Iñaki Gabilondo, the well known Spanish reporter returns to Movistar plus # 0 with the fifth season of “When I am gone”. A very interesting TV show that asks the question, what will the world look like in 25 years?
In this season, in addition to interviewing great national and international experts, he will encourage debates through anonymous questions posed by the public.
In 2050 it is estimated that 10,000 million inhabitants live in the world, this will affect architecture, it will only be necessary to build four times more than what is built. To better understand the contrast between the world that arrives and the one that is destroyed, in this chapter we will turn our gaze to a group of anonymous people who are dedicated to looking for new models of Coexistence, other types of neighborhood ties or spaces to share professional experiences.
On this episode, Iñaki visits Urban Campus Malasaña Coliving to discuss new ways of living, and interviews one of our residents Teresa, as part of a round table with some other game-changers and entrepreneurs.
We are really happy to have hosted Movistar Plus and their innovative show, and to keep contributing to changing the way people live in cities!
Urban Campus interview at “Mundo Emprende” show from esRadio
Mundo Emprende is a Spanish Radioshow that aims to promote and spread culture and entrepreneurship in Spain, by sharing tips, ideas, and guidelines, that every entrepreneur should know. They also interview key players of the entrepreneurial scene in Spain, and so Ana and Marta were invited to share the Urban Campus story, explaining what we do and our mission to revolutionize how people live and interact in cities through our coliving spaces.
Curios on how it went? Watch the full Urban Campus interview at “Mundo Emprende” esRadio!
They interviewed two of our residents, and they got to discovered what coliving means, what our community is like and how it is to live at Urban Campus!
Watch Urban Campus residents on Televisión Española below!
The French company, which has two colivings, two coworkings and a foodlab in Madrid, is “very interested” in Barcelona, is in negotiations to enter Valencia and Malaga and plans to reach Seville and Bilbao in the near future.
The company’s CEO John van Oost told EjePrime that the French company is making new & great movements in the Spanish coliving sector. Urban Campus will manage residences in Spain worth 150-200M € on behalf of institutional investors, to develop coliving spaces in Spain in the next five years. The company plans to build at least ten new centres in the main cities of Spain, that would add some 2,000 beds. The CEO added, “we would like to invest more and we have the capacity to do so.” Van Oost assured that the company has “big plans” for Spain and that they are currently in negotiations “to acquire four or five assets” in Madrid.
URBAN CAMPUS MALASAÑA MADRID COLIVING
He continued to explain that the company’s investors have a great interest in entering the Barcelona market and are “very excited” to branch into the city. However, the Catalan capital has a “very complicated market” because of a decrease in prices caused by regulations that require dedicating 30% of new promotions to social housing, which has caused sellers to ” prefer to wait. ” In addition, he emphasises that the municipal regulations of Barcelona “are very restrictive with coliving” and that the council led by Ada Colau do “not understand what this housing solution is and how it works”. Continuing on this subject, the CEO repeated that coliving “is not tourist housing” and explained that the average age of their tenants is 32, with contracts usually lasting one year. In addition, he says that they receive “200 requests a week”, many of which come “from companies that want a space for their expatriate workers”.
URBAN CAMPUS MELLADO MADRID COLIVING
So far the company, which wants to reach thirty cities in Europe in the next five years, has five assets in Madrid which consist of two colivings, two coworkings and a foodlab, a space that Van Oost has defined as a coworking for the industry of food, complete with an industrial kitchen. In total, the company has 120 beds available in the two coliving spaces, which total more than 5,000 square meters, with the two flexible workspaces and the foodlab adding another 3,000 square meters. Urban Campus dedicates 80% of its assets to coliving , and the rest to workspaces, all housed in new and completely renovated buildings.
“El Referente” a Spanish publication for entrepreneurs, wrote an article about Urban Campus’ Foodlab and how this new space is allowing gastronomic entrepreneurs to develop their projects in Madrid.
Read full article here in Spanish or find the translation below.
Foodlab is defined as a Coworking for gastronomic entrepreneurs, to help improve their productivity and launch their culinary projects, thanks to a supportive community.
Foodlab is the first project aimed at cuisine, developed by Urban Campus, the European startup, specialised in creating shared and collaborative coliving and coworking spaces.
This new space is located in Madrid. In it entrepreneurs from the food industry can create, test and start-up their businesses, without the demand of a large economic investment to get things going. Located in the heart of the capital, Foodlab has spaces to carry out ‘foodie’ activities, such as ‘show-cookings’ and tastings, and host events that help shine a light on emerging businesses. In addition, many of the Foodlab members distribute their food daily through delivery platforms, as with its professional kitchen it’s the perfect environment to cook without investing huge amounts of money on opening a restaurant.
Professional kitchen at Urban Campus Foodlab
Foodlab is defined as an infrastructure-level tool that improves entrepreneurial productivity because it allows members to have a coworking space and a fully equipped professional kitchen in one place, that can be booked for hours or days, adapted to the needs of each business. It also offers networking spaces where you can engage in conversation with other professionals in the sector.
Urban Campus currently has a community of more than 250 people who share ideas, resources, and contacts to launch or boost their businesses, depending on the phase in which it is in.
Maxime presented Urban Campus’s project at the Maison&Objet conference, where he explained the challenges of creating flexible spaces to live, work & enjoy. He also talked about the impact on the modularity of furniture and how to extend the use of the space throughout the day, at this design, lifestyle & architecture-focused conference.
He shared the talk with Mathilde Maître (Head of Design at Fabernovel), Pauline Deltour (Designer) and Hélène Aguilar (Founder of “Où est le beau”). Some fruitful conclusions and interesting points were mentioned such as the flexibility, comfort and practicability needed in spaces nowadays.
Urban Campus is redefining the way we live together in cities. Our coliving and coworking spaces host an inspiring community of curious minds!
Now you can meet them and discover their stories, projects, and experiences.
Welcome to Urban Campus Community Stories!
Meet Juan, a very special one, as he was one of our first coworkers at Urban Campus Jerónimo! Juan is part of Shadow Robot, a company that builds Robotic Hands which have been used by NASA on a Mars mission! Want to know more? Watch his video!
Meet Teresa, a resident who traveled the world for 4 years and decided to settle back in Madrid. She joined Urban Campus Mellado coliving, to push her project on how to create a minimalist lifestyle! She also works as a Senior Marketing Manager on the Pharma industry, and on top of that, she is always helping other residents on their Marketing projects!
Meet Jesús Javier, a resident who moved to Spain to kickstart his career in the gastronomy industry and founded Graneo, Pullum and other brands at our Foodlab, a dedicated coworking for gastro entrepreneurs with a professional kitchen! Curious about our Foodlab? Watch his full story!
MeetPierre, one of our coworkers at Jerónimo Madrid Coworking and Transparent CEO and cofounder. Transparent, gathers millions of data on the short-term rental market and provides it to its global clients, so they can make better decisions! Watch his story!
Telefónica’s “Think Big” blog, interviewed Urban Campus to dive deeper into the rising phenomenon that is co-living and what we do here.
In the article ¨Coliving, or how to live and network without leaving your home ¨ Mar, from Telefónica, talks about us, the unique benefits we offer to our residents, and why they choose to live at our campuses.
MALASAÑA MADRID COLIVING – APARTMENT
Interested about coliving and Urban Campus? You can find the full article here in Spanish or keep reading below in English.
“Coliving” or how to live, work and network without leaving your home
There are many definitions that try to explain coliving, a trend that has came to Europe directly from Silicon Valley and that is becoming a social and business phenomenon. Live, work, enjoy and network, all in one place. That is the philosophy of coliving and it has come to stay, responding to our ever evolving society. Spaces to live and work! Today’s generation wants to share, there’s no doubt about that! And to respond to that demand, the real estate market has come up with an answer: coliving. According to the data collected in the “II Observatory of Housing in Spain”, done by Century 21, 0.3% of people aged between 18 and 34 years old live in this type of accommodation in Spain. Whilst it is still a small figure, all signs indicate that it won’t stop growing in the incoming years, with companies realising the need in cities such as Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia or Malaga.
Urban Campus
One of them is Urban Campus, a company that made its appearance in the real estate market in 2016 and has opened five buildings in Madrid, which have impacted more than 600 peoples’ lives already! Their vision and goal? “Respond to social changes by developing and operating campuses (buildings) centred on people”.
“Our mission is to change the way people live and interact in cities,” explains Marta Torres, Marketing Manager at Urban Campus, who reiterates how coliving is the answer to a real estate and societal scene that is outdated for today’s generation.
MALASAÑA MADRID COLIVING
How coliving was born
Coliving originated in Silicon Valley where many young professionals, who wanted to make connections that would help them in their personal and professional growth, struggled to find affordable housing. In Spain, especially in large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, this is also happening, and it is increasingly difficult to meet this current housing demand. “We live in buildings designed 60 or 70 years ago, and the real estate offer does not reflect the current way of living,” says Marta Torres. “It is very difficult for young people to become independent or to find the type of housing that really meets their needs at a price that they can afford, whilst having a little flexibility in their lease contracts ,” she continues.
Exorbitant prices, enormous buildings with wasted spaces and lease contracts that are too strict are encouraging coliving. But these are not the only reasons. Offers of rooms, studios or apartments with all bills included (electricity, water, WiFi), shared spaces to create communities, gyms, barbecues, entertainment rooms, cooking classes, yoga, concerts and more, all included for a price that starts at 700 euros per month.
The coliving formula is easy: share a building, your free time, interests and, why not, professional challenges. “The profile of people who are interested in this way of life are young professionals between 30 and 40 years old, who want privacy, but also to belong to a community of people with similar interests and ambitions, in which it is possible for them to expand their network and achieve their goals, personal or professional, ”explains Marta Torres.
Some are entrepreneurs looking for synergies when setting up their startup. Others share a passion or have just arrived in Madrid and seek to share experiences with other people, without giving up comfort and flexibility, both of which we offer. “We do not ask for pay slips or guarantors and allow a minimum stay of one month that, of course, can be extended,” she adds. This alternative attracts more and more young entrepreneurs who see how, in addition to a place to live which is flexible and their own work space, they have a community where they can find other professionals or entrepreneurs, with whom to share ideas and make partnerships.
COLIVING MALASAÑA
Geographical mobility
“Many of our residents have helped or participated in each other’s projects. Some have even found a job thanks to being a part of our community. ” “All our members have access to our five buildings in Madrid, being able to attend all networking events with people living and working in our buildings.”
This option goes beyond an economic point of view (not having to pay rent for your home, plus that of an office). Coliving is a formula that responds to several needs such as geographical mobility without ties, networking, community, common interests, professional and work opportunities and leisure, “all in one solution”.
“In the last 3 years we have opened five spaces in Spain (2 coworkings, 2 colivings and a foodlab, a space for gastronomic entrepreneurs) and we have more than 30 projects in the pipeline, for the next five years in Europe,” said the head of Marketing at Urban Campus.
Maxime Depreux is joining Urban Campus, a leading operator of co-living residences in Europe, founded in 2016 by John van Oost and Maxime Armand, to support the company’s ambitious growth plans.
Maxime will be joining Urban Campus after 10 years at Hammerson, where he is Chief Operating Officer – Premium Outlets, in charge of the European portfolio of outlets of the Hammerson group.
Maxime will be bringing his experience in Business Development to Urban Campus in order to extend their operations across Europe, and launch institutional investment vehicles dedicated to opportunities in the contemporary managed-residential space in which the company operates.
“I am elated about the opportunity to join the talented and passionate Urban Campus team. Urban Campus has a strong vision & strategy organised around the 3 pillars of real estate, community, content and technology; and I’m looking forward to helping the company transform the residential real estate industry.” says Maxime Depreux, HEC Paris alumni.
Urban Campus successfully developed and currently operates 5 spaces in Madrid with 110 rooms and 200 workstations, will open 30 residences in Europe within five years, and considers France as one of the key markets for its development, with the scheduled opening of three residences in Paris, Pantin and Ivry in the next months.
Urban Campus was founded by John van Oost and Maxime Armand following the observation of the evolution of urban lifestyles and the lack of reactivity of the real estate market in regards of these changes.
In Paris, for example, 70% of households are composed by a single person or a couple without children, which creates new needs in terms of housing and lifestyle, including the search for places suitable for living in a community, to avoid loneliness.
Urban Campus residences, whose surface varies between 4,000 and 8,000 m², are designed based on the findings gathered through economic and sociological studies and observations, and offer living spaces on which the model is based on four fundamental elements:
All-inclusive service for residents
A rich community life animated by community developers, which act as facilitators within each residence
A warm and intimate decor
Internally developed technological solutions
Urban Campus is based on a solid model and relies on partners who have an existing housing stock and who consider co-living as a promising asset class. Urban Campus is not afraid to set up in development urban areas or in buildings that were originally non-residential; the essential criteria is the proximity of commercial area and public transportation.
The Urban Campus model is based on new residential needs clearly identified in urban areas:
A flexible and easy to access system
A true community identity within the residence
A balanced lifestyle
Personal and professional development
The great success of Urban Campus residences in Madrid, with 95% of residents recommending the concept to their friends and 35% extending their stay, is proof about Urban Campus having all the assets in hand to consolidate its presence in the residential real estate segment.
“With our vibrant campuses in Madrid and a robust pipeline of projects with leading real estate investors, we have demonstrated the success of our business model. Maxime will help Urban Campus to develop faster and enter new markets,” says John van Oost, Co-founder and CEO at Urban Campus.
Founded in 2016 by John van Oost and Maxime Armand, Urban Campus redefines the rules of residential housing in major European cities by offering co-living, co-working and community spaces adapted to new lifestyles.
About John van Oost – Co-founder & CEO John van Oost posses 30 years experience in real estate & venture capital.
He has been the founder and managing partner of:
Fluxus Ventures, a VC firm headquartered in Palo Alto, that backs proptech startups.
Captiva Capital Management that raised more than €3.8B of equity capital from global institutional investors to incubate and fund 9 real estate platforms in 4 European countries and Singapore. These platforms acquired and managed more than 1,800 properties worth in excess of €13.2B.
Alstria Office AG, the largest German REIT with 116 office buildings and a market cap of €2.6B.
BS in Economics and MBA from KU Leuven. MS in Material Sciences & Engineering from Stanford University
About Maxime Armand Co-founder & COO Maxime Armand holds a Master in IT engineering from Mines-Télécom Institute and a Master in urban services engineering from Sciences-Po.
He has spent most of his career developing digital products in companies such as:
Fabernovel as Lead Project Managerl, leading digital innovation company with 400 employees in 5 countries. Designing new digital product and services for CAC 40 companies. Among other projects, Maxime developed a fully automated “on-demand” coworking offer for Alstria Office REIT, prototyped connected objects for L’Oreal,…
System engineer for Ecomouv, geotracking solution for the French good vehicles transit toll, the HGV eco-tax.
