CPH Post - LIVING BY ALFA 2022

A NEW LIVING EXPERIENCE

A HOME IN TUNE WITH ALL YOUR NEEDS

LIVING BY ALFA is community-orientated, cost-effective, close to nature and convenient in every possible way. The future of rentals is here; jump on board today!

Moving to Copenhagen as an expat opens up all sorts of questions about where and how to live. Many opt for the city centre, others the countryside, but both can be lonely choices.

What often eludes the internationals is a sense of community – a quality at the heart of the ethos of LIVING BY ALFA.

Offering spacious, far more affordable accommodation than the city centre, and more social possibilities than the countryside with plenty of outdoor options, it’s a happy marriage of everything new arrivals to the capital could wish for.

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OWNER: ALFA Development

LIVING BY ALFA is owned by ALFA Development, a Danish privately-owned real estate company with expertise in developing large-scale urban areas, as well as in the conversion and renovation of existing buildings.

Also established in Sweden, ALFA Development is in the process of expanding into the UK as the company sees potential for the co-living concept. Andreea Kaiser, its Co-Founder and Group CEO, predicts a bright future for the company. “As we roll out LIVING BY ALFA across Denmark, Sweden and the UK, our drive is to constantly be at the forefront of innovation within the co-living sector,” she explained.

YEARS OF RESEARCH

LIVING BY ALFA is a convenient, social and intergenerational community, a little similar to the Danish tradition of Bofælleskaber, but one that is professionally-managed. Offering a mix of amenity spaces, services and activi ties, it’s a coliving concept increasingly being referred to as the ‘hotelisation’ of residential real estate.

Both spacious and reasonably priced, its community offers effortless interaction, as many events and activities are facilitated to bring the customers together, across different nationalities and generations. The result is di versity, togetherness, well-being and a sense of belonging.

The LIVING BY ALFA concept is the result of years of extensive research. The concept is based on the core ideas of the sharing econo my, community-building across generations, convenience, social responsibility and envi ronmental sustainability.

The research assessed the needs of potential customers: essentially how the community can make their lives easier. Everything should be effortless for the residents – no problem unsolvable or incurring too much extra ex pense.

CONVENIENT LOCATION

LIVING BY ALFA’s location in IrmaByen neigh bourhood in Rødovre, a suburb on the edge of Copenhagen only 8 km from City Hall Square, enables the residents to both feel part of the city, but also close to nature.

The surrounding area, whilst rich in the trap pings of urban life (gyms, shopping centres etc), also provides unlimited potential for strolls, jogging and outdoor leisure activities at the Vestvolden recreational and nature area. In addition, tennis, ice hockey, football and even camping are all located 5-10 min utes away.

Transport is also convenient: one of the coun try’s new cycling superhighways is nearby, and there are direct rail and road links too.

FAIR RENT, LARGE APARTMENTS

The apartments are far bigger than what you might expect to find in the city cen tre: sizes range from 63 to 140 sqm. They are professionally managed and come fur nished or unfurnished.

In total, there are 163 homes, starting in price from 10,950 kroner per month, of which 62 are earmarked for tenants over the age of 55.

LIVING BY ALFA targets young families, sin gles and young professionals for the re mainder – of whom expats have been iden tified as a key group.

GEARED TO FAMILIES

Families play a large role in the LIVING BY ALFA concept – and not just the children, whose safety is factored into all of its fea tures.

Should extended family want to visit, there are guest rooms onsite that can be rented at a reasonable price for the duration of the stay.

Then there is storage, which can be found in the basement along with a carpark. Many of the customers are downsizing Danes and the unit sizes cater to all requirements.

COMMUNITY CLUBHOUSE

For a small fee every month, residents are en couraged (but not obliged) to join ‘The Club house’ – the communal area inhabiting most of the ground floor.

The principal rooms are the lobby, lounge, home cinema, kids’ playroom, common event room with adjoining kitchen, along with three guest bedrooms.

There are also areas adjacent to The Club house and the 1,800 sqm elevated garden. They include a restaurant, takeaway, two su permarkets and additional specialty shops at the base of the building.

Food-sharing, well-being activities, quiz nights and classes are just some of the many activities available to residents: a social life on tap.

BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

LIVING BY ALFA’s research demonstrated that relationships are a powerful tool in the way we live. Being part of a community helps us to have a better quality of life and even a longer one.

It also shone a light on how more people fa vour ‘suburbanisation’ – the movement away from over-populated and polluted city cen tres in quest of a cleaner, quieter life, but still within a convenient distance from work.

LIVING BY ALFA offers this and more: joining them on this journey requires an initial leap of faith, but once settled, you’ll question how you could have ever settled for any other kind of rental agreement.

JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

Every time you venture into the communi ty, you’ll meet somebody new, forging rela tionships with both fellow internationals and Danes.

It’s like the lobby of a boutique hotel – there’s a community manager to take care of your every need and an app will keep you informed of all the possibilities – but all the guests are in the same boat.

They’re not just killing time – they’re happy to be there and want to mingle!

WHO LIVES IN A COMMUNITY LIKE THIS?

In a nutshell, families: children, parents, grandparents and internationals … after all, who doesn’t count a foreigner among their relatives these days?!

With over a third of the 162 apartments reserved for people over the age of 55, a pledge to attract many families, and a desire to also draw in internationals, LIVING BY ALFA in IrmaByen promises to be the most intergenerational and diverse community in Denmark.

Nobody will feel out of place, as it genuinely caters to all-comers. This is particularly pleasing news for internationals, who can often feel unwelcome in environments where being unable to speak Danish is frowned upon.

KINDRED SPIRITS

It would be inaccurate to say the tenants have nothing in common. After all, they’re kindred spirits who all know what they’ve signed up for, and while the apartments are affordable, they’re not cheap either, so most are moderately well-off.

But let’s speculate: there’s undoubtedly a few types who will find the living arrangement more agreeable than others, so here’s a few examples of the kinds of tenants who might end up at LIVING BY ALFA

Name: Inge Nielsen Age: 77

Nationality: Danish

Primary Motivation: To save money

Inge is a retired widow in her early 70s who has lived in Copenhagen her entire adult life. While she has friends and is still active in the community, she has a major problem: the cost of continuing to live in the house now all her children have left home.

Besides being far too big for her, the government demands 3 percent of the total value of her house every year. When she and her husband paid 2 million kroner in 1979, they had no idea it would one day be worth 12-15 million kroner! Despite paying off the mortgage long ago, this amounts to close to 300,000 kroner every year – a crippling cost she can no longer endure.

A one-bedroom flat in Living by Alpha would cost half that amount annually – and she would have an eight-figure amount in the bank to boot, more than enough to tide her over.

Inge’s not too sure about the app, but gathers there will be a handy alternative on the wall in the lobby, which will be much easier to handle. But if in doubt, she’ll just ask the community manager.

And when her children want to bring their grandchildren to visit, she can use one of the designated rooms to put them up!

Names: The Jensens

Nationality: Danish

Primary Motivation: Secure environment for kids

Dorte and Thomas Jensen, two professionals originally from Jutland, don’t have the strong connections that most Copenhageners tend to enjoy! Since starting a family, they’ve lived in a series of apartments: all progressively bigger and more expensive. But buying simply isn’t an option given their financial situation.

The cost of a family-sized apartment at LIVING BY ALFA is 20 percent lower than what they were paying for a much smaller residence just down the road.

But it is the benefits of The Clubhouse in relation to their children that will really make the difference, as it will be an enormous relief to allow Ida and Alfred to play outside the apartment in the secure knowledge that their safety is guaranteed. With no communal garden area available at their current residence, long trips to the park were needed to allow the children to cut loose.

The kids will make use of the well-stocked children’s playroom on days when it isn’t a crime to stay indoors and, when it is, to roam for hours through the pathways and pergolas linking The Clubhouse to the children’s playzone in the huge courtyard, while Mum and Dad make use of the sundecks, fitness zones and petanque court, taking in the views of the lush landscaped garden.

Name: James Davies Age: 44

Nationality: British

Primary Motivation: Wholesome choice

James, who together with his Danish partner have two children at Copenhagen International School, confesses to being a little envious of his children’s school –so unlike the drafty corridors he had to put up with in Britain, he most admires the way the modern building controls light and air quality in the classrooms to extract the best out of the students. And so sustainably too.

If only their villa in Hellerup could be the same: geared to his family’s wellbeing and friendly to the environment. In reality, it’s an old building that is energy

inefficient and too dark inside. The sofas are uncomfortable too.

LIVING BY ALFA ticks all the boxes as far as indoor environment, sustainability and comfortable furniture are concerned. Besides, James was beginning to tire of all the extra taxes, maintenance work and gardening involved in owning a family home.

With the money from the sale, he figures the family will be holidaying in the Caribbean … for the next ten years at least.

Name: Helena Lund

Age: 27

Nationality: Danish

Primary Motivation: Value for money

It’s paradoxical that Helena is both highly social and fiercely private. While she craves the com pany of others in the bar after hard days at the office, she also craves the solitude provided by living on her own … and having her own bath room!

But despite her respectable salary, living in her own apartment in central Copenhagen is be yond her means.

LIVING BY ALFA offers her the chance to up grade from her smallish room in a house-share to her very own flat and bathroom – all for just 20 percent more in monthly rent than she is cur rently paying.

Furthermore, when she fancies a drink after work, she needn’t arrange with friends, as there will always be something going on in The Club house – the backgammon night sounds partic ularly enticing!

The app makes it very easy to navigate LIVING BY ALFA, as well as the local environment, where she has found a good gym and large shopping centre within walking distance.

John and Suzi Taylor

Age: 34 & 32

Nationality: American

Primary Motivation: Gateway to Denmark

John and Suzi Taylor are an American expat couple, provisionally in Denmark for three years, who are keen to enjoy their time in Denmark to the fullest.

John’s employer offered to house them in a fashionable suburb of Charlottenburg, but Suzi worried whether she would feel isolat ed. She had read that the Danes are a hard nut to crack, and that expats spending two or three years in Denmark were lucky if they

made any friendships with the locals.

That’s when she heard about LIVING BY ALFA: a community where Danes and in ternationals regularly mingled and enjoyed social functions together.

John and Suzi are looking forward to get ting to know the Danes. Why else would they come all this way?

Paolo Padovani

Age: 27

Nationality: Italian

Primary Motivation: Friendships

Before moving to Copenhagen, Paolo weighed up the options: he could afford to rent a small flat in some of the city’s less fashionable districts and commute, or he could find a room closer to work in the centre.

Most importantly perhaps, Paolo knows nobody in Denmark, is teetotal and is quite shy. He couldn’t imagine going out and meeting people, and he doesn’t play any sports either. His biggest passion is walking.

LIVING BY ALFA appealed to him because not only was the rent for a single person’s flat highly affordable, but it would also enable him to meet others in a convivial, non-awkward setting that doesn’t revolve around drinking. It sounded ideal.

And who knows: maybe some of the oth er tenants might like to join him on a hike.

If they’ve got clubs for flower-arranging and book reading, why not hiking. If they don’t, Paolo will start one!

WHY LIVING BY ALFA IS UNIQUE

A community where tenants socialise across generations, nationalities and professions

LIVING BY ALFA provides a Build-to-Rent Community to foster relationships between the residents. Its unique attributes – Common Areas and Amenity Spaces, Activities and Events, and Services – enable it to encourage the residents to socialise across generations, nationalities and professions.

The Common Areas and Amenity Spaces are designed to encourage interaction, and the Community Team is charged with planning healthy, value-based Activities and Events to facilitate the process.

ROOTED IN SUSTAINABILITY

Sustainability is a part of every aspect of life at LIVING BY ALFA which has been built in adherence with the DGNB Gold certification, a sustainability benchmark for buildings in the Danish construction industry.

The LIVING BY ALFA community has an emphasis on sharing that involves an efficient use of resources along with a lower consumption rate per individual tenant.

The onsite restaurant, which serves a menu using fresh, high quality, locally-sourced products from regional farmers – an excellent place for tenants to meet one another.

2022 COLIVING AWARD WINNER

In June, LIVING BY ALFA was named the Best Emerging Coliving Concept at the UN Habitat World Urban Forum. A jury selected LIVING BY ALFA, although it had already won an unofficial public vote via LinkedIn with 44 percent of the vote.

The annual Coliving Awards recognise the most thoughtful and innovative initiatives in the co-living sector.

Scan the QR code and sign up for the next info meeting to find out more about LIVING BY ALFA

THE LIVING BY ALFA APP

At LIVING BY ALFA the ambition is to create a human-centred, authentic community where the tenants' needs are fully understood.

This is supported digitally by the LIVING BY ALFA app, a means of connection for all the tenants.

The app supports wellbeing initiatives such as community events and activities that tenants can register to join.

It also enables the tenants to connect with the community management team, wider community and service providers.

Overall, the LIVING BY ALFA app supports a sense of homeyness, safety and comfort.

HYGGE IN EVERY ROOM

Carefully curated by top Danish designer Ulrik Wang, the environment of the Clubhouse is designed to ensure you can live your best possible life

If you’ve ever been to restaurants such as Kiin Kiin, NOHO, Le Bambole or the Cock’s & Cows chain, you’re probably familiar with the work of Ulrik Wang, a furniture specialist who artfully combines forms, colours, shapes and fabrics to design living spaces you never want to leave.

Across every square inch of LIVING BY ALFA, his assured hand has selected every colour, plotted every contour, and factored in every crease and crevice to render a home both comfortable and convenient: the cornerstones of hygge.

As the tenants of LIVING BY ALFA, these unique ly-designed common areas are the private, styl ish extensions of your home! The environment is designed to both encourage interaction and contemplation.

THE LOUNGE

The Lounge caters to all-comers. Instead of one large room, like a hotel foyer, it consists of smaller cosy spaces with varied furniture groups. ”Our ambition was to design various zones with different qualities,” explains Ulrik Wange. “A nice calm spot fit for creative thinking with the laptop, a favourite corner in an armchair for interesting reading or a cosy meal with friends at the large dinner table.

Ulrik Wang

HOME CINEMA

Put on your slippers, recline in the soft seats and watch your favourite movies on the big screen in a cosy atmosphere. The home cinema is also the ideal set ting for lectures and private events

ROOFTOP

Primarily designed to be a quiet refuge for the 55+ tenants, on special occa sions the rooftop terrace is opened up to all tenants: most particularly for barbecues in the summer!

RESTAURANT

Spoil yourself, your family and your friends with tasty bites in the conve niently located Living By Alfa Restau rant, which will open in the Spring 2023.

EXPATS: YOU DESERVE THIS!

Common Expat Challenges

Housing is one of the biggest struggles. There’s so much competition for places and often the place is rented before I have even had a chance to see it.

Rentals cost far too much in Copenhagen city centre, especially areas such as Frederiksberg or Vesterbro.

The LIVING BY ALFA Convenience

In total, LIVING BY ALFA has 163 apartments with move-in dates scheduled for January, March and June 2023. Over half of the apartments are still available.

LIVING BY ALFA apartments have a starting price of 10,950 kr/month. Moreover, it is only 10 minutes to Frederiksberg by car, and only 8 kilometres from Copenhagen City Hall Square.

Finding a job, a good school for your children and surviving the Danish winter are hard enough without having to worry about where you’re going to live and how long you can live there!

At LIVING BY ALFA, expats have the chance to bury all of their living-related problems with one swell swoop!

No more concern about where you’re going to be living once your short-term rental contract expires, or how you’re ever going to make a Danish friend!

Because all the solutions, and more, are under just one roof at LIVING BY ALFA.

All my previous rental agreements have been short-term! I need something more permanent.

Transportation is important to me and yet buying a car is expensive.

I’ve accumulated a lot of possessions that I don’t want to give up when I move.

You can keep the lease for an unlimited period with three months’ termination notice.

There is a bus stop with direct routes into the city centre, and the cycling superhighway will take you into the city within just 15 minutes.

You have the option of renting unfurnished or furnished. In addition, all apartments have a storage room. For some of the apartments it is located inside, while most are in the basement.

I don’t have a lot of Danes in my group of friends, and I don’t know the language very well.

I am thinking about starting a family/ growing my family.

I have no furniture and would like to find a long-term rental.

I struggle with urban living if I don’t have green spaces nearby so I can connect with nature.

With the help of the Community team and the Clubhouse, expats can meet Danes and other expats in a variety of events and activities. The common areas are designed to be perfect for meeting people and socializing.

Not only does the Clubhouse have a children’s playroom, but the apartments are designed with child safety in mind and security systems.

LIVING BY ALFA offers the option of fully furnished apartments.

Beyond the large private courtyard, with its landscaped garden and raised flowerbeds, LIVING BY ALFA is situated close to several green areas, such as Espelunden and Vestvolden.

I would like to sometimes host parties: dinners, birthdays, sports club meetings etc.

My family and friends will come to visit for a few days and I don’t have an extra bedroom.

The common areas can be rented at a special rate for the Clubhouse members. Moreover, you can join or start your own club with the help of the Community Manager.

There are three hotel-like guest rooms you can rent out for your guests at very reasonable rates

A FRIEND TO ALL WHO NEED

The Community Team is led by Iris Elena Iacob, the Community Manager, whose main role is “bridging the gap between community needs and processes” while helping to build a community that consists of multi-cultural and multi-generational members.

“There are many places that have com mon areas with a neighbourly feeling, and you can spend time with your neighbors everywhere,” explains Iris.

“The difference at LIVING BY ALFA is that we have built the spaces for you to make it more accessible and easier to reach. I am there to help create the connections and guide the journey from strangers to neigh bours to community.”

SUPPORT CIRCLE

Iris is responsible for tailoring events, work shops, classes and activities for all, whilst providing a support circle to tenants in need of assistance. Crucially, she is also an expat – from Romania.

“Being an expat myself, I do know most of the struggles, questions and wishes that one might have on their journey encoun tering a new country,” she said.

“I am there to help the expats integrate into the Danish community, to build together new rituals, understand the cultures and differences and make them work together. But I can also just be there to listen, give a piece of advice or help you apply for your CPR number or Permanent Residence.”

CPH POST caught up with Iris to find out more about her own expat journey.

How long have you been in Denmark?

In 2014, I took the decision to take on an adventure: move to Denmark. The simple reason was my interest in get ting to know new cultures and learning about what the world has to offer.

So you relate to the problems faced by new arrivals in Denmark?

Yes, while moving here was an easy de cision for me, it’s had its ups and downs during the years I’ve been living here. Being in a new place, alone, can stir up a lot of emotions – some that were new to me. There have been many times when even as an extremely social and extrovert person I have felt lonely. Not because I didn’t have people around me, but because I did not feel like I be longed to a group.

How did you overcome your loneliness? Slowly, I have found a group of people: my community (not one from the same country), and that’s when it all made sense. I understood that when you have

a strong community of people around you – which you can rely on and that you can even consider family – then that feeling of belongingness can con vert your loneliness into another set of emotions … positive ones.

Were any of your friends Danes?

Well, no. I had no Danish friends, and I started to wonder why that is ... and it seemed like many of my international friends wondered the exact same thing. But then I realised that all it takes is just one Dane to introduce you into their groups – into their culture and on your way to integration.

What qualifications do you bring to your role?

My studies in International Hospital ity Management and my work expe rience have been the gateway for me understanding Culture & Communica tion. I am looking forward to my role as Community Manager because I get to be the person that has the opportu nity to build bridges between cultures and generations and generate positive emotions.

For all the tenants at LIVING BY ALFA, their first port of call should they have a problem or question is Iris Elena Iacob, the Community Manager

We invite you to the showroom in Kaffetårnet at Korsdalsvej 101 every Thursday and Sunday. At the open houses you can experience the newly decorated showroom and ask questions to the realtors, while taking a look at the floor plans and sensing the special atmosphere of LIVING BY ALFA. After your visit, you can take your coffee for a stroll through IrmaByen's cosy streets. Here you can get a feel of the unique community that already exists in IrmaByen.