"Studio Living Reimagined"
/BY ANDREW DEALY, MANAGING PARTNER
This month we're excited to feature a product that we're incorporating into our own development project in Fort Worth! ORI Living is a provider of multi-functional, robotic powered living systems designed to maximize the potential of usable space and we're equipping the majority of our 54 units with their most popular device, 'Studio Suite'. The idea is that our tenants will be able to move in and move out with just a few suitcases and little to no furniture thanks to movable walls that unlock valuable square footage in (very) tight quarters.
The concept of ORI originated out of MIT's Media Lab after a group of friends decided that they wanted to help tackle some of the challenges of urban density. Just as they got to work on what would become today's technology, they also conducted surveys to understand the greatest pain points for tenants and owners of studio apartments. The same three requests kept rolling in: everyone wanted separate living areas, walk-in closets, and space to host others. That wish list doesn't sound unreasonable for typical apartments but it's next to impossible in studio units that can't fit much more than a bed, nightstand, and small table.
They soon discovered that it could be done with a little ingenuity and in 2015, ORI's team rolled out its first version of 'Studio Suite' as a direct response to those persistent complaints. The 'Studio Suite' is meant to simulate the functionality of multiple rooms in a single, efficient space by including a pullout queen bed, media wall, closet, writing desk, and dining table in its design. All of which can quietly appear or disappear in 30 seconds with one push of a button on the control panel or on a smartphone. We were so impressed by that functionality and the ease in which the entire system operates that our team ordered 44 of them!
We're also working with ORI's marketing partner, Snap Lastings, to lead all branding, search, and digital leasing efforts on behalf of the building. We figured that there is no group more motivated to tout the functionality and value of ORI Systems to potential tenants than those who developed the products in the first place. Their team immediately made their mark by changing 'CoHo' to represent Convertible Homes as an adaptation from the original plan to build the apartments out of shipping containers (previously Container Homes). And eventually they will train our on-site property manager on best practices when it comes to getting our tenants comfortable with those movable walls.
We're hoping that this is the first such partnership with ORI and that we're able to graduate to the 'Cloud Bed' (pictured) that features a king or queen sized bed descending from the ceiling to lock into the daytime sofa. Or maybe even integrate their 'Pocket Offices' into our single-family homes that might not be able to dedicate an entire room to a home office. It's hard to adequately explain these products in text but we're convinced that these sort of tech enabled, space maximizing products will continue to evolve and revolutionize urban living. Feel free to check out ORI's contribution to that trend in person once CoHo is fully furnished this fall!