Private Lobby Cafe

Context/forces:

• many people in NYC live in large buildings: apartments, condos, co-ops with hundreds of people

• there are often not enough Third Place-s available, esp where you don't have to buy something to "pay" for your seat

• many people of all ages would like more opportunities for semi-random-social-encounters

• elderly people in particular get lonely, and are less mobile, and are thus more likely to spend hours in their apartment building lobby

• if only elderly people congregate in the lobby (Get There First), then others feel less able/willing to use the space, and also feel like the building seems more "full of old people". (Sad but true.)

• buildings often spend lots of money keeping their lobby looking modern, yet lobbies get little use

Solution:

Design residential building lobbies to look more like a cafe.

Lots of movable chairs (wood, not stackable).

Include tables? Or does this create maintenance hassle as people make a mess and don't clean up?

Use a more casual atmosphere? (Art posters on walls.)

Music? (yikes, who controls?)

• heh, shared server with WiFi hub, any can load/add/rate, then control via their own laptop