Jon Jones

The 10-story building may look like a hotel, but it is thought to be the world’s biggest large-scale house-share, offering modest rooms and upscale services for hundreds of young adults caught in London’s housing crisis. The Old Oak building, situated on a canal bank in northwest London, opened in the spring of last year, and has become a pioneer of “co-living”, a concept that is beginning to catch on elsewhere, notably in the United States. “Today in cities, we don’t know our neighbors, housing is more and more expensive. We’re living behind our devices and this is addressing that challenge,” said Ryan Fix, consultant at The Collective, the project’s developer. This was no niche market, he insisted: “It’s going to be a massive movement in the coming decades.” Ed Thomas, who manages the property for The Collective, offers a tour of the 546-room building and its facilities. “You’ve got a […]