Automation can also be used in conjunction with temperature controls - for example, building temperature systems can be configured to only switch on for specific time periods to keep an optimal temperature that is comfortable for the inhabitants. We have all been there when we wished a building was warmer (or cooler in the summer) after returning from a lunch break out or when meeting rooms are frigid cold and you can’t warm up the room fast enough. 

4. Reduce the use of disposable resources

Other means of reducing the carbon footprint of your building involves replacing practices that consume natural resources. For example, automated electrical hand dryers and bidets are a cheaper alternative to purchasing paper towels. Water stations at recreational areas as opposed to vending machines reduces the sale of plastic containers or cans of the beverages.

5. Ensure adequate insulation with sustainable materials

Heat is an important factor that could lower or raise energy consumption costs for your building. 

For colder climates, heat retention with insulation is essential, working in tandem with building heating systems. Otherwise, you will find your buildings consuming lots of energy to keep a building warm as it dissipates heat to the surroundings due to lack of insulation. The choice of materials for insulation also impacts a building’s sustainability. Choose insulation materials from sustainable or recyclable sources, such as cotton, sheep’s wool or newer materials such as reused timber, cork and glass.

6. Harness nature to provide shade and heat absorption

For buildings in warmer climates, smart landscaping and growing lush greenery in and surrounding the premises has a cooling effect, by absorbing the surrounding heat and providing shade. Landscaping has the added bonus of creating relaxing public spaces for residents to spend time in with their friends and families. Landscaping need not be limited to gardens or open areas only - you can explore growing greenery on the walls and rooftops of buildings. Greenery on rooftops also helps to preserve roof life and reduce stormwater runoff.

7. Harvest rainwater

As an extension to Point #6 on cooling buildings, rainwater is also a resource that can be harvested for uses within the building. Harvested rainwater from the catchment systems in a building can be stored, reducing the reliance on public utilities. This harvested rainwater can be used for toilets, sprinkler systems, watering the landscaping around the building and possibly even filtered and processed to be used for domestic consumption. 

8. Install solar panels

Solar power is something you can harvest all-year round in sunny areas. To incentivize developers to install solar panels, the federal government offers a 30% total system cost rebate from the deployment of solar panels as a federal income tax credit when you file your taxes. Solar energy can be used to power electrical appliances in your home, such as lighting, water heater and charging stations. While sunny days work best to produce solar energy, solar panels produce energy even when the weather is cloudy. Solar panels also extend the life of a roof, protecting it from the elements such as rain, snow and debris, while also keeping the roof cool as the sun doesn't shine on the roof directly on hot days.

Conclusion

When developing, designing, and outfitting a building, it’s important to not only cater to residents’ luxury and comfort, but also practicality and flexibility (arising from COVID-19) and long-term sustainability (from pressing needs to address global warming today). The eight measures above are some of the ways you can make your buildings greener today, help your residents adopt sustainable living, reduce your own operational costs, and bring about a better and greener planet for our future. 

How to Design an Amenity Space for Serenity and Wellness to Thrive

More and more consumers are realizing that our homes and the surrounding environment has a big impact on our lifestyles, health, moods, and wellbeing. According to research by the World Health Organization, the built environment in which we live will determine up to 80–90 percent of our health outcomes. 

Yet, as the Global Wellness Institute put it, “the way our homes have been built in the last century is reinforcing lifestyles that make us sick, stressed, alienated and unhappy.” Our modern living environment favors sedentary lifestyles, which has led to a lack of physical activity, poor diet, stress, and social isolation. Modernization has also increased environmental degradation, which has led to a global increase in respiratory and chronic diseases (traceable directly to pollution). Growing awareness of this came to a climax in 2020 and 2021, when people were forced to spend more time at home than ever, due to government-mandated lockdowns.

THE RISE OF THE WELLNESS REAL ESTATE INDUSTRY

All of these factors have given rise to the growing wellness movement in real estate. By 2022, the global wellness real estate industry is projected to reach a value of $197 billion USD, growing by 6.4% annually since 2015. This is led by the US market, which alone is worth $52 billion USD. 

The wellness movement recognizes the important role our built environment plays in our physical and mental wellbeing. And it represents a shift “that explicitly puts people’s wellness at the center of the conception, design, creation and redevelopment of our homes and neighborhoods” (Global Wellness Institute).

As the world begins its recovery from the pandemic, developers and designers have begun taking cues from the wellness movement to rethink the built environment for multifamily developments, with amenities being refocused to prioritize wellness. Here are some key approaches to designing amenity spaces for wellness.

1. Giving people greater flexibility to make their spaces work for them

Even before the pandemic, the world was already facing a mental health crisis due to the stress of modern life. Around 1-in-7 people globally (11-18 percent) have one or more mental or substance use disorders. These issues escalated during the pandemic. The good news is that dialogue and awareness around mental health grew as well. 

Major employers like LinkedIn and Mozilla began practicing company-wide paid time off weeks to combat burnout. Some companies also extended the practice of working from home indefinitely, such as Twitter, realizing the flexibility that WFH gave employees. 

The premise is simple: By allowing people greater control over their workspaces and environments, they will be happier and more productive.

Developers are taking this into account by building features that facilitate a sense of personal space for residents. This includes building in nooks for a flexible workstation either in the bedroom or living room and providing views of nature and natural light. This allows individuals to feel more personally tied to the spaces they occupy.

Shared amenities are also being rethought to provide more flexibility. Terraces, plazas, and roof gardens allow people to step away from their routines and get some fresh air and a different view. This was evidenced by the responses shared by 342 multifamily developers, designers, and contractors in Build Design + Construction’s 2021 Multifamily Amenities report. One respondent’s strategy was to “disperse amenities throughout the project rather than in one mega-amenity.” Yet another cited “proximity to parks” as a factor in future project location decisions.

2. Taking care of safety first

Many respondents in the same BD+C report said that they were updating their building plans to include: 

• Antibacterial countertop surfaces

• Ultraviolet lamps to destroy microbes

• Touchless faucets in kitchens and bathrooms

• Hand-sanitizing stations in common areas

• Sliding doors at the entry to the leasing office

• Easily cleanable furniture

Common laundry facilities may be on their way out, with more respondents opting to install washer/dryer combos in individual units.

Another big aspect which many building developers and designers are considering in the wake of Covid-19 is healthier indoor air quality. Many reported looking into “HVAC upgrades,” “improved HVAC systems/filtration,” and “larger air purification systems.” Even for existing projects, efforts are underway to install “air-purification systems at retrofit, in amenity spaces and elevators.”

3. Integrating mind, body, and spirit

There is growing demand for building features that not only enhance human comfort, but promote a “mind, body, spirit” approach. 

This includes integrating materials that reference a building’s immediate surroundings and community, providing residents with deeper connections to the world around them. This sense of belonging is a vital facet of emotional wellness.

Sustainable features are also considered desirable - not only is reducing pollution physically beneficial - it also promotes mental and spiritual wellbeing by facilitating a sense of environmental stewardship. Amenities such as gyms, bike storage, interconnecting corridors and staircases that encourage movement, and in-house healthy dining and grocery options can all contribute to wellbeing and a more sustainable building.

And in high-end developments, a new amenity trend that is starting to catch on is that of a “spiritual concierge”. This takes wellness to a whole new level and helps residents get in touch with their inner selves and foster a mind-body-spirit connection. These spiritual concierges are intended to provide services and programming that caters to those who have embraced spirituality as part of their wellbeing. 

Such programming ranges from intention setting and dancing or movement workshops, sound baths, and healing ceremonies - which may or may not involve crystals, visualization and sage burning. These events also serve to bring the community together, and enhance utilization of shared, open amenity spaces in a building, such as decks, atriums, pool sides, and patios. 

Ultimately, the shift towards more wellness-focused amenities is a positive one. As residents demand healthier, more serene living spaces, and as developers and designers seek to cater to those needs, more harmony is being created between the buildings we live in, the environments surrounding them, and the residents who inhabit them. 

How to Combine Functionality and Design in Lobby Spaces

Since lobbies are the first thing residents see before the rest of a building, it’s important to make that first impression count. While it is natural to pay a lot of attention to and invest resources in an exquisitely designed lobby, aesthetics alone are poor substitutes for functionality. Well-planned lobby spaces combine both aesthetics and function to leave a lasting impression on residents. 

Here are our three recommendations to combine function and design and take your lobby to the next level.

First things first - meet the needs of your residents

Creating value can be as simple as meeting the basic needs of the residents. It is easy to become carried away with the latest architectural furnishings that cost a fortune but don’t meet the basic necessities of residents. Basic amenities would do more to serve your residents than a lobby full of Roman columns. So what are these must-have amenities that set your lobby above the rest?

Unsurprisingly, the most important infrastructure for today’s residents is invisible. You can expect residents to be carrying at least one electronic device wherever they go. Having free and accessible WiFi enables residents to stay tuned to their social media, browse the web, or finish up on work while waiting in the lobby. Charging stations and electrical outlets sound simple but are greatly appreciated - we all know how it feels when our phone batteries are down to 5%.

Likewise, water dispensers or complimentary refreshments provide a similarly small yet luxurious comfort. And having clear and visible signage helps residents find their way quickly with little fuss. Additionally, an informational hub (whether it’s as sophisticated as a digital screen or as straightforward as a notice board) helps residents find the latest community developments within the building, while finding out local attractions or events to go to. 

Then comes nuance and personalization

Once your lobbies are equipped with the amenities above, you can look further into catering to the more specific needs of your residents. This can be achieved by first understanding the demographics of your residents, and consequently their underlying needs. Families would benefit from lounges that have play areas, game rooms, and reading areas or libraries to keep children occupied. Residents seeking to socialize could benefit from cafes to catch up with friends or bars to catch a few drinks before heading out in the evening. Working professionals or students would benefit from more tables and desks to set up their stations to work with ease throughout the day. 

Apart from demographics, the right choice of furniture can help you reinforce the ambiance you wish to create. To invoke a spacious atmosphere, consider a minimalist approach and tables with pedestal bases to make it easy to tuck into chairs. Keep pathways clear of furniture to reduce overcrowding and accommodate peak traffic throughout the day. If your lobby feels empty, you may consider art pieces or architectural designs to give the space some personality, provided they jive with the look and feel of the rest of the lobby. 

Besides the furniture, wall colors play a role in affecting a desired mood within a space. Neutral colors such as beige, grey or shades of white evoke a light and airy lobby, whereas cool colors like green, blue and purple help to create a serene and calming atmosphere. To create a space that feels cozier, choose colors that are dark and rich, such as deep warm reds, golden browns and dark forest greens. It’s important to keep in mind that the choice of colors for the walls and the furniture complement each other - furniture with striking colors and patterns against a muted backdrop would draw the wrong type of attention. Adjust your lighting settings to bring out the best character and elements of your lobby that you wish to convey.

Lobbies for the post-pandemic world

The recent pandemic has introduced many new social distancing practices that will likely become standard practice for the foreseeable future. However, social distancing and hygiene practices need not be at odds with the design of your lobby. Automated entryways and exits were already in practice prior to the pandemic, while better hygiene practices stave off not only COVID-19, but also a host of other harmful bacteria.

Multiple automated entry and exit points will be needed to spread pedestrian traffic across larger areas to increase social distancing and reduce risk of transmission. Digital authentication, such as voice activated protocols and contactless badges, don’t just prevent viruses and bacteria from spreading, but also increases building security by allowing for traceability. In the event of an outbreak, digitalization enables contact tracing at a moment’s notice. Temperature checks will be needed at entrance points while signage with reminders to stay safe will be a regular feature at most lobbies.

Wrapping it up

Conventions of lobby design need not focus on one aspect and neglect the other; functionality and design can go hand-in-hand to not only create visually stunning spaces, but also wow your residents further by catering to their needs. From ensuring basic amenities are present, to more subtle nuances such as the choice of furniture and wall colors, the sky (or ceiling) is the limit as far as creativity goes in marrying functionality and design. Similarly, post-pandemic practices in lobby areas can not only be assimilated, but also improve the security and functionality of lobby spaces. 

Designing Residential Spaces to Build Community

Increasing urbanization and the pace of modern life is depriving us of a sense of closeness to our neighbors. For most, our typical workday starts with a commute to work, then grinding through the nine-to-five, and finally coming home for dinner. Occasionally, we catch our neighbors at the elevator and greet them customarily, though the conversation ends as we reach our floors.

Is there a way for us to build a sense of community despite our hectic schedules and demanding obligations? Is there a way for our kids to experience growing up with their neighbors? Is it possible to still form meaningful relationships with those that we share a street with?

We’re glad you asked. We strongly believe that thoughtful residential design can evoke a sense of community, and help neighbors get to know each other better. 

Here are our three ways to build community living within residential spaces.

1. Create moments for connection through recreation

The previous trend of building design is to equip buildings with the most state of the art amenities. Over time, these amenities ended up being underused, owing to a mismatch between what residents needed and what designers wanted. 

Consequently, the new thinking behind building design is to design amenities that residents would actually need and use, even if it meant forgoing the trendiest gym equipment and largest infinity pools. In terms of designing for communities, this means designing spaces that create the most opportunities for residents to connect. This can be as simple as installing chairs and sofas in common areas, as well as benches and tables in gardens that invite people to sit down and have a chat. 

Beyond the usual amenities such as gardens, playgrounds and tennis courts, developers can also build dedicated spaces for shared activities. These include recording studios for the musically inclined, shared kitchens for aspiring cooks, as well as community vegetable gardens for those with green thumbs. 

2. Networking through co-working spaces

Cigna’s Loneliness and the Workplace Report found that three in five Americans have reported themselves as lonely arising from lockdown conditions, further revealing that lonely workers think about quitting their job more than twice as often as non-lonely workers. However, the same Cigna report also found that respondents who reported many quality interactions with other people were less likely to be lonely and unproductive at work.

Coworking spaces in residential buildings could remedy loneliness by enabling residents to network and exchange ideas with others from different backgrounds. Open and collaborative working removes the barriers to communication associated with segregated spaces. Shared kitchens and snack bars further increase the likelihood for interaction. 

Networking doesn’t have to be confined to physical spaces alone. Digital platforms within the residence can enable residents to seek each other out to find common interests or launch new products. Career development and self-development talks could be hosted live or streamed from channels such as TedX in these co-working spaces to build community.

3. Combine commercial and residential space

It’s a Friday night and you’ve just wrapped up work and it's nearly time to head to dinner. Wouldn’t it be nice to just go to a restaurant in the same building where you live and catch a show after?

Residential areas that employ mixed use development, combining residential and commercial elements are growing in popularity. 

How does this foster communities? Cafes and restaurants built within residential spaces give residents alternative spaces to congregate or work - just a few steps away from their units. Wine cellars can double up as a community space for wine aficionados, while serving the needs of the in-home restaurant. Live arts venues housed within the building provide additional options for entertainment and draw in non residents who are interested in the arts. 

Wrapping it up

‘Community is about doing something together that makes belonging matter’ - Brian Solis

Feeling a sense of belonging and community is possible, despite the increasingly frenetic pace of modernization, even in present times working from home during the pandemic. Creating opportunities for connection through smart building design, installing networking capabilities through co-working spaces, as well as combining commercial and residential spaces, can all help achieve this outcome. At the end of the day, it is the people you come home to, the things you do with them, and the memories made that people cherish most about their time at home.

The Future of Wellness in Properties

Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, health and wellness have never been more crucial. The pandemic forced most of us to work from home and removed many options for leisure and recreation. Furthermore, the stressors that we experience from work are now mixed with the responsibilities at home, whether it's being a parent, a partner or a working professional. Residents have a greater need to outsource household chores while maximizing time to recover or release stress. 

Fortunately, innovative and ingenious means to look after the well-being of residents through building and amenity design is growing. This has led to the International Well Building Institute introducing a WELL Certification for buildings emphasizing the optimization of design, operations and behaviors for health and well-being of residents. Property developers can design buildings based on WELL principles that integrate the activities of residents, making daily chores more manageable and creating more opportunities for an active lifestyle. 

So what are these strategies you can implement to enhance the wellness of your residents?

Set the right conditions behind the scenes

Air

Polluted air contributes to 50,000 premature deaths annually in the United States and an estimated one in eight premature deaths worldwide. Indoor air quality can be degraded by outdoor sources, as well as from building materials and indoor combustion. These contaminants contribute to asthma, allergies and respiratory illnesses. By ensuring adequate ventilation and installing filtration systems, your residents are less likely to be susceptible to harmful irritants. 

Light

Matthew Walker’s book on Why We Sleep argues that one of the reasons why we don’t fall asleep easily is due to intense lighting that trick our brains into thinking that it is still daytime. 

Automated environmental controls can help residents by progressively dimming the lights as the day grows late to attune their circadian rhythms accordingly. Likewise automatic blinds and lights that are enabled in the morning can help rouse residents as they wake, to start their days more productively. 

Temperature 

Additionally, regulating temperatures can play a part in wellbeing -  be it cooler temperatures helping people fall asleep or concentrate better when working, or be it warmer temperatures to  help gym-goers work up a sweat faster when working out. Automated temperature controls also help to reduce our carbon footprint by only turning on air-conditioning at the most needed times of the day. 

Outsource chores to free up time and energy

For many of us, our chores have intensified with working from home arrangements. This is made more challenging as businesses and amenities have changed their operating hours. 

Instead of residents needing to settle these chores on their own, developers can create technological solutions that resolve these chores. Imagine being able to book the gym, order groceries and have your laundry done at a time and date of your choice at your fingertips through phone apps. While this might seem like a practical and logistical design solution, it also contributes to wellbeing by providing greater peace of mind and freeing up people’s time to relax and rejuvenate.

URBN Playground’s Concierge App accomplishes the above. The app brings services such as housekeeping, fitness classes, amenity space bookings, dry cleaning and even pet setting into a single app. The latest features to the app include interior design and meal planning, which were introduced over the last year to meet recurring requests, testament to the versatility of the app to scale and add new features as residents’ needs grow. 

Make it flexible and fun to exercise 

We’ve always known that exercise is important for our health - the American College of Sports Medicine suggests that adults engage in at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise five days a week, with strength training exercises at least two days a week. 

Yet the prevalence of physical inactivity still accounts for 30% of heart disease, 27% of type 2 diabetes and an increased risk of having a stroke. Exercising has become more difficult with the onset of the pandemic, as juggling between family, professional and personal commitments leaves us little energy to find a gym that is open, keep track of our fitness routines and stay true to our fitness goals. 

With restrictions on many gym facilities, flexibility for in-residence gyms and spaces have become the new norm. Instead of being equipped with the most sophisticated equipment, it has become more desirable for gym spaces to be easily converted for various purposes, from cardio to meditation to weight training. Exercise need not be confined to gym spaces either - open gardens, patios and walks are also popular for families with children or elderlies that just want to enjoy some fresh air.

For the more intense gym-goers, tailored virtual fitness programs can help residents meet their fitness goals anytime, anywhere - including while social distancing. URBN Playground’s URBN Burn delivers tailored research-backed fitness programs that emphasize empathy and flexibility in helping residents maintain their levels of fitness, whether it is through cardio, meditation, weight training or proper nutrition.

Summing things up

The pandemic has undoubtedly rocked our set ways and routines from the past, created new pressures and stressors from home and work, and limited our options for wellness. It has become more crucial to be creative and ingenious in incorporating building and amenity design that promotes residents’ wellness without needing further effort from their end. 

Despite the challenges it has brought, the pandemic has also provided new opportunities to innovate for greater resident wellness, as exemplified by the scenarios above, and we anticipate more exciting solutions in the pipeline.

How Technology is Transforming Residential Living

One of the biggest changes the pandemic brought to our lives is the shift to digital. Almost overnight, our lives moved online. And what were emerging trends for multifamily residential that were still seen as nice-to-have luxuries suddenly became essential. 

In this article, we look at how digitalization and technology has changed residential living dramatically. We explore some of the trends we think are set to stay even as the economy and world recovers from the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Trends covered in this article:

• Fitness amenities get more high tech

• Amenity booking apps take center stage

• Building administration goes digital

• Package lockers optimize deliveries

• Smart home technology is on the rise

• WFH amenities become more essential

Fitness amenities get personal. 

Peloton made personalized fitness training mainstream. For instance, a customer’s very first interaction with Peloton involves taking a test-ride to assess a user’s baseline. From the data gathered from users, Peloton shows users customized training programs appropriate for their fitness levels and allows them to track their progress through gamification.

But personalization doesn’t only have to be high tech. Even properties that may not choose to invest in pricey Peloton machines are increasingly offering personalized amenities such as virtual personal training memberships. URBN Burn, our proprietary fitness program, is one such program that we offer in properties we manage. When residents sign up for a package, they receive a personalized training plan based on their fitness goals and level, and have live, one-on-one coaching and consultation sessions with our fitness trainers. 

Amenity booking apps take center stage.

One of the big trends that emerged during Covid-19 was the trend of contactless interactions. We think this trend is set to stay even post-Covid-19, as it goes hand in hand with the concept of frictionless customer service. Residents are realizing that contactless also equals convenience and not having to go to a specific counter or wait around to be served. 

Through amenity booking apps such as the URBN Playground app, residents can book amenity spaces, services, and appointments. The URBN app can be configured to a property’s available amenities and services, including everything from cleaning to grocery shopping, pet sitting, mani/pedis, personal training, and more.

Building administration goes digital.

As the contactless trend continues, this also extends to recurring transactions like paying rent and making building maintenance requests. In response, digitized resident portals have sprung up to cater to these needs. Such platforms have allowed building managers to manage maintenance requests more efficiently while making the process more convenient for residents, as well.

Companies that have eliminated paper-based checks and moved payments online report on average a 50 percent decrease in delinquencies and a 65 decrease in the time staff members spend processing payments. 

Package lockers optimize deliveries.

Amenities and maintenance requests are not the only services going digital. Even package rooms are transitioning into the digital age. The shift to digital has already been happening, with large buildings using mailroom management software to help package room staff to keep track of inventory and collections more efficiently. Smart package lockers are also eliminating the need for staffing a package room altogether. 

Package lockers allow residents to receive larger packages that can’t fit in mailboxes, and pick up those packages at their convenience from a locker that is storing their package. This is done using some form of ID verification, either using a fob key, pin code, access card, or QR code to unlock the package locker.

While this solution reduces the staff headcount needed, it’s also easier for residents, who can now self-serve and access the package room at any time, 24/7, when it’s convenient for them. Having packages stored away in individual lockers also makes the package room look neater and less cluttered.

Smart home technology is on the rise.

With 66 percent of Americans admitting to sleeping with their phones at night, smartphones are becoming more and more integrated into our daily lives. Along with this trend is the growing adoption of smart home technology, which not only provides convenience but efficiency and potentially even energy savings. Some building developers are starting to integrate smart home technology into the design of multifamily units, as well. 

For instance, the world's first Net Zero Energy high-rise multifamily building that is being developed in Seattle's Belltown neighborhood, will make use of top-tier smart home features such as app-controlled blinds, thermostats, lighting and locks. 

WFH amenities become more essential.

It’s not just Microsoft that is fundamentally rethinking the way we work with its latest announcement of the Windows 11 features. Building developers are starting to realize as well that many trends related to working from home / hybrid working are likely to continue well after the pandemic recedes. 

Many people have now discovered the flexibility and convenience of working from home - but are clamoring for better amenities to support this new work set up. At the top of the list of WFH amenities valued by residents are: 1) Wireless self-service printing, copying, and scanning, and 2) Faster internet. These two perks alone trumped amenities like individual working pods, video chat booths, in-home office design services, and office equipment rental services, in a recent survey by Satisfacts. 

In response to this demand, developers have elevated high speed Wi-Fi from a nice-to-have amenity to an essential service. Just two years ago, in 2019, only 5% of new luxury property developments had a managed Wi-Fi system. This year, roughly 70% of new developments are installing a managed Wi-Fi system, according to RealPage.

Work with us to digitize your building amenities

We hope this list of trends has given you some insights and food for thought. We’d be thrilled to speak with you or arrange a complimentary consultation call to discuss your building’s digital needs. 

Contact URBN Playground now → 

Developing Amenities by Defining Your Property Audience

Having the latest state of the art amenities in your property accomplishes little if the amenities end up underused. Defining your property audience is quintessential in elevating the status of your property from mere brick and mortar to a place residents seek peace, security, convenience, and leisure - a place to call home. 

Here are the four questions to help you define your property audience, to help you develop amenities that matter.

Which demographic are you serving?

The needs and lifestyle of a working professional significantly differs from that of a family. Families need more space for children and also need recreational areas, playgrounds and parks for quality family time, along with larger parking bays to accommodate bigger or multiple vehicles. 

For the busy working professional, desired amenities may vary; working professionals typically enjoy an active lifestyle and will seek out gym and sports facilities as well as lounge or barbecue areas to host friends. 

Additionally, the advent of the pandemic has introduced new considerations for both families and working professionals alike, particularly from a work-from-home angle. There is now a strong need for flexibility to repurpose living spaces. Multipurpose spaces can accommodate work/school arrangements and convert to leisure spaces when needed.

What is the neighborhood like?

The location and environment where the property is situated will play a role in the development of amenities. Tenants living in crowded urban spaces tend to seek ease of access to public transportation. They might also spend a lot of time commuting, and hence seek services that deliver convenience such as laundry and house cleaning services. URBN Playground’s Concierge App enables residents to access services such as housekeeping, grocery shopping, dry cleaning, pet sitting, and hair and beauty services with a few swipes on a screen. 

Suburban enclaves, on the other hand, have other points of attraction such as open spaces, and a sense of community. Walkability, landscaping, storage space for bikes and sports gear, and convenient access to community-focused amenities such as sports complexes and shopping malls would likely be the emphasis in suburban settings. Families are also more likely to populate suburban settings to accommodate more family members and pets while enabling their children to mingle amongst peers that is otherwise harder to do in a city. Suburban spaces may not have the sights, sounds and attractions of the city, but its attraction is premised on the peace and sense of community that it brings.  

How should you develop your floor space?

Bigger is not necessarily better! For students and early career professionals - their biggest priority when looking for a place to rent is likely budget and affordability. As they are striving to advance in their careers and in their studies, extensive amenities might not be of top priority for them and they may be willing to give up extensive amenity space in exchange for modest shared, communal amenities. 

One major consideration for many developers following the impact of Covid-19 is bigger package rooms, as online shopping and food delivery surged to unprecedented heights. Enhanced package rooms don’t only require shelving and locker spaces - in the most premium of locations, they often include chillers to keep groceries fresh, or insulated storage to keep food warm. Waiting areas for delivery riders may also be something to consider to build into your amenity plan. 

With working from home becoming the norm, most residences may now need to offer some degree of co-working and study spaces to facilitate virtual calls.

What else does your audience care about?

Some properties inherit architectural and historical elements that may pique the interest of the more aesthetically inclined. Restoring and preserving these elements and blending them into the amenity plan may also be part of the appeal for your audience. 

In New York, for instance, there are a range of different residential buildings that possess a unique heritage and flavor of their own. Lofts were formerly inexpensive industrial spaces with open floor plans, plenty of light and high ceilings; today, they attract artistically-inclined buyers looking to use the place for creative uses. Traditional townhouses and brownstones offer architecture dating back to the 1900s, and offer more space than the average Manhattan apartment but also come at a larger price tag. 

Many discerning buyers today also prioritize sustainability. Ensuring your building complies with green building standards not only increases its marketability. It also offers residents the benefits of improved quality of life, lower energy costs, and being able to boast about the building’s innovative designs and modern architecture. 

Conclusion

Tailoring amenities to suit your residents first involves understanding the target audience. Other considerations worth thinking about include how the building fits into the rest of the neighborhood, how much space your target audience really needs, and if there are other special considerations such as the unique characteristics of the building itself. Understanding your audience and developing amenities to suit them will lead to greater resident satisfaction, higher occupancy rates, better word of mouth marketing, and greater profitability. 

When It Comes to Amenities, Sometimes Bigger Isn't Always Better

When looking at the residential amenity landscape, you tend to see and hear advice along the lines of “the top amenities to invest in”, “how to select future-proof amenities”, and “trends in amenity programming”. What these approaches have in common is the tendency to see amenities as a single set of offerings for the overall population.

At URBN Playground, we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach to programming amenity spaces. Instead of looking at the larger group that uses a building, we identify subpopulations and varied personalities, and think about the different ways that amenities can accommodate their needs. 

There are many reasons a person might choose to live or work in a certain building - but a primary driver of choice is the neighborhood and the location. The amenities in a building can add to that experience, but two people in the same building might want different things out of the amenities. One might want social spaces, while the other prefers a quiet place where they can focus. 

We believe catering to these unique sub-populations is key, especially as there are more renters with disposable income and more power of choice than ever before. According to Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, the number of renters making $100,000 increased by 5% nationwide in 2017. This leads to growing competition among building managers to stand out from the crowd and attract tenants. 

A home for every resident

At URBN, we look at designing amenity programs that will meet the needs of the individual. We want everyone to say, "This is my favorite place in the world", instead of "I can make this work".

As Brian McAuliffe, President of CBRE Capital Markets, said: “...amenity innovation is critical to the success and competitive advantage of apartment properties. It’s not enough to offer rooftop grilling areas or dog runs; owners and developers must think carefully about amenities and services that work together to create a cohesive community.”

This might sound like it requires a lot of effort and investment - but catering to the needs of different sub-groups within your community doesn’t have to cost more. Rather, it’s about being thoughtful and creative with how amenity spaces are designed and set up, so they can be programmed in many multifunctional ways. Here’s a few examples of what this could look like when we design amenity programs for different clients, seen through the lens of some trending amenities:

Communal living spaces

More than ever before, the pandemic has underlined the importance of community and connection. Renters today who flock to the city for work are looking for a “home away from home” and seek out spaces where they can host friends and get to know their neighbors. 

A building may have a beautifully-appointed lounge area - but ultimately it’s the type of events hosted in the residents’ lounge that determines how often it will be frequented. At URBN, our calendar of events is diverse and varied - ranging from kids’ parties to super bowl parties and cocktail workshop nights - showcasing how the same space can be changed up to serve many different groups of people. 

Common spaces for the arts

As people are confined to their buildings, they turn to music and the arts for an escape. Many buildings now offer writing and recording rooms for residents to express their creativity. When thinking about investing into audio and visual equipment, it’s worthwhile thinking about how they could serve different purposes. For instance, during lockdowns, the space could be offered as a recording studio for rent to residents who want a creative outlet. Post-pandemic, the space could be rearranged to serve as an intimate venue for poetry, comedy, and live music nights for residents. 

Quiet spaces with ergonomic desks could be used by individual residents for working, writing, or journaling - but they could also be reprogrammed to host artistic and creative group activities like watercolor and calligraphy workshops. 

Maker spaces for the “DIY” generation

As Covid-19 has driven us towards picking up indoor hobbies, the DIY trend has continued to grow - leading many buildings to allocate “maker spaces” as part of their amenity offerings. But creating a useful maker space is about more than just plopping some handy tools and materials in a room. It’s important to think about the many different kinds of hobbies residents might have, and outfit the space to serve these different interests. 

For instance, do units in the building have balconies where residents have taken up urban gardening? The maker space could house gardening equipment, while also serving as a venue for gardening workshops to be held. Are people turning to exercise they can do around their neighborhood, such as biking, to avoid enclosed gym spaces? Think about offering tools for bike maintenance and repair. The possibilities are endless!

Co-working spaces and technology

The “business center” or “business lounge” of the past is long gone. Space allocated for chunky equipment, such as desktop computers, and filing / storage space is no longer necessary in a cloud-based world. The additional space freed up has made way for modern co-working spaces which feature a mix of open hotdesks and collaborative spaces, alongside quiet, soundproof call booths and quiet spaces. 

At URBN, we believe that the invisible service that occurs in these spaces is just as important as the physical setup. The speed of WiFi and ease of getting connected in these common areas is just as important as having comfy, ergonomic chairs and bright, cheerful rooms. 

To help buildings deliver more comprehensive service to their residents, we offer a proprietary virtual concierge app that can be programmed as a one-stop shop for all the different needs of your building residents. From interior design requests to booking cleaning, pet walking, and fitness training services, all these requests are centralized in a single app, making it hassle-free and easy for your residents to get their service needs met.

Integrated, flexible fitness spaces

In the past, building owners have typically taken a “set it and forget it” approach to fitness centers. This leads to costly gym equipment sitting unused and abandoned, as they don’t meet the needs of the users. We are strong proponents of the fact that fitness spaces should be multifunctional. For instance, a studio space with mirrored walls can be used for a range of different group classes, from yoga to pilates to dance to martial arts classes. 

Even with gym spaces, functional fitness training equipment such as TRX, kettlebells, resistance bands, and free weights offer a wider variety of possible exercises, while taking up less space and being easy to move around and reconfigure. At URBN, we enjoy mixing up our fitness programming to meet the needs of what customers are currently looking for and excited by, instead of limiting ourselves to static treadmills and rowing machines. 

Game rooms

As Covid-19 has brought families and neighbors closer together, it has created a resurgence in nostalgic gaming - from video games to board games. Instead of installing a gaming area that doesn’t offer much variety (eg. a virtual golf simulator), a game room with a large screen and several different gaming consoles, along with large tables for board games can offer much more variety in terms of games that residents of all ages and interests can enjoy. 

In terms of programming, themed “game tournament nights”, from retro arcade games to European strategy board games, can be organized to create a greater sense of community and camaraderie among residents. 

We hope these examples will serve as inspiration for thinking one level deeper when considering different amenities for your building. Ultimately, it’s less about the actual physical amenities that get installed, and more about the thought process and approach to service and program design that will determine how much these amenities are utilized - and how much residents will see their building as a home, instead of just a roof over their heads. 

Designing for Service and Space

The living experience at a residence is a product of the available amenities and the environment accompanying the residence. This means that for developers, designing spaces and services in living spaces goes hand-in-hand: Designing for space involves being aware of and creating a specific mood or vibe when a resident steps into a space. Meanwhile, designing for services is about meeting the everyday needs of its inhabitants. So what are the considerations when developing for space and service? The three use cases below exemplify how this can be done:

Use Case #1: Coordinating Colors and Functions

Space design in broader terms refers to the surroundings that set the stage for the human interactions that follow; it considers factors such as floor space, acoustics, temperature, lighting and color schemes of the building. 

Lighting and materials coupled with color schemes set the ambience of the activities and intended functions of the living space. Dark palettes create a moody and subdued ambience whereas brighter or softer colors, materials and lighting create a more calming or radiant setting. Red, for instance, is associated with raising energy levels in a room. Orange evokes excitement and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, blue creates a soothing atmosphere.

Colors can also amplify or subdue the physical dimensions of a room. A room can seem more spacious with lighter colors, or smaller and cozier with darker shades. 

How does this tie in with service design? If you are catering to an elite audience who values privacy and discretion, you might think about selecting dark, warm colors and dim lighting and heavy curtains to set the mood. If you are catering to families with young children, you’ll want to pair amenity areas with bright natural lighting into the space, accentuated by bright colors. If you are planning for a fitness center or children’s playrooms, think strong, bold colors like orange. To create peaceful oases in spas and bathrooms, go for neutral, earthy colors reminiscent of sky, water, and sand. 

Use Case #2: Incorporating Creative Wayfinding

Wayfinding is the means for people to use in navigating a space or in orienting to a physical place - it enables users to know where they are, find out where they need to go, and have access to other useful information. 

Beyond what is essential and legally required in terms of wayfinding signage, developers can think about wayfinding in terms of the total service experience. They can also introduce innovative and creative elements to make it easier - and more enjoyable - for residents and visitors to locate rooms and amenities. 

For instance, wayfinding is much more than just identification and directional - that is, labeling rooms and providing directional arrows. There are also informational signages that can not only offer useful information (such as about Wi-Fi details) but also provide entertaining or inspiring nuggets. 

For instance, all over public buildings in the UK, you’ll spot “blue plaques” marking specific locations that famous people lived or frequented - from the house of the James Bond creator to the favorite local pub of C.S. Lewis. Or, a well known initiative in the hospitality industry is signage placed in bathrooms that encourage guests to reuse their towels to help conserve water and the environment.

Regardless of how you choose to approach your signages, it’s worth thinking about them with care, from a service-oriented perspective. This provides an opportunity to send a strong message about the creativity, culture, and brand identity of a building right from the moment a person walks in. 

Use Case #3: Digitalizing Amenity Services

Modern buildings are now increasingly equipped with advanced sensors and digitized systems that enable a host of new functionalities that can be manually configured and autonomously run. These new systems create safer spaces and make necessities more conveniently accessible,  freeing up more time for inhabitants.

Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has put in place many new measures to minimize physical contact that will likely take hold in building practices moving forward. Automatic sliding security doors that are accessible by ID cards; automatic soap, sanitizer, bidets and hand dryers; as well as automated temperature and motion-triggered lighting are examples of digital solutions likely to become ubiquitous in all buildings in the future.

Beyond automation within a space, such tech-enabled convenience can also be extended to the services that happen in that space. Many people already have their hands full juggling between professional and personal commitments, and can benefit from help when it comes to more mundane obligations - like cleaning, grocery shopping and so on. 

This was the thinking that sparked URBN Playground’s concierge app. Beyond services that offer convenience for housekeeping services, laundry, and grocery shopping, the app also offers convenient booking of fitness classes, personal training, amenity space bookings, dog walking and pet sitting, and hair and beauty services to residents. 

Bringing Spaces and Services Together

Creating a comfortable and safe living space for residents involves a synergy between designing for space and services. With the modernization of technology as well as innovation in architecture, residential spaces can benefit from marrying your approach to space design with your approach to service design. This will allow you to not only design visually-creative spaces but also functional ones, in which services operate in harmony, seamlessly. This harmony is what will set you apart from competitors in creating value to customers.

Supporting Families Through Amenity Design

In the past, property developers used to boast state-of-the-art amenities, from swimming pools to well-equipped gyms and tennis courts. However, COVID-19 has rendered most amenities temporarily unusable. Daily activities we used to take for granted have been suspended or restricted for the time being.

Convenience, flexibility, and peace of mind have become the new prerequisites in homes today, as residents seek to be relieved of additional stresses and chores under pandemic conditions – conditions which are likely to lead to long-term changes in work and living arrangements.

At URBN Playground, keeping abreast of changes in the industry is important to meet our customers’ evolving needs. With this in mind, here are the top 3 ways amenity design is making home living better for families today:

1.      Flexible Living Spaces

For many of us working from home, encountering a kid crying in the background or a dog barking in the middle of a work call is the norm these days.

This has given rise to flexible, compartmentalized home design, with designated areas in the house for quiet or play, depending on the residents’ needs. Outside of work hours, collapsible walls or removable partitions allow play areas to be extended for playtime. During work hours, these same walls and partitions can be reinstated to provide some quiet for working in private while allowing kids to run free.

As offices move into the home, storage space becomes scarce. Work files have to compete for space with toys and books spilling into open areas. The solution? Smart furniture allows for conservation of space while keeping belongings stowed away with little fuss.  Sofas, beds and couches that have pocket doors as well as revolving book stands create more capacity that combines aesthetics and functionality, keeping residences tidy while still being able to be converted into a play area or workstation conveniently.

2.      Digitalizing the Home

We look to our cell phones to organize just about every activity in our lives. From saving shopping lists, to scheduling meetings and responding to both personal and work emails. Residents today want to be able to access the amenities in their homes through their phones as well.

What had previously been only a pipe dream has become reality; our door locks, thermostats, lighting and security camera feeds can already be accessed and controlled remotely via smartphone. The digitalization of buildings also enables automated functions such as motion-sensor lighting and temperature controls that would achieve cost savings for the resident and reduce energy consumption.

More property developers today, including those that we work with at URBN Playground are starting to provide mobile apps and platforms that allow tenants to pay rent and utility bills, reserve amenity spaces and stay up-to-date with community information digitally.  Instead of having to access bills and booking of spaces through separate devices and channels, home-related matters can now be resolved with a few swipes of the screen. 

3.      Luxury-as-a-Service

In 2018, nearly 63% of respondents to a survey conducted by the National Multifamily Housing Council (NHMC) stated that their lives are so busy that they are looking for ways to make fewer decisions daily. This is unsurprising; growing demands at work often leave the working demographic looking forward to coming home to recuperate, instead of worrying about dishes that need to be washed, trash that needs to be taken out, or bills that must be settled.

With the COVID-19 pandemic limiting access to retail, shopping has moved to online channels, accelerating a trend that had taken root even before the pandemic. In 2019, 1.92 billion people purchased goods online and e-retail sales exceeded USD3.5 trillion worldwide, which is expected to accelerate further into 2021. In response, some residences developed sophisticated inventory systems to support the deluge in deliveries by incorporating of technology and developing secure specialized parcel rooms that can accommodate oversized packages and even perishable items.

Amenity designers are recognizing that beyond a building’s physical facilities, time is a key luxury. This means incorporating ways to reduce or eliminate decision-making for residents by partnering with service providers to offer concierge services. These services can range from grocery delivery to house cleaning and maintenance, laundry and pet care.

In a Nutshell…

With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing, it is likely that present work-from-home arrangements will remain for the foreseeable future.

The search for new homes today will not emphasize state-of-the-art amenities as much as the need for flexibility, convenience and peace of mind, which can be met through amenities and home design that incorporates flexible living spaces, use of digital tools at home and new services that make home living worry-free.

How Will Amenity Trends Evolve After COVID-19?

It has been a year since COVID-19 first struck, and countries throughout the globe are still grappling to contain the spread of the virus. In December 2020, World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “history tells us that this will not be the last pandemic, and epidemics are a fact of life”.

Consequently, amenity designs initially put in place to facilitate a lifestyle of working from home and to maintain hygienic practices will not only remain while COVID-19 is at large, but also become the norm in the long-run. Cognizant of these developments, we foresee three amenity trends will shape the development of new properties moving forward, and these are:

1.      Making the home conducive for working,

2.      Enhancing building safety and convenience, and

3.      Innovating amenities to meet increased demand for recreation.

Making the home conducive for working

We previously looked to our homes as a refuge and peace of mind after a long day’s work, as well as a safe zone to spend quality time with family and friends. While we hope that the spread of COVID-19 will ultimately abate and our lifestyles regain some semblance of normalcy, it is likely that working from home arrangements will remain in the short-term and become the first line of defense in future pandemics.

For many of us the shift to working from our homes can be discombobulating, as most of our homes are not equipped nor designed to be workstations. Working from home also means our work stresses previously confined to our offices will now pervade the sanctuary that is our homes.

Nevertheless, smart amenity design can address working from home needs. Wall partitions and foldable furniture that can be easily removed enables families to create bigger play or communal areas for quality family time. Conversely, these partitions and furniture can be installed during schooling and working hours to enable members of a family to attend classes or join video conference meetings in private.

Properties can also have designated floors as co-working spaces. Co-working spaces have gained popularity over the last decade and was initially established as an alternative for companies to rent working spaces on-demand as opposed to having to buy office spaces. The appeal of co-working spaces lies in its flexibility to cater to the many needs of an office, from having sound-proof booths to take conference calls and movable furniture to meet the needs for a group discussion or just private rooms for those who wish to work privately.

Enhancing building safety and convenience to services

Besides catering to working from home needs, amenity design will continue to prioritize the safety to its inhabitants without compromising convenience and accessibility. Health experts have always advised to practice proper hygiene measures long before the onset of COVID-19. Both governments and citizens now recognize the importance of hygiene practices in protecting against the spread of COVID-19 and other bacteria and viruses. As such, amenity design moving forward will incorporate sophisticated technologies to mitigate the spread of harmful biohazards without drastically affecting residents’ lifestyles.

“September 11th transformed the way we look at airport and building security. Metal detectors and limits to liquids you can carry onboard a plane are now commonplace at most international airports. Global terrorism was never on the minds of developers until the unthinkable happened. The same fundamental re-evaluation is happening now with building design.” 

“COVID-19 has forced us to rethink how a building can be designed, and has accelerated trends already at work when it comes to building design. Firstly, buildings must be designed to protect inhabitants against deadly pathogens, but more importantly, design must take into account how we’ve fundamentally changed, the importance of more space, improved air quality, and flexible space. This involves promoting hygiene practices seamlessly and conveniently for tenants and residents so that they don’t even realize these amenities are there and feel a sense of returning to normalcy”, says Jeremy Brutus, founder of URBN Playground.

Entry and exit points to a building will employ motion sensor technology and sliding doors to eliminate the need for physical touch. Buildings can provide authorized access to residents via access cards in lieu of physical keys and locks or keypads requiring password access. With shopping shifting to online channels, new buildings will have centralized and sophisticated inventory management systems to store delivered packages for residents and eliminate physical interactions made in door-to-door deliveries.

Frequently used appliances will be replaced with electronic alternatives such as motion triggered faucets, toilet flushes, hand dryers and trash cans. Similarly, automated environmental controls remove the need for inhabitants to adjust the room temperature and can be programmed to only operate whenever a user is present, thus conserving electricity. Electronic disinfecting aerosols can be installed and programmed to periodically disinfect the air. These tools have the added advantage of reducing wastage when not in use and scores brownie points for the environment.

Innovating amenities to meet new demand for leisure and recreation

Finally, innovations to amenity design will also take place in the sphere of recreation and leisure. Most forms of conventional and recreational activities, from a walk in the park to going to a gym are now more difficult to access. Moving forward, developers have to rethink of how recreational space and amenities will be developed. This involves being mindful of social distancing needs while catering to the increased demand for public spaces and amenities owing to reduced options beyond home.

Apps like Amenity Boss and URBN Playground’s own proprietary app allow residents to book amenities directly using smartphones. The use of apps also allows building management to manage and limit the number of users to an amenity in adherence to social distancing requirements. Gym facilities are now built with additional space with separate rooms to accommodate different uses – one section for cardio machines, another for yoga studios and a third for free weights and machines. Sections within the gym are further demarcated and limited to several users to observe social distancing. Hand sanitizers and sprays are provided, and users are expected to spray and wipe equipment after each use. It is also common for gyms to be open 24/7 to accommodate more users to spread out in a day.

Outdoor amenities will similarly be revamped. Residential parks featuring multiple walking and biking paths will serve as alternatives to reduced access to outdoor parks. Pocket gardens can be made for residents seeking a quick getaway, while pet-wash stations can be set up to cater to pet owners. Outdoor sports with minimal physical contact such as tennis and squash courts could now be incorporated in new buildings.

Next steps: Planning ahead for uncertain times

The pandemic has undoubtedly altered our lifestyles and routines from previously ‘normal’ times. While many other aspects and activities in our lives remain in flux, COVID-19 has permanently altered our behavior with regards to personal hygiene within living spaces, particularly our homes. Precautionary measures involving good hygiene practices and social distancing are here to stay well past COVID-19.

Amenity design for the future must account for making the home conducive for working, enhancing building amenities in terms and safety and convenience as well as innovating amenities to cater to the new demands for recreation and leisure.

A Holistic & Integrated Approach to Amenity Management

When it comes to programming amenity spaces within a building, we think of several factors: residents’ preferences and needs, longevity (instead of following trends that may be short-lived), convenience, service-as-a-luxury, and sustainability. 

It may be trendy to talk about building salt rooms and equipping a gym with fancy new machines, but we believe approaching amenities with this “feature-first” approach leads to unutilized spaces and missed opportunities to deliver more value to residents.

Ultimately, we believe in approaching amenity management the other way around - customer-first. We think about our residents and their lifestyles before determining the best way to outfit and program amenity spaces. 

Lifestyles first, features second

Before we even determine what machines to fill a gym with, we determine if the residents in the building are the type that would spend more time in group classes in a yoga studio, or one-on-one with a personal trainer lifting weights. 

Likewise, before we think about how to design a beautiful lobby or party space, we think about what services residents are likely to use, and how those will interact with the space. Can we enable them to book a decorator or party planner directly through a concierge app when they want to use the party room? 

And when residents shop online or order groceries, food deliveries, or laundry services, is there a designated package holding room with not only enough space to accommodate the increased online shopping as a result of physical distancing, but also with appropriate storage facilities (eg. refrigerators and hangers)?

All of these are important considerations for us when we think about designing and managing amenities in a way that will drive maximum utilization and return on investment. 

Creating a sense of “place”

As luxury and convenience becomes increasingly valued by residents, many residential buildings have started to offer services and amenities similar to those at hotels. These include white-glove concierge service, in-house coffee shops, and in-house cleaning and laundry services, among others. 

But what will distinguish a residential building from a hotel where guests come and go is fostering a sense of community. Prior to the pandemic, we organized wine nights, movie nights, themed Halloween and Super Bowl parties, and kids’ concerts to bring residents together and build community. 

During physical distancing, we turned to virtual programming to fill this gap. We teamed up with top local comedians featured on Comedy Central, Netflix, and SF Sketchfest, along with local restaurants to organize a series of dinner + comedy shows to raise funds for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, while keeping people entertained and safe while they stayed at home.

We also organized a pet adoption drive, teaming up with local shelters to arrange virtual adoption drives, then transporting pets from shelters to the homes of residents who decided to adopt a furry companion to keep them company during physically distant times. 

Supporting the local community

We believe communities don’t exist in isolation. In aiming to foster community among the residents of a building, we also aim to support the wider local community and small family-run businesses. 

URBN Playground’s approach to thinking globally and building community locally is evident in the partners we choose to work with - from working with national wellness brands like Athleta to produce fitness related events that shape the community, while choosing to buy from local farms, ice-cream shops, breweries, florists, and bakeries for our events. 

For example, we have partnered with the farmer-owned dairy company, Hudson Valley Fresh Dairy, to provide apartment residents in Manhattan and Brooklyn with farm-to-fridge fresh milk and dairy products through the URBN Playground concierge app, delivered to their doorstep in as little as 3 days.

We also work closely with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to hire and train refugees to work in frontline roles, delivering essential services to residents and customers, giving this group of people important employment opportunities. 

We believe that as we support others, others support us too. By connecting developers and building management companies, and consulting and working with local, artisanal, and organic businesses, we’re able to create powerful partnerships that touch many lives within the community. By thinking win-win, we’re able to deliver enhanced, holistic residential lifestyle experiences for those we serve, while continuing to innovate and optimize how we use amenity spaces. 

How Amenities Are Evolving Through COVID-19

How has COVID-19 altered conventional living?

Modern living has been redefined since the advent of COVID-19. Children are attending school virtually, with their parents within earshot, tuned into a work conference call. Conventional recreation and social activities became restricted and we’ve had to pick up new pastimes while being forced indoors.

As people shelter in place, amenities play a bigger role than ever before, providing convenience, comfort, and recreation. 

3 Key Implications Underlying Changes to Amenities

Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, 5 million employees in the US alone were already working from home. Current government-imposed restrictions for both public and private sectors have increased these figures exponentially, given the global scale of migration to working from home arrangements.

As work and play shifts to the home, this has three important implications in transforming amenities within properties. These are:

1. Increased hygiene measures in shared spaces,

2. Enabling work and social activities to take place at home, and

3. Minimizing risk of exposure to COVID-19 from beyond the premises.

Increasing hygiene measures within shared spaces

An array of measures have been introduced to reduce the risk of transmission within communal areas. These revolve around minimizing physical contact or altogether replacing it with touch-free appliances that are frequently accessed by residents in a multi-family property.

Examples of this include automatic appliances such as motion-triggered faucets, bins, toilets, and doors fitted with keycard access. Where prevention of physical contact is difficult, automatic sanitizer dispensers, disinfectant wipes, face masks, and gloves are made available. Additionally, areas that are commonly accessed in buildings such as function rooms, public toilets and elevators are disinfected regularly and only permit a fixed number of users at any given time.

Enabling work and social activities to take place at home

The shift of social and work activities to the home has also required infrastructural changes to support the transition. A stable and fast internet connection with sufficient bandwidth is needed to support an entire building’s worth of users and the occasional spikes in use. (No one likes to be disconnected from an important work call!) 

In common areas such as co-working lounges, soundproof rooms or pods are set up to enable residents to participate in calls without interrupting or being interrupted. Furniture that is easily disassembled and reassembled to cater to social distancing norms have also become popular so the number of users a space can accommodate at a time can be scaled up or down easily. 

Recreational amenities such as fitness centers have also seen their share of changes. Workout stations and machines have been spaced out to observe social distancing rules. To accommodate the needs of residents, certain gyms are open around-the-clock to compensate for only permitting a limited number of users at any given time. Apps such as URBN Playground allow property management to allocate and reserve time slots, confirm absence of symptoms, track and log the use of residents in amenities in a building.

Minimizing risk of exposure to COVID-19 from beyond the premises

New amenities have also been introduced to ensure that the pandemic does not find its way into homes from the outside. New apps have popped up that only permit authorized personnel such as food and delivery services to enter the premises, subject to health screening at the point of entry. A rise in online shopping has led to the development of mailroom management systems with locker apps that ensure packages are delivered to residents securely, giving residents the option of permitting building entry without having to leave the confines of their unit. 

What does this mean?

This transformation in amenities triggered by the pandemic is likely to continue into the future, offering flexibility, safety, and convenience to residents. 

For building developers and designers working on ongoing projects, important questions will need to be answered: Will social distancing and new hygienic practices become the new norm? Should floor plans, layouts, and lifestyle programming within a building take into account and cater to long-term social distancing, or should you plan for flexibility and ease of scaling up and down operations as needed? Will you focus on providing more square footage to accommodate socially-distanced amenities or will you favor spaces that can be multipurpose or compartmentalized? How will technology be implemented to ensure safety, hygiene, and convenience? 

The answers to these considerations are nuanced, and require careful consideration. While social distancing presents constraints and challenges, it’s also an opportunity for creativity and re-imagining spaces and amenities of the future.

Smart Homes and How Residents Can Take Advantage

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Ask anyone on what the word home evokes of and most will recount fond memories of conviviality, peace and safety. From natural primitive shelters to edifices of steel and glass, the home has always been close to all our hearts. Especially in a time when most of the world has been “sheltering in place”, home as a place of comfort and protection has never been more important.

Today’s smart homes invoke the same feelings and functions of yesteryears, albeit with new bells and whistles to make the present living experience even more enjoyable and secure, while being sustainable.

What Is a Smart Home?

A smart home is essentially a structure that is seamlessly integrated with technology to enhance the living experience of its residents. These technologies allow residents to control elements of their home environment in real-time, such as automating the usage of lights, accessing security or selecting ventilation and air conditioning systems, all with a few touches or strokes on a screen.

Certain smart homes possess biometric security entry systems that offer convenient yet secure access. Other smart homes boast remote security access, whether to let the plumber in or to view your security cameras when you are away and want to check on how the kids or pets are doing.

Why Does a Smart Home Matter?

Aside from offering a new experience of comfort and security, smart homes are also kinder to the environment. Environmental concerns are now a priority for many when living in a home, and being able to promote a building’s environmental features is a major selling point. A 2019 survey found that 77% of Americans and Australians want to learn more about how to live sustainably. These days, not only is it important for a building to possess systems to cater to the individual needs of its inhabitants, but it also must be dynamically integrated to reduce its residents’ carbon footprint.

Construction of modern smart homes employ the latest developments in architecture and engineering that provide an equal if not better living experience while utilizing cutting-edge techniques that rely on smart use of construction materials. For instance, Tesla recently unveiled its Solar Roof that puts a roof over our heads while harnessing solar energy for domestic use, powering your home while saving the environment.

What Are the Benefits to Residents and Home-Owners?

Buildings that are seamlessly integrated with technology enable residents to program functions tailored to the needs of its residents. For instance, motion sensors integrated with information systems will trigger lighting only when residents are present or illuminate areas of the home based on the daily routines of its residents. For instance, most would prefer dimmer lights for enjoying a relaxed evening meal as opposed to chopping vegetables, and a smart kitchen would allow for easy adjustment of the lighting to fit the mood. This alleviates decision-making for residents while conserving energy.\

What Are the Benefits to Building Owners?

For building owners, the smart use of energy and efficient building design can help to combat depreciation on the property by making the building more attractive over a longer period of time. In the long run, maintenance costs can be reduced substantially as well, as amenities and the structural integrity of the buildings are better preserved. Findings indicate that smart home applications can even save up to 23% on heating and cooling costs while requiring fewer repairs.

In Conclusion...

The notion of a fun, safe and comfortable home will always resonate deeply for most of us. The smart home is now proving to not only redefine conventional and traditional experiences of a home, but also proving to be the environmentally sounder option. For aspiring homeowners, renters, or developers, the smart home is the obvious choice to best meet the needs of the future.

5 Ways an Amenity Consultant Will Add Value to Your Property

As a property developer, you’ve done extensive research before launching your new project. You’ve taken into account rental demand, resale value, real estate value, and market demographics. Perhaps you've even hired a property consultant to help you manage your building.

Why then hire an amenity consultant to tell you how to plan, program and manage the facilities within your building? There are many reasons to engage professional amenity consultants. The benefits you can reap range from increased real estate value, to enhanced reputation, to greater utilization of facilities, which may be the most important benefit, as it is linked to cost efficiency.

Read on for the top 5 reasons to hire an amenity consultant:

1. Experience

As a developer, you have several property developments under your belt.

Amenity consultants, however, have worked on a vast range of different types of properties. They have a great understanding of the many things that could go wrong, and can spot potential issues much faster. 

An amenity consultant can also keep you from making the wrong decisions when deciding how to construct and outfit your building. Recently, we had a client who was developing a new residential building in New York City. They were planning to build a traditional business centre in the property, equipped with rows of desktop computers.

We advised them against it, as the neighborhood is defined by its start-up community, rather than a traditional business community. Instead, we helped them redesign their business lounge to a co-working space.

Rather than equipping the space with computers, we ensured there were plenty of power points for freelancers to plug in their own laptops and phones to. They used the money they would have spent on computers to buy 3D printers, drafting tables, and virtual reality goggles instead. Rather than building a typical business center that would likely go unused, we designed the space for discussions or even to be a creative studio where people could embrace their maker instincts unfettered. (I’m eagerly waiting for new sneakers to be made, size 14 double E please!)

This example may seem simple. But when you’ve spent a long time figuring out how to add value to your building, consultants can come in with a fresh perspective. The changes they suggest may not make a big difference budget-wise, but can significantly affect the appeal of a building.

2. An Independent Perspective

It can be difficult to be objective when you’ve spent months looking at a project from all angles.

As you work on a building project, you might find that some of your initial plans and ideas might not be so ideal when it comes to the implementation. Amenity consultants can give you a fresh point of view, help you understand the operational impact of those decisions, and help you see what else you could be doing.

For example, at some point, everyone wanted to be part of a fully-equipped fitness center. Building developer were investing heavily into expensive equipment and large fitness centers.

Today, the trend has started moving towards group fitness. Everyone wants a routine designed for their lifestyle and personality, and they want to do it with others who share the same interest. This has seen people rushing to build yoga, cycling, cross fit studios, and so on.

Amenity consultants have a wider range of experience and have seen trends come and go. They’ve seen massive fitness centers that are only utilized by a handful of people. They've seen small fitness studios that opened with sold out classes, but a year later, are struggling to pay their rent and drive utilization.

They can provide that objectivity to help you evaluate if you really need that large a fitness center... or if perhaps a small gym with special features will suffice. They will help you decide if you need to build a new yoga studio... or if that money will be better channeled to hire a yoga instructor to run classes in the park next to the building or on your rooftop.

They will help you decide what is right for your community, and what will be sustainable in the long term - not what is trending.

3. Cost savings

Amenity consultants help you negotiate vendor contracts, conduct feasibility studies, and recruit the right service staff for your property development’s amenities. This can help you not only save money, but also avoid costly mistakes. You only get one chance to open successfully and make an impression with your launch, so it’s crucial to plan well in advance, as one of our clients learnt the hard way.

This client decided to engage us closer to the time they were about to launch their new property, which they had already built with saunas and steam rooms. They were not aware of the permits required from the city’s Health Department. The permit application should have been submitted two years ago, with the building engineering plans.

The client had hired both an interior designer and architect to advise them on how the saunas and steam rooms should be built. Yet neither one of them had raised a red flag about the lack of a permit and public engineering certification with the city.

After months of marketing the sauna, steam, and spa facilities and spending money on building them, the developer had to launch the property without operational saunas and steam rooms, even though they were already built. Had they engaged us at an earlier stage, this costly mistake would have been avoided through our previous experience with successful permit applications.

Amenity consultants also help you save money through negotiating for better equipment pricing. They work with multiple clients at a time, and often buy similar equipment for different clients in bulk, passing on the cost savings. Keep in mind that an amenity consultant may be building 5, 10, or even 15 fitness centers per year, while you may be developing or opening one or two projects per year.

4. Higher Returns

Amenity consultants will help to design lifestyle programs that increase your community's appeal. Their aim is to transform basic facilities into special experiences and memories for residents and guests. This gives you the ability to command higher rates, while occupancy levels and year-over-year retention improve as well. 

Some of the programs and events we have planned for our clients include beer parties and film festivals. These events have helped clients appeal to and retain an important new market, the up-and-coming generation of Millennials. 

5. An Enhanced Reputation

An amenity consultant can help you improve a building's appeal by designing programs tailored to the needs of the community. It could be day care services for working parents, or yoga classes for stressed-out professionals.

The happier your residents are with their environment, the more differentiated your building becomes. The more unique the experiences you create, the better word-of-mouth marketing becomes.

For one of the projects we worked on, we realized that there was a sizable community of musicians in the neighborhood. We suggested building a recording studio in the building, where musicians could jam and record music.

Most residential buildings stick to the usual gym, sauna, lounge, and business center amenities. This unconventional move, however, generated lots of buzz for the developer. Out of 350 units, more than 15 tenants reported moving in specifically because they heard about the recording studio.  

In short, yes, you can do a lot of the work a consultant does on your own. But having an amenity consultant on your team makes the job simpler, saves time and cost, and increases the value of your property. 

Marketing vs Operations: Building a Successful Property in the Age of the Customer

In the past, while customers controlled the buying decision, sellers controlled not only the products/services being offered, but information about those products and services.

Today, thanks to technology and the Internet, sellers no longer control information about their products and services. At the tap of a button, users can share reviews and information about their experiences with the rest of the world.

For property developers, this means that simply winning awards and receiving traditional media attention for your property and program is not enough.

To win the hearts and business of customers in an era where the rules have changed, property developers must go beyond typical measures of prestige (such as awards and fancy amenities) when it comes to marketing their property. They must now focus instead on ways to enhance the service experience for every customer.

The Conflict Between Marketing and Operations

Of course, enhancing the customer experience is easier said than done, because it involves a conflict between marketing and operations. Marketing focuses on top-line revenue and, accordingly, seeks invention and creativity in order to win new business, while operations is concerned with cost, efficiency, and execution. This being the case, conflict is inevitable.

Wearing the marketing hat, one is focused on reaching as many new and potential customers/buyers/renters as possible, possibly at the expense of keeping up the standard of operations. Wearing the operational hat, one might be tempted to keep costs low and not invest in the additional enhancements needed to raise staff functionality and service levels.

These two hats are often seen at odds with each other – however, I’d like to suggest that they are not at odds, but rather, complementary.

Excellent operations lead to enhanced reputation in the long-run and drive sales.

A good marketer will not neglect the importance of operations, while a good operations manager will understand how operations drives revenue.

Investing in Customer Happiness

A clear sign that marketing and operations is being done right is simply happy customers.

Happy customers are the result of a great reputation (the promise) + a great experience (the promise fulfilled).

Marketing drives the promise, and operations fulfills the promise. Working hand in hand, both marketing and operational functions should be making investments in:

 #1 - Training and equipping personnel:

As your occupancy rates grow, and as the value of the property increases, the investment into staff should grow accordingly. Staff should be trained to deliver an even higher level of service, and there should be an increased sense of mission for top-performing staff.

#2 - Research and development:

Top businesses are never satisfied with achieving a level of success – for every achievement, they strive to top it, and add more value to their stakeholders and the lives of the people they touch.

Likewise, instead of just striving to be the best in the industry, look at how to innovate even further through research and development. This will ensure you become not only a market contender, but a leader for years to come.

#3 - Constant improvement of service levels:

Success is easier to attain than it is to maintain. A player with an established reputation in the market will be put under more scrutiny and shown less mercy when a mistake is made. Therefore, the goal should be to have a service provider that is creative and that will never be satisfied with service levels, constantly striving to maintain, improve, and surpass them.

When the gap between marketing and operations in bridged, property developers will be able to deliver the level of service that gets people leaving glowing reviews on online platforms.

Think of your customer as basketball’s proverbial Sixth Man, the first person to be substituted from the bench. The Sixth Man is that player who can play multiple players and roles throughout a game, and is just waiting for the signal to jump into action. The presence of a great bench player is a sign of team depth and excellence.

Just like in basketball, every customer you serve represents untapped potential, waiting to be unleashed. If you execute your service plan right, you end up with many bench players who could be stellar substitutes for your marketing team, your PR team, or your crisis communications team – at the ready, just waiting to tell the world how great you are.

This continues in a positive cycle, because glowing customer reviews will lead to a better bottom line and increased staff morale. That in turn will ensure operations keeps running like a well-oiled machine. And that consistency and excellence is what will keep people coming back.

How deep is your bench of delighted customers?