Students to rent futuristic ‘living pods’ being built in London UK

 

Living in a cube or ‘living pods’ sounds like something from the future something you might see in a science fiction movie or on space station. For London students compact living pods are set to become reality by September 2007. A huge development called Nido (Italian for nest) is currently being built near Kings Cross Station London and will house 846 students in cubes 16ft by 9ft. The living pods are 16ft by 9ft in size and are housed in a complex which include a range of campus-type facilities such as common rooms, study rooms and a free gymnasium.

 

There will also be specially designated postgraduate students, known as residents' assistants, who (in return for free rent) will each act as information point and social organiser for some 60-70 younger nest-dwellers.

 

"This is a sector we very much want to get into," says Stuart Grant, managing director of the real estate section at the Blackstone Group, the firm financing Nido. "More and more students are coming to London all the time, which means the demand for accommodation is increasing accordingly."

 

The pods will be available for £180 a week, or a shared one for £120. "Shared" which means sleeping in the same room,

 "I've been travelling the world with application forms at the ready," says Maureen McDermott, the project's student accommodation manager, who has been everywhere from Montreal to Mumbai, from Singapore to Switzerland, drumming up interest among colleges and potential parents. "One of the main messages we're trying to get across is that Nido is more than just a place to live."

In other words, these

"They will be on permanent call, so if, for example, one of the students has to go to hospital, he or she won't have to go alone," says McDermott. "It's a peace-of-mind thing."

In addition to a ready-made friend, Nido tenants will also get a personalised swipe card that will serve both as front-door key and charge card, allowing them to pay for (or rather get their parents to pay for) things such cleaning, laundry and essential cups of cappuccino.

"You can see how this kind of set-up will appeal to parents who are sending their children to college for the first time, and are a bit nervous about it," says Roland Shanks, of University of London Housing Services, which helps students at 30 different colleges find accommodation. "Especially if they're from abroad.

 

More information about the new style of living Nidology at http://www.nidolondon.com/

 

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