Munich/Shanghai. As urbanisation continues to gather
pace, attractive living spaces in large cities are becoming
increasingly sparse. Indeed, more people than ever are living within a
shrinking footprint. With MINI LIVING, MINI is addressing these
developments and creating the first co-living project in China. MINI
is working with Chinese project developer Nova Property Investment Co.
to transform an unused industrial complex in the Jing’An district of
Shanghai into a multi-layered co-living initiative made up of
apartments, working spaces and cultural/leisure offerings. The
conversion work is slated to begin before the end of this year.
Launched in 2016, MINI LIVING has explored new kinds of living
concepts which seek to maximise quality of life within minimal spaces
– all in keeping with the brand’s “Creative Use of Space” motto. The
project in Shanghai sees MINI translating the concept idea
encapsulated by its previous installations into an actual building
project for the first time. A former paint factory will be transformed
into an urban hotspot with generous space for working, interaction and
living. Here, MINI LIVING will offer apartments, bookable workspaces
and services such as vehicles for shared use as part of a concept
enabling maximum personal flexibility and optimum use of space. The
MINI LIVING idea that we get more when we share applies not only to
the building’s residents but those of the city as a whole. Indeed,
parts of the MINI LIVING complex will be accessible to the wider public.
“MINI has always been an urban brand. It not only has its finger on
the pulse of the city, it injects that pulse with extra energy,”
explains Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of
BMW AG, responsible for MINI, Rolls-Royce, BMW Motorrad, Customer
Experience and Digital Business Innovation BMW Group. “At MINI we are
also well versed in the intelligent use of space; back in 1959 the
classic Mini was already maximising the experience available within a
very small footprint. MINI LIVING brings this know-how from the
vehicles we drive into the places where we live. We are rethinking the
idea of living space in the city and developing attractive,
need-oriented living concepts. Our aim here is to offer an extremely
high quality of life within an extremely small area.” Peter
Schwarzenbauer signed the contract with Nova Property at MINI’s Urban
Matters brand event in Shanghai at the start of November.
MINI LIVING is about more than where you live.
The MINI LIVING project in Shanghai is based on an innovative
co-living concept. In an up-and-coming area of the well developed
Jing’An district in the centre of the city, a cluster of six buildings
will be turned into a vibrant urban neighbourhood. MINI LIVING will
become a home for singles, sharers and families on short, medium-term
and extended tenancies. The design and therefore the character of the
apartment interiors is international, modern and clean, and features
references to the history of Shanghai. However, living in an apartment
that occupies only a small surface area in no way means going without.
Anything that doesn’t fit inside the apartments (activities or
objects) can be accommodated in the adjacent spaces.
MINI LIVING offers room to experience community as well. Generously
sized lobbies provide an excellent place to just hang out, while
exhibition areas and a food market invite a closer look. The available
facilities also include gardens, play areas, shops and restaurants,
which people living elsewhere in Shanghai will be welcome to access
too. MINI LIVING is keen to promote social interaction, not only among
the residents themselves but with people from other parts of the city.
After all, one of the key aims of MINI LIVING is to bring people
together and encourage shared experiences.
“With MINI LIVING we’re looking to create a genuine alternative
within the rental market of big cities,” says Esther Bahne, Head of
MINI Brand Strategy and Business Innovation. “We’re offering a place
that can adapt to its residents, is flexible and allows room to
breathe. MINI LIVING gives residents their privacy, but also enables
them to engage with a variety of different people. It makes those
first steps into a new city that much smoother. The idea is that our
residents really feel at home here.”
In addition to the space itself, the project also comprises
additional services that can be accessed digitally. For example,
residents can make restaurant reservations, book room cleaning and
service, order food and rent mobility options. So MINI LIVING not only
demonstrates how space can be used in an intelligent way, it also
offers scope for individualisation and a range of digital services.
Please note: Press images as per the preliminary plans (at November 2017).