Community Spirit

With western ‘digital nomads’ keen to relocate, the trend for co-living has spread from American and European cities to unlikelier Asian destinations.

- Francis Wade

In recent years the market for co-living has spread across the world, from its birthplace in the so-called “hacker mansions” of San Francisco – spacious houses kitted out with dorm rooms and communal work spaces where young tech-heads can collaborate on start-up projects – to once backwater Southeast Asian towns like Siem Reap in Cambodia.

It was to the latter that Kether Saturnius, a UX (user experience) development professional from Edmonton, Canada, headed when life at home began to feel constricting. He sought to “soft-launch” his life as a digital nomad. He would maintain his contract with the company, but be a world away from the office environment.

But before upping sticks and leaving, he needed first to be confident that there would be a place to settle that would allow him to still enjoy the collaborative environment he had known at home, and guarantee he could stay connected with colleagues 7,000 miles away.

Advocates of co-living see it as a refreshing alternative to a professional flat share. Daniel Beck runs the popular Coliving.com website, which lists spaces in various countries across Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and India.

“There is the community of like-minded people and the convenience of not needing to think about cleaning or buying stuff for the apartment,” he says of the perks of co-living. “It’s all inclusive. And it’s more open to travelers.”

While the original West Coast incarnation of co-living was tailored to meet the needs of local urban programmers seeking a communal working and living environment, newer iterations better allow for the marriage of work and travel.