Micro-living or co-living, BoConcept has it covered

Brand Story by Sisse Bro

Right next to an imposing mountain wall in the Austrian Alps, a brand-new construction has risen from the ground; a building concept which offers a whole range of solutions to contemporary living demands.

Occupants of the newly built micro-living project in Dornbirn can enjoy a direct view of the area's raw natural beauty. Photo: Frederick Sams

Micro-living is not a new term. In densely populated areas of the world such as in Asian metropoles where larger private living spaces are often prohibitively priced or simply impossible to find, people find ways to be comfortable in smaller apartments, compact but well planned, with every square metre carefully fitted out and organised. In Dornbirn, a town of roughly 46,000 inhabitants in the north-western corner of Austria, one would not necessarily immediately think of micro-living as a necessity, but local real-estate developer, Continuum, has discovered just such a demand in the market and in collaboration with local architects, construction managers and interior designers, developed a format which responds directly to modern living and working ambitions specifically for this region.

The co-living space is impressively bright thanks to two large window facades. The low sofas and the simple and slender furniture allow for light to enter and for occupants to take in the view from all corners of the room. Photos: Frederick Sams

An inventive mix of living solutions
‘We’re right at the border of Austria, Switzerland, Lichtenstein and Germany, here,’ says Maximilian Fröhlich, project manager at Continuum. ‘With the establishment of numerous large international companies in this region, there’s a housing need for all those employees working here on fixed-term contracts. Our intention is to offer them comfortable, modern and innovative living conditions.’

‘The infrastructure we have set up in our department, which includes warehousing and assembly team is focused on scalability to guarantee high levels of flexibility’

The newly built project in Dornbirn – the first of four, another three are currently under construction in the same area – proposes not only compact living, but an inventive mix of individual and communal living solutions. Besides the two-room apartments, all below 30 square metres, the building comprises various co-living spaces like fitness room, co-working space, dining and lounge areas and a large terrasse. The residents can therefore smoothly move between their private sphere and a more sociable environment.

BoConcept Dornbirn was responsible for fitting out apartments as well as co-living spaces with furniture and accessories throughout; a natural and soft colour palette ensures an overall harmony. Photos: Frederick Sams

Serving an evolving market
Matthias Cardin, interior designer at BoConcept in Dornbirn, and his team were chosen as a partner for this project, as well as the three that are to follow. This was a challenge that Cardin took on with great enthusiasm, understanding the great potential of such a concept for the local area. ‘The opportunity to prove that we can master the challenges of a continuously evolving market and its new requirements, and to be in a leading position in this new market were our core ambitions,’ he says. Every piece of furniture and accessory used in the project, indoor as well as outdoor, comes from BoConcept. ‘Handling a large project like this would, beyond doubt, be impossible without the professionalism, reliability and support of a brand like BoConcept and its B2B team,’ adds Cardin. ’The infrastructure we have set up in our department, which includes warehousing and assembly team is focused on scalability to guarantee high levels of flexibility, and to be in the position to handle almost all kinds of projects, big or small.’

‘To furnish 40 apartments in two weeks’ time was, for sure, a great challenge – a well-studied workflow was our key to success’

To develop this specific type of building concept, the architects, planners and interior designers examined which functions and uses had to be covered and how best to achieve a proper symbiosis between form and function. Construction manager Christian Remmler of zwei-a projektmanagement, noticed that a harmonious overall furnishing design for the apartments and common areas was of central importance to the success of such a micro-living project. ‘The outfitter at BoConcept has put a lot of thought into this and created a furnishing concept with light and friendly colours. The uniform furnishing solution was chosen both for human and practical reasons: to create recognition value and wholeness within the entire building and to be able to replace furniture more easily if there is a defect.’

The outdoor space supports a social environment of communal living with plenty of movable lounge furniture. Elba, a BoConcept lounge chair, can be used inside as well as outside. Photos: Frederick Sams

Expecting the unexpected
Cardin is looking at a freshly completed project, grateful for the high level of organisation and collaboration between all parties. ‘To furnish 40 apartments in two weeks’ time was, for sure, a great challenge – a well-studied workflow was our key to success. Even while we were still planning the entire workflow, we let our imagination run wild so as to be prepared for the unexpected; and now I know the reason for calling it the “unexpected”. Thanks to our clear planning and the solution-orientated approach of our team, we never had any unsolvable or serious problems during any phase of the project.’

The architects, Baumschlager Hutter Partners, with offices in Dornbirn, Vienna, Heerbrugg, St.Gallen, Zürich and Munich, conceived the project together with the developers, the construction company and interior designers. Photo: Frederick Sams