Modern residential: The new era of urban living
In a world where urban living is no longer synonymous with cramped living space, modern residential concepts are constantly evolving. Innovative and high-quality door designs, supported by functional and elegant ASSA ABLOY locking and sealing technologies, are making an impact on the new trend of modern residential living and promote not only aesthetic openness, but also security and sustainability in hybrid living spaces.
Urbanization is one of the megatrends of our time. While 70 percent of the world’s population still lived in rural areas in 1950, two thirds of humanity are expected to live in cities by 2050. In industrialized countries such as Switzerland, this process has taken place at an accelerated pace. At the end of 2023, around 84.9 percent already lived in urban areas.
However, unlike many other countries, urban life in Switzerland does not necessarily mean limited living space. For decades, the per capita living area has been increasing. It increased from 45 m2 to 46.2 m2 between 2013 and 2021 alone. The vacancy of office and commercial buildings that have been converted for residential purposes as a result of the coronavirus pandemic also plays an important role in the context of modern residential housing.
New living trends between privacy and community
Closely linked to this development is an increasing trend towards demand-oriented and flexible use of space in the area of modern living. Digitalization, housing shortages and mobile work are also contributing to the rapidly changing demands on urban living. The boundaries between once clearly separated living areas are becoming increasingly blurred, and multi-residential buildings are gaining popularity.
The trend towards mixed use in the modern residential sector
Another important trend in modern residential living is the increasing fusion of different types of use under one roof. This development known as “mixed use” combines living, working and leisure areas in a building complex and thus perfectly meets the needs of a mobile, networked society in modern living.
In the context of modern living, this approach is becoming increasingly important, as it significantly improves the quality of life in densely populated urban living spaces and at the same time represents sustainable living.
Best practices of modern living trends
With projects such as the Zurich residential and commercial building Kalkbreite, the Hunziker area or the Basler Stücki Park as precursors, co-living and co-working are increasingly becoming established as forms of living in the urban centers of Switzerland. The focus of these modern residential communities is on living together, networking and work. These cluster apartments usually have high-quality furnishings with a separate room and bathroom for each co-occupant as well as large communal areas.
Innovative door and sealing solutions for modern residential buildings
The choice of suitable door closer and sealing concepts plays a decisive role in the spatial structuring of such living space solutions. Glazed doors emphasize the transparent loft character by creating an aesthetically clear structure and a light-filled atmosphere.
Drop-down seals are a useful addition in order to be able to use heating energy optimally or keep food odors away from other living areas. Solutions such as Planet KG-S from ASSA ABLOY can be attached to glazed doors with a simple adhesive joint. The drop-down seal achieves a sound reduction value of up to 48 dB – ideal for spontaneous meetings without disturbing others.
Sound and smoke protection sliding doors as well as large-format pivot doors can also be equipped with Planet drop-down seals – an essential aspect for modern residential living.
Electronic access solutions for hybrid living and working spaces
Especially when private and professional use overlap, as in the described co-living spaces, security should not be compromised with all the openness. Electronic locking systems, which are becoming increasingly important in the modern residential sector, are particularly suitable for maintaining control over sensitive doors.
Digital locking systems for greater flexibility
ASSA ABLOY’s programmable SMARTair wireless fittings enable easy control over who has access to which doors. They can be conveniently operated with RFID cards, PIN codes or a combination of both.
Advantages of digital access solutions in modern residential buildings include:
- Easy management of access rights
- Flexibility with changing users
- Increased security through logging
SMARTair Openow: Mobile access solution for modern living
Together with the Openow app, the smartphone becomes the key to the SMARTair access control system. This provides additional flexibility in use and security, as no physical identification media need to be issued. In its simplest version, this elegant locking solution can be deployed immediately without complicated access control software, and it can also be easily expanded.
Locking solutions for flexible user groups
With KESO eCLIQ or KESO Integra, access authorizations for the different and constantly changing user groups can also be defined quickly and easily for each key. Additional doors can also be added to their authorizations without the need for facility management to constantly exchange or replace keys. Lost keys are simply disabled via the appropriate software – an ideal solution for modern living.
Aesthetics meet security: High-quality wooden doors and door handles are the trend
The interplay between aesthetics and security is also an issue in the external door segment. While an open and transparent design prevails in living spaces, external doors can be a little more robust. House or apartment doors made of solid wood are on trend here. However, the high weight and “working” of the wood with temperature fluctuations also require high-performance door locks designed for such stresses.
Requirements for modern front doors in residential living:
- High security standards combined with elegant design
- Optimum insulation values for high energy efficiency
- Robustness and durability despite daily stress
- Seamless integration into the overall design
- Accessible Living Solutions
MSL Poly-, Bi- and RollTribloc locks are a good choice, as they enable effortless unlocking and locking of large or heavy doors up to 300 kilos, even in the event of warping. The strong nut spring not only ensures high functional reliability, but also allows the use of heavy and solid handles. Architects and planners benefit from greater design freedom.