Patterns of Copresence in Coliving: Preliminary findings on the socio-spatial relationships within a large-scale purpose-built shared living building

The purpose of this research is to investigate how spatial configurations and spatial typologies relate to the frequency and intensity of copresence (both focused and unfocused) across 19 communal spaces of different sizes and functions within a large-scale, purpose-built shared living (LSPBSL) building in London. Quantitative methods drawn from space syntax theory, namely, visibility graph analysis (VGA) and systematically structured ethnographic observations, were adopted to measure visual integration (HH) and copresence, respectively. The lack of statistically significant difference between micro-scale and macro-scale integration data strongly suggests that the two datasets come from the same distribution (p = .70). Preliminary findings demonstrated an observable relationship between integration and unfocused copresence across several space labels (e.g., golf, small screen, coworking, gallery), however, there were exceptions (i.e., swimming pool, sunroom), possibly attributed to (a) visibility analysis being undertaken on floors individually rather than as a linked building system and (b) space function/programme. An association between unfocused copresence frequency and participation intensity was also generally observed. To date, very few empirical studies have been undertaken to understand the relationship between spatial configurations and copresence in the context of coliving. By utilising a single case study to explore patterns of spatial usage and identify which communal spaces facilitate the highest frequencies of copresence, this paper contributes towards our understanding of social dynamics within these shared living environments.