Appearing to be three single family houses in downtown Charlottesville is actually the rediscovery of a housing concept that has been around forever and has just started to regain popularity. In each of the houses four unrelated single people or couples each rent their own fully furnished bedroom and bathroom suite, then share the well appointed kitchen, comfortable living room, and quality outdoor space with the other three living in each Coliving house. Young professionals and people who’s work moves them about often have shown a lot of interest in this style of housing due to its great rental experience coupled with a built-in social circle that simply isn’t available when renting a house or an apartment by yourself.
The balancing act of public space and private space is of utmost importance to create places for socializing but also places for being alone. Each suite has its own connection to the outdoors and light from at least two sides. The public deck and private balconies both overlook the mountains.
We worked with Tom Hickman to create the design, renderings and permit drawings which he marketed and built. Even during the pandemic the houses were fully rented before they were complete.
Sharing space is a great way to reduce your environmental impact so the systems in the houses are also doing their part:
Variable speed inverter heat pumps efficiently heat and cool without the need for fossil fuels. Fresh air is brought into the house with an energy recovery ventilator to save energy while achieving great indoor air quality. Last but not least is the heat pump water heater which generates hot water four times more efficiently than a gas or electric heater.
The Housing Lab 