August 19, 2022
Photo of Adam Neumann by the New York Times
Let's talk about the race towards the “future of home”.
This week’s breaking news that Marc Andreessen is investing $350 million in Adam Neumann’s next residential venture hit a clear point home (pun always intended) — there is a race to define the next generation of housing, and the competition will be fierce.
It looks like we’ve all acknowledged the jaw dropping housing crisis in this country, and the heavy hitters are coming out of the woodwork to fix it. On top of that, there’s a very clear opening in the market for a national, brand-centric residential company to sweep the hearts and minds of millennials and Gen Z (think the Apple or Tesla of homes).
While Adam has a great shot at growing a cult brand, it’s hard to imagine how Flow (or any company focused on rentals only) will truly address a legacy of wealth inequity. Companies like Nabr (disc: Ground Up client), New Story, and Divvy are muhc more hopeful to that end.
Will one brand win out or is there enough room for everyone in this space? Feel free to hit respond, would love to hear your thoughts!
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MUST-READS
These Are the Most In-Demand Design and Architecture Styles Across the United States // Architectural Digest
Explore the first Metaverse distillery // Dezeen
Why Japan is building smart cities from scratch // Nature.com
1 million square feet of L.A. roads are being covered with solar-reflective paint // FastCompany
Are Niche Concepts the Future of Coworking? // Surface Magazine
New York is roaring back from the worst of the pandemic. Why isn’t San Francisco? // San Francisco Chronicle
Principals at Six Top Firms Predict Where American Design Is Headed // Metropolis
How the pandemic is driving us to build the metropolises of tomorrow // Science Focus
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IDEA SPOTLIGHT
Smart Forest City, Mexico
Italian architect Stefano Boeri is working on plans for a forested smart city near Cancun that will contain 7.5 million carbon-absorbing plants and trees across its 557 hectares. It will be designed to house 130,000 people in affordable, plant-covered homes and aims to pioneer a more sustainable way of city living.
"Smart Forest City Cancun is a Botanical Garden, within a contemporary city, based on Mayan heritage and in its relationship with the natural and sacred world," said Stefano Boeri Architetti. "An urban ecosystem where nature and city are intertwined and act as one organism." // Dezeen
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JOB OPPORTUNITIES
Vice President of Portfolio Company Communications // Revantage, A Blackstone Company // Remote
Construction Project Manager // Ifathom // New York, NY
Director of Executive Communications // Greystone // New York, NY
Vice President of Building Science // Thornton Tomasetti // New York, NY/Hybrid
Vice President, Placemaking and Advisory // Jamestown // New York, San Francisco, Seattle or Los Angeles
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