You know Airbnb as the company that revolutionized travel around the world by making home-sharing easy. You have probably also heard about the big waves the $38 billion company has caused in the hotel industry, sparking legislation and regulation throughout the US. But have you heard about Airbnb’s latest project? There could be big things coming in 2019.
Airbnb: Home-Sharing AND Home-Building?
In November, Airbnb’s co-founder Joe Gebbia announced a new project called Backyard, “an endeavor to design and prototype new ways of building and sharing homes,” according to a press statement. What does this mean? According to Gebbia, Airbnb is launching its first prototype buildings in 2019 for its latest project: to develop and produce green building materials, prefabricated dwellings, houses, and multi-unit residential complexes.
In Gebbia’s telling, Backyard is going to rethink home building by responding to its vast community of home-sharing travelers. Pretty soon, the new branch of Airbnb will be designing a home around the needs of its occupant, “utiliz[ing] sophisticated manufacturing techniques [and] smart-home technologies.”
It seems like a usual shift, from home-sharing to home-building, for the tech company, but this may be Airbnb’s way of diversifying and moving away from a purely digital business model.
We Will Keep You Updated
Although much of Backyard’s announcement, and its 2019 plans, remain somewhat mysterious, it is clear that Airbnb has some big ideas in the works. You can read more about Gebbia’s November announcement here. Keep an eye on our blog for updates about Airbnb, as well as other real estate news in Atlanta. We will do our best to keep you informed!
