Justin Shee | Founder & CEO, The Kohab

Building Our Future

Can we better serve our ageing population through a new model of inter-generational co-living?

Justin Shee is the founder of The Kohab; a new inter-generational retirement living company, bringing old and young adults together under one roof to live in mutual support. The Kohab is both a potential answer to the age ghettos created by retirement living and a solution to the loneliness epidemic faced by both young and old adults in the UK.

In this podcast:

• What’s behind the growing epidemic of loneliness and how can our design and usage of the built environment help to tackle it?
• Why are baby-boomers still reluctant down-sizers & renters? How can this be changed?
• Should we revisit the rationale behind the current status quo of segregated “retirement” / senior living?
• What are the advantages of inter-generational living, both for the residents and the wider society?
• What are the financial models for encouraging the use of inter-generational living and how does The Kohab intend to nurture the identity of the community?
• Can inter-generational living extend to even younger populations e.g. creches?

Justin’s favourite building is Henry VI’s Gothic masterpiece, King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. In terms of real estate innovation, automated valuation models (AVMs) are Justin’s hot topic to watch!

You can find & follow Justin on social media via LinkedIn or Twitter (@JustinShee).

For more references, you can look at:

• Why inter-generational models may be the answer for solving the loneliness epidemic
• How inter-generational living benefits the ‘book-end’ generations
• Living Closer; the many faces of co-housing
• Savannah de Savary’s piece in Property Week on high-tech, collaborative retirement living