What happens when 175 (mostly) women get together to design a condominium?

On July 10, 2019, the Reina team invited 175 (mostly) women to join them at the Globe and Mail Event Space to participate in a design collaboration.

The fast-paced, fun event revealed a bevy of information on what matters to the public when it comes to the design of their home. Here’s a sample of what we found.

Most common issues

The first thing we asked our participants was to list the most common condo issues they’ve experienced. We then took the 650 responses and grouped them into 20 categories.

Here were the TOP 6 (size of the circle represents relative ranking):

Interesting things we heard

We then asked each table to identify their main concerns and what they would like Reina to improve on. Some of the conversations we heard were:

“How can multiple generations be engaged together in the amenity space?”

“Greenery, more greenery, and sunlight”

“I’m always scared my children
are disturbing my neighbours. Soundproofing is key”

“How can visitors be welcomed,
while maintaining security?”

“How can kids be kids and parents
stay sane?”

“I want well designed amenities that aren’t expensive to maintain”

“I don’t want to live in a hotel.
I want a real community”

“I’d like to be a minimalist, but I’m not.
I need more storage”

“I want to feel safe in my home
and in the corridors”

Interestingly, safety and privacy got very little mention as an issue, and neither exterior architecture nor LEED or Sustainability were mentioned at all!

Our 10 Favourite Wild Suggestions

From there we asked people to go crazy and come up with some imaginative suggestions on what their dream condo would have. Here are our favourites:

Retractable roof for stargazing
Phonebooth for teen’s private conversation
Soundproof bedrooms (for parents!)
Trampoline room
Party room filled with hammocks
Dog exercise room
Heated toilets
Waterfalls
Running track cantilevered around the building
Skylights in all bathrooms (it’s a condo... but A+ for creativity)