Coliving Building N1

Lewisham, 2025

2025

Eighth floor club room linking to an external terrace

In 2024, Landsec U+I commissioned Mae Architects and Studio Multi as a collaborative architectural team for a 445-room coliving building as part of their transformation of Lewisham Shopping Centre, masterplanned by SEW. Planning was submitted in autumn 2024.

Mae, as lead architect, invited Studio Multi into their team as coliving specialist at the competition stage. Mae led the design of the form and exterior, with Studio Multi being responsible for spatial organisation, amenity programme, scheduling and coordination of structure and services.

Typical bedroom: the window is carefully proportioned to balance light and privacy, with a cill at sitting height

Each bedroom has space to work, a kitchenette and an en-suite shower room

The bedroom-studios are typically 19sqm, with a variety of larger rooms available. Each room contains the features common to London coliving buildings, such as a kitchenette, en-suite shower room and desk space.

Section: the amenity layers are positioned strategically at the mid and lower levels for convenient access

The 445 bedrooms are arranged in two tranches with amenity space for working and personal care on the lower levels, and social space at the mid-level with access to roof terraces. Every bedroom can access all amenity spaces via a single lift journey.

The circulation spaces deploy a clear colour palette for cores and corridors to promote instinctive wayfinding

Typical lower level plan: the sinuous form was developed in collaboration with Mae, to combine two paired volumes

The building has a sinuous form, to accommodate two primary 'parent and child forms' as developed by Mae. The plan efficiently connects bedrooms to two cores for ease of access to the amenity spaces.

Site plan: The building sits within a retail-led masterplan. Residents access the lobby from a park, with deliveries via a service yard.

Whilst residents can relax privately in their bedrooms, emphasis is on gathering residents together in the amenity spaces to promote a sense of community, with spaces for large and small groups.