On Thursday 27 November, Nido Living invited partners and stakeholders inside their new student housing at Bryggen in Copenhagen, where they shared their experiences and predictions about student housing.
In attendance at the opening event of the new Nido Bryggen in Copenhagen consisted of representatives from Nido’s partners, Copenhagen Municipality and many of the universities and higher education establishments. Everyone had come with an interest in seeing the new offer for Danish and international students. But also to hear Tony Allen, Global Operations Officer at Nido Living and Martina Pardo, founder of the London-based interior design agency A Designer at Heart, talk about the interior design and the future of modern student housing.
The distinguishing feature of Nido Bryggen is that it is student housing aimed at modern students, trainees and young professionals, who set demands for their form of housing and the offers they expect to meet.
“Many of the residents at Nido Bryggen are international who would like to have a housing offer where it is easy for them to book online and settle into life here. It can be difficult to get to grips with the rules around letting in a foreign country, and therefore it is an advantage for them that in a place like Nido there is a simple booking system and ready-made community” explains Tony Allen.
Nido Living is already present in a number of large cities in Europe, and it is no coincidence that they have now come to Copenhagen, explains Tony Allen:
“We always do thorough research before we decide to enter a market , and Copenhagen has proven to be extremely interesting. Here there is growth in the number of students, here there is a good mix of Danish and foreign students, and then we experience that here there is a deficit of housing for students of the quality and with the facilities we can offer,” says Tony Allen
Martina Pardo, who has been responsible for the interior design of Nido Bryggen, and thus many of the facilities that Tony Allen talks about. To that end, she has used the extensive data that Nido Living has on the students’ wishes, and has also started from Nido Living’s values - Community, Wellbeing, Sustainability, Design & Technology.
“Nido Living regularly asks the students about their wishes, and based on that we furnish apartments and common rooms. Community is one of the things that is given a lot of attention. That is why we have many common rooms where the students can meet. For example, communal kitchens, TV and gaming rooms and study rooms. But there must also be room to retreat with a few friends, which is why we have a room with a kitchen that you can book if you want to hold a private dinner for family or friends,” explains Martina Prado.
She has also placed great emphasis on the value of sustainable design, which has resulted in the floors being made of bamboo throughout the common spaces and linoleum being used in other places instead of vinyl. The large workshop tables in the casual work area have table tops made of recycled yogurt pots, all furniture is sources locally from Danish suppliers to ensure it does not travel far and LED lighting is used throughout the scheme. Plus real plants are used in every corner of the building. All this provides a better and healthier indoor climate and is also more sustainable.
The exclusive surroundings come with a price, and Tony Allen makes no secret of the fact that Nido Bryggen’s apartments are expensive compared to public dormitories.
“But we can see that there is a market for this type of housing, which will only get bigger in the future. People get what they pay for, and at the same time it adds value to the city that we are present. Cities like Copenhagen want to attract the top international students and young professionals, and they expect a high standard of living too.” says Tony Allen.
He therefore expects that there will be more similar housing offers in the cities that will be at the forefront of the competition for the brightest students – and he also expects that Nido Living will expand their presence to other locations in Denmark, Scandinavia and globally in time.
To find out more about Nido Bryggen or book online, visit the resident page here.