Building for Connected Living

Building social connections are vital to our everyday experiences. And now more than ever, we need spaces that can enrich the urban living experience.

While city living has plenty of perks to offer, from vibrant restaurant scenes to cultural events, Metro Vancouver rentals and condos often lack that same vibrancy in the buildings themselves. But this doesn’t have to be the case. Thoughtful retail amenities and shared spaces can create a more connected residential community.

According to our Homes Not For Sale survey, the most frequented businesses for respondents are coffee shops and grocery stores. Now, imagine if your most-visited retailers were just a hop away and felt integrated into the programming of your building? And about shared spaces – wouldn’t you want to have the option to step into a co-working space in your building? 

In this Thinking piece, we look at how retail can seamlessly feel part of conventional living areas and how shared spaces can bring more connection to a resident’s daily life. 

Retail as Social Catalyst

In our City Focus series, we’ve looked at how integrated retail can bring more connectivity to everyday living. At The Audo in Copenhagen, they’ve devised a concept store that invites guests to experience the house as a whole. Everything from the art displayed or the accessories in the space – even the furniture – is possible to purchase. Not only that, spaces at The Audo are programmed for social activations – from artist pop-ups to chef collaborations – creating a vibrant intersection of social and cultural events.

Crossing the Atlantic, the Urby rental developments on the east coast make sure residents are never too far away from their caffeine fix. Residents have direct access to a vibrant social hub right in the lobby. Every facility has an integrated coffee shop that works as a place for residents to decompress, mingle or work. 

In Metro Vancouver, commercial components of rental developments have the potential to bring more meaningful social spaces for residents. If programmed with community at the core, there are greater opportunities for activity, culture, community involvement.

For our rental division Comma, we are executing a curated retail strategy that fundamentally believes in a unique, independent and diverse community of retailers that bring greater value and loyalty to our rental developments and retail tenants. For Comma-Fraser, we are developing spaces for residents to connect with each other, their neighbours and the community – be it retail or shared amenities.

Living Spaces Beyond Resident Units

Beyond the potential of thoughtful retail being a game-changer in developments, shared amenity spaces also need to be more than just a space you can book for a one-off dinner party. For Linea, our shared spaces are designed to feel as open and social or as private as a resident would use them. From designated co-working spaces, a media room, or a game room, residents can truly have expansive living.

The Future of Amenities with Rize

We believe that the vibrancy of urban living should also be a facet of the built environment. With our future developments – from rental to condos – we are building connected communities that make sense for our residential and retail tenants.

From our curated retail strategy to our shared amenity programming, we are rooted in connectivity that’s designed for you, your neighbourhood, and for the future.

Take a peek into what the future of curated retail can be: https://commaproperties.ca/