Vertical Villages
Creating Contemporary Communities for Today's Society
Dandi Wembley, formerly York House, is a recently completed 17 storey co-living development by Dandi Living and Dukelease in the heart of Wembley’s vibrant creative district, close to Wembley Stadium. We have been involved in this project over the last four years, co-ordinating the Design Team from Stage 2 onwards.
Dandi Wembley offers an evolution of placemaking, in that the co-living/co-working model is adapted for a new generation of residents. This new solution helps to combat loneliness by creating a community or “Vertical Village” that provides generous shared amenities, facilitates connection and also curates a calendar of ongoing events and community endeavours. This aspirational new style of living within a series of attractive, high-quality zones provides a multi-functional and transitional solution in every space of the building. The bar is a workspace during the day, an event space at night. The studio apartments are transformed from a living space to a sleeping space to a socialising space, with the help of clever and flexible furniture configurations developed by Dandi Living.
The Vertical Village contained within Dandi Wembley enables its residents to access a community that otherwise may not exist; as traditional community meeting spaces are not necessarily places where a younger generation of “digital nomads” would frequent. In recent years, technology and social media has changed the casual meeting, with a generation of people using screens and apps to meet and communicate. This has had a knock-on effect, causing the emergence of social silos bounded by technology: people are often alone and may not be experiencing real human connection.
In this Vertical Village the corridors are replacing the local street, by giving the residents access to communal spaces that provide immediate physical and digital connection that is encapsulated within the building. This contemporary community is introducing ad hoc meeting opportunities, by offering various spaces for residents to meet, socialise, work and play. The digital element is now a positive conduit facilitating in person meetings. Whether it be a formal gathering of residents attending a class in the fitness studio, or residents taking to other social media channels to see who is around for a casual drink or dinner on the 16th floor.
Level 16 - Dariana Lounge Bar
Although the architecture has lent itself to the creation of much needed residential accommodation in London, the project has further reaching potential in that is has created a contemporary community for a new generation of residents. The degradation of traditional communities has been exacerbated by the Covid-19 outbreak, with lockdowns exposing the widespread consequences of the loneliness epidemic.
Level 15 - Dandi Works
The simplicity of the scheme is also appealing to its residents. The price is all inclusive, there is an opportunity to sign up for a short-term rental, there is flexibility and choice all encapsulated within an immediate and attractive community. We are now finding ourselves on the forefront of designing spaces for a ‘new’ type of user. Dandi Wembley is a new type of building for people who live, work and socialise in a way that people have not done previously. Dandi Wembley is different from other regeneration schemes because every space is interlinked and available to its residents in a new way. This is a model-led scheme in that it is driven by human need, rather than planning policy. For example, Vertical Villages differ from co-location schemes (industrial next to residential) in that these co-location schemes can work, but the two uses are not complementary. These schemes are often driven by the need to retain the industrial use, a mandate that is set out in local planning policy. The idea of a village within a building is more organic and sustainable: Dandi Wembley utilises an existing building to create a contemporary community. The infrastructure and maintenance of the building has been taken into consideration, with the scheme evolving over its construction period due to the socio-economic Covid-19 and post-pandemic backdrop.
Level 16 - Dariana Cafe
The project has proven that good design is about clever use of space, adapting existing materials and reacting to changes driven by human need and societal changes. We understand there needs to be an element of commerciality, but it is by far more important to create a space that people want to live in. The scheme would not be successful if the building was unoccupied; Dandi Wembley needs to be filled with people to create the contemporary community that the idea of the Vertical Village enables. The success of this scheme is evident from the full occupancy of the building within two months of its launch.
Having worked with Dandi on implementing their concept for Dandi Wembley for four years, we developed a deep understanding of the housing, co-living and placemaking market. This enables us to respond intelligently, developing aspirational and receptive solutions driven by a changing economy, whilst also understanding the commercial expectations associated with creating a viable and sustainable scheme.