Student community living

There is a massive shortage of student housing in the Nordic capitals and university cities. Existing student housing is often outdated, and new builds don’t always match the preferences of living in a modern community expressed by the students themselves.

UMEUS addresses these challenges, providing students with affordable, modern community living in a central location.

A place to call home
UMEUS is a student community concept with ultra-efficient designed rooms. The majority of the rooms at the UMEUS facilities share a common kitchen with 14-20 other students. The students have access to many common facilities, including reception, entertainment lounge, study zone, group rooms, fitness, laundry, and roof terrace.

The design and furnishing of the rooms as well as the communal spaces are the results of extensive research to provide students with what they value in life at an affordable monthly rent.

Attractive locations
The first UMEUS in Copenhagen opened in 2021 and is located in the attractive Ørestad Nord area, next to the University of Copenhagen and the University of IT Copenhagen.

The second UMEUS location opened in 2022 and is located in Nordhavn close to the water, public transportation, and under 15 on a bike from central Copenhagen. Both locations are close to the city center, and within walking distance to Metro stations, providing quick and easy access to the cultural life, entertainment, and many other draws that Copenhagen has to offer young people.

NREP created the opportunity to provide student housing in these locations through close relationships and collaboration with local developers and the municipality.

The first UMEUS in Norway, Trondheim opened in 2022. Centrally located and within close vicinity to shops and services, UMEUS is about 5 minutes walk from the campus of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Traveling to Trondheim city center is quick and easy. Also, Estenstadmarka, Bymarka, and Vassfjellet provide countless possibilities for sports and recreation nearby. 

Focus on community and diversity
All UMEUS concepts are built around the same idea of community and diversity.

Within the larger community of the building, which is served through the ground floor facilities, connectedness between students is based on smaller communities of 14-20 students that share communal kitchens that form the hearts of smaller subdivisions of the building. The communal kitchens are designed to create the best setting for students to meet and build a sense of community. Whether students want to cook together and have friends visit for dinner, hold a movie night, grab a beer, or play board games together – this is where it happens. To further strengthen and enhance the social sustainability of the community the composition of student residents is not random in UMEUS. The students are selected according to the diversity criteria to put together a diverse and united group of residents to establish a driving force for a strong community.

A better design
Design features range from the incorporation of upcycled materials in the core of the building to solar photovoltaics on the roof of the building. Through life cycle analysis of the environmental impacts of building materials, the use of renewable energy solutions, and the optimization of acoustics, daylight, and indoor air quality, UMEUS seeks to reduce its environmental impact and make a positive difference for the living conditions of its residents.

The Danish projects are all in the process of obtaining the Green Building Council Denmark’s DGNB sustainability certification while the Norwegian project is BREEAM certified.