Shared Laundry
This pattern is shaped by
Problem
In apartment buildings, in-unit laundry is a prized amenity — but it means every unit has its own $2,000 machine running a handful of loads per week. Shared laundry saves space, money, energy, and water — and when designed well, provides a casual social space where neighbors actually meet.
Evidence and Discussion
Scandinavian apartment buildings have a long tradition of shared laundry rooms — well-maintained, well-lit spaces with commercial-grade machines, folding tables, and booking systems. The key is quality: commercial machines are more efficient, more durable, and wash better than consumer units. The social key is comfort: the laundry room should be pleasant enough that waiting there is a choice, not a sentence.
Therefore
in any multi-unit building or cohousing development, provide a shared laundry room with commercial-grade machines (one washer and one dryer per eight to ten units), a folding table, good lighting, comfortable seating, and a booking system. Make the room pleasant — natural light, warm surfaces, a view. Position it where it serves as a casual meeting point. The shared laundry is more efficient, produces better results, and creates more social contact than twelve individual machines in twelve individual closets.