Homes for Young People: giving “starters” at start in Utrecht

9 June 2024

Move over over-55s housing and hello under-35s housing!

Given the housing and rental crisis disproportionately impacts young people, is it time we built rental housing designated specifically for them? Not just student housing but housing for young people who have just got their first job and are still setting themselves up.

This is what these stunning buildings called De Kwekerij in Utrecht do. There is a total of 244 rental homes for what they call “starters”, young people just out of university and in their first job.

The design is clever with four 2-room 45 m² apartments on each floor, meaning that due to the shape of the buildings, all houses have a corner location, which provides plenty of daylight and views.

While the apartments are compact, there are lots of shared spaces including exhibition space, residential board room, communal kitchens, café, communal bicycle storage, storage for scooters/motorcycles, and a bicycle workshop.

Housing built specifically for young people to rent makes a lot of sense.

Another simple but radically good idea from Utrecht.