Share a home with a family member, friend or with someone else who sees the fit. Through Friends living, it's possible. You share the apartment in twos or threes and you each have your own bedroom and bathroom. You share the living room, kitchen and outdoor space. Often you can also use shared facilities in the building. You split the rent and energy costs, making city living affordable for you as a single person.

Janine explains how the concept came about in 2015: “We saw that young people in Amsterdam were unable to find independent housing after their studies due to the high cost of rent. It gave us the idea of a modern student house, but for a more mature target group. An apartment where you live independently, but also share facilities. Like in the Friends series where Joey and Chandler and Monica and Rachel live together that way.” To come up with the right concept, AM did research to determine what amenities people are willing to share and what they like to keep private. Janine: “The research showed that people like to have their own bedrooms, bathrooms and storage spaces. However, they are willing to share the living room, kitchen, outdoor space, laundry room, work area or guest room.” The living room and kitchen are usually found in the Friends apartment. Guest rooms, a laundry room, workspaces or roof terrace can also be found in the building as a shared facility for all residents. The exact implementation of the concept depends on the questions and wishes the municipality has for the development and on the investor buying the project.

A good match with the person you live with in the Friends apartment is essential. Janine: “That's why you can sign up with someone you know. But you can also get paired up with someone. In that case, meetings take place first to discover if you fit together.” Of course, you also have to have some guts if you choose to live in this innovative way, says Janine: “The people who choose this are pioneers!”

The first project where the Friends homes were applied was the B' Mine residential tower in Amsterdam (in cooperation with MN Services). “For these homes we had mainly starters in mind, but we also received inquiries from senior citizens. For example, two sisters of 65-plus age were interested. They couldn't find a suitable home, because an apartment often has one master bedroom, and here the bedrooms are equal.” AM recognized that Friends could also be a suitable form of housing for the growing group of elderly people. “People want to continue living in the city, but may be living in an old porch apartment where they have to climb steep stairs every day. They lose their spouse, which increases the likelihood of loneliness.” With a Friends home, they can still continue to live in the city with all the amenities nearby and no longer be alone.

Janine gives as an example the Amsterdam project The City Veteran 020 (in cooperation with Woonzorg Nederland). “This concept is aimed at people over 55. The building has beautiful shared spaces, a large kitchen where you can cook together and areas for yoga or exercise, for example. There are Friends homes in the building and they fit perfectly into the overall concept where a community is created with the shared facilities. The threshold for seniors to get out of their homes and meet people is lower.” Also in Highnote Almere, the Friends homes are located in a total concept with meeting spaces and with various facilities on the first floor that focus on the residents in the building. Think of a lunchroom and gym. And also in Cruquiuswerf, Amsterdam, there are urban facilities such as various hospitality venues.”

Because this is a relatively new form of housing, some investors are still somewhat cautious. But Janine estimates that the market for Friends housing will only grow. “The group of singles is growing. This is largely due to an aging population. But it is also a suitable form of housing for starters and for people who are divorced and cannot immediately find a new home.” Not only in Amsterdam there is interest in the Friends homes. “For example, we have projects in Almere, Diemen, Eindhoven and Oss where we are also developing Friends homes.”

One challenge in developing in different cities is the regulations that municipalities have in place, Janine said. “There are national rules, but in some municipalities the rules are different than in others.” For example, to keep your state pension or rent allowance, each must have a separate house number and their own pantry and bathroom. Janine: “We plead for a more flexible approach to these rules nationally and in municipalities. It is a waste to build houses with separate pantries if they also have a shared kitchen. Those are additional construction costs, while you want to keep the price attractive for the target group. The easier we make it for people to take this step, the faster we get people moving through the housing market. Single elderly people often live in larger houses and can then make room for families. Fortunately, more and more municipalities are thinking along in this, because they realize that we have to look at the total task.”

Janine herself feels that the Friends homes eminently demonstrate how AM makes an impact as a developer. “We develop areas and buildings, but it's so much more than that. We respond to social themes and people also really feel at home in our concepts. It brings them living happiness. The other day I visited The City Veteran 020 and the residents are so positive. They love talking about it. They think it is a nice alternative to the mostly outdated, expensive housing in the city and someone told me that friends are even jealous of the home and the fine facilities in the complex. That says it all.”