Designing Future Living

The Challenge

Quintain, a major property developer in the UK, were given planning permission to develop 5,000 new homes in London, with a focus on the future … and solving the problems that Millennials faced in London’s housing market.

We were tasked with helping them imagine the true neighborhood of the future : a different kind of development that would truly set them apart as world-class thought leaders.

The Approach

To truly push our thinking and look toward the future, we did a combination of ethnographies and co-creations with young people already living in progressive housing situations, as well as a series of expert interviews with urban planners, sociologists, technologists, anthropologists and architects, in order to gain a full understanding of Millennials’ evolving needs and priorities… and the trade-offs they’re willing to make to achieve those.

Following our fieldwork, we ran a brand purpose workshop where senior clients worked together with creative Millennials to identify sweet spots for the brand going forward, based at the nexus of pain points and needs found in the earlier research.

The Impact

We found that Millennials don’t just want a space designed for them … but that they’re looking for a space that’s multi-dimensional and vibrant, that’s surprising and social, and that lets the world in, instead of shutting it out.

The brand purpose that we wrote for Quintain resulted in a brand new kind of property development – a unique new London neighborhood that benefits its residents and the local community alike. It’s a place that uses local businesses, performances and events as catalysts for social cohesion … and a truly soulful space, rich in diverse languages, foods, culture and community.