Social Space Activation Ideas for Future-Ready Residences

In an exclusive interaction with Adlin Pertishya Jebaraj, correspondent of Homes India Magazine, Nathan Dubois-Stora, Regional Director at Ultraconfidentiel shares how the current lifestyle of homes are transforming into adaptable, wellness-centric, and sustainable spaces for broader social interaction. The communal vibrancy of India is creating new standards where community meets the sophistication of global best design. The homes of tomorrow will be experience-driven, professionally-enabled, and climate-friendly. Nathan has gained diverse professional experience in real estate development, interior design, renewable energy, and politics, both in Europe and Canada. He’s passionate about international business and design, and he is committed to building bridges between Europe and India.

How do you see the current lifestyle trends (remote work, wellness and sustainability) influencing social spaces in residential projects today?

The social spaces within the houses are no longer extensions: they are transforming into the substance of our lives. Teleworking has eliminated the boundary between home work, and leisure business - a lounge becomes a co-working place, a yoga mat turns into a kind of amphitheatre at night. The concept of wellness is the driver of designing emotionally attractive spaces, biophilic courtyards, meditation pods, and fitness terraces that constitute natural elements of everyday life. It is sustainability which ensures that it is not beautiful, but rather regenerative, rainwater-based gardens, rooftops which make use of the sun, or community kitchens which generate less waste. People are no longer asking to receive amenities but meaningful spaces that evoke emotional feelings and help connect. Corporates such as Ultraconfidentiel can see these trends all over, especially in the places where it has a significant presence-in India (Bangalore, Hyderabad, Mumbai, or Delhi) or across Dubai and Singapore.

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How does the Indian residential community compare to the global benchmarks in terms of innovation?

The world is moving towards hyper-curation in residential social space. India is the one that is rapidly catching up though in a different manner. The Indian community is naturally social and intergenerational, and such a simple amphitheatre or club turns into a cultural meeting place and festivals. The subtlety of integration is what might be lacking in comparison with global standards, which make these spaces smooth, adaptable, and customizable. We occasionally observe the fragmented insertions, but we think in integrating different amenities and experiences. In practice, it consists of sustaining a single narrative and a smooth movement between one space to another. 

Indicatively, at Ultraconfidentiel, develop this holistic orientation by focusing on the design process with the international and multicultural teams located in India. This is the strength of the approach, the fact that the studio is an international one, with a powerful and traditionally Indian base. The potential is massive: to combine the communal energy which India has in its veins with the refinement and design thought which is becoming a global movement.

What are the challenges faced by developers in creating active social spaces without increasing the overall expenditure to residents?

The issue is two-fold: perception and programming. Frequently, developers are afraid that rich social spaces will be converted into maintenance premiums to the ultimate tenants. With this situation at hand, they are afraid to take an aggressive innovation leap. The future is in design smartness: a system of flexible furniture that can transform space into a yoga studio, a system of landscape that is flexible with the changing seasons, or a system of landscape that is energy-friendly and saves on operational expenses in the long run. The developers must spend smarter instead of spending more, so that every square foot should be more productive, longer, and serve more people.

Also Read: Redefining Luxury Living in India: From Ownership to Experience

How is smart technology changing the way that residents engage with residential spaces (e.g., IoT enabled gyms, AI-based booking etc.)?

Smart technology is no longer about devices, but experiences. A gym that adapts to your fitness capabilities, a personalized AI concierge capable of learning your habits and suggesting when it is the optimum time to play tennis, sensor-controlled lighting that makes a library look alive occasionally, as people crowd in, all these bring passive amenities to life. This creates convenience and customization to the locals. To the developers, it implies that community spaces can be monitored, optimized and constantly enhanced without adding overheads. The actual strength of smart technology is the capability to make communal areas personal.

What does the “future-ready residence” look like in terms of community living and amenities shared over the next 10 years?

The house of the future will not be determined by the square footage, but experience per square foot. We should observe the formation of micro-communities. The amenities will be highly programmable and flexible: it will be an AI-based program that is customized to meet changes between a podcast studio and a VR playroom. Notably, being future-ready will imply climate-resilient and inclusive: the spaces that would be able to adjust not just with the technology, but also with the social and environmental reality of the coming decade.