Starting from next spring it will be possible to access, through the Web, the new Social Network Maisonbook.

Maisonbook  arises out of the study of social behaviours and of the current economic scenario.  The analysis of these two elements offers a precious opportunity to rethink economic and financial models on the basis of structural changes that are capable of furthering innovation and development amongst the real estate market players, including by redefining demand.

This Social Network aims to innovate the real estate market and will enable registered users to interact with a view to selling, purchasing and exchanging houses.  Users comprise private individuals, construction companies as well as business firms and enterprises partnering with the system.  The two subjects of this Social Network will be the house along with all such products and services as revolve around and ensue from it, on the one hand, and users on the other hand.  The Social Network will feature two sections: Maisonbook Today and Maisonbook Tomorrow, with the former focusing on existing properties and the latter addressing the market of the future where Class A houses can be booked, based upon an already existing model.  The new dwellings will feature highly innovative, non-polluting, low energy consumption systems that produce energy from renewable sources.  This Social Network’s aim is to meet the need for houses.  The system will make it possible for users to exchange information on themselves and on the houses they are seeking or that they want to sell as well as suggest property swap deals by matching demand and supply.  Registered users will have the possibility to choose their neighbours and form groups of friends intending to purchase existing or new houses.

The Maison d’Elite Model

Thanks to Maisonbook Tomorrow, users can plan the construction of their house based upon their needs, with the benefit of having the possibility to choose both the neighbour with whom they will share the rules and the surroundings.  The Maison d’Elite model was implemented between 2008 and 2010.  It is located in via dei Buttafava, Seregno, in the Italian Province of Monza and Brianza and is meant to be the forerunner of future houses that can be booked via Maisonbook. This model is a showcase for the quality houses that can indeed be built by using the Maison Virtual (MV) system, which uses selected products and services and thanks to which an application can be submitted for the international LEED Certification.  The objective of the system is to transform the current real estate market by making available to all, at affordable prices, quality houses that can be reproduced on a large scale.  Maison d’Elite is the prototype (MV) of future property developments in terms of construction type, organisation of individual houses, use of top-notch new-generation systems & installations and materials, as well as in terms of how spaces are used and which relations come into being amongst neighbours as a result.

For some years now, there has been a strong demand for dwellings with features other than the ones we are familiar with, be it on the front of technology, energy and the environment or in terms of how they can help meet major social needs (e.g. low operating costs).  For such reasons, construction has been conceived, as regards technologies, systems & installations, in compliance with the European Parliament Directive 2008/0223.   This Directive clearly sets forth the rules for constructing houses by 2020 in line with the Kyoto Protocol, with this guidance having already been incorporated in the United Nations framework agreement.  Hence, a fundamental aspect of residential properties is the dramatic reduction of CO2 emissions released into the atmosphere by heating systems.  A key outcome, from the perspective of environmental safeguard, has been achieved by totally avoiding methane gas service pipes.  The model houses are equipped with systems & installations that ensure a balanced use of renewable sources by taking the earth’s heat from deep underground (geothermal energy) and tapping solar energy to the utmost extent possible (PV panels and solar thermal installations).  The complex set of systems & installations of Maison d’Elite allows for automated operation of heating systems according to weather conditions.

As for the type of construction, the U shape of the model, which is comprised of thirty flats, arises from the shape of the lot and the villa that used to be at the very centre of the construction area.   In the main, each flat has a surface area of 55 sqm and is an open-spaced module that can be extended horizontally and/or vertically up to 130 sqm.  Also, modularity has allowed for a streamlining in the layout of the supply and discharge piping of individual flats.  Flats are basic and have no internal partition walls.  Outdoor spaces are conceived for sharing: indeed, the seamless terraces on the first floor and the gardens on the ground floor encourage and facilitate social relations.  This idea stems from the willingness to re-propose the living space of the typical Lombardy country houses, where residents used to stay together and talk while hand processing wheat or attending to other duties relating to the use of natural resources.  Hence, from the point of view of the conception of spaces, innovation consists in having removed all that is not a priority and having added, instead, all that facilitates social relations and the use of technology as much and as extensively as possible.  Currently, the Maison d’Elite flats are under a low-rental housing regime and residents are gradually trained to save energy and are informed of the related economic and environmental outcomes.  It being an experimental model, the behaviours and relations that come into being amongst the dwellers of Maison d’Elite are studied and “monitored” with a view to understanding, in fractal terms, which are the effects that sharing, in a given context, generates depending on the type of dweller.  Also the surroundings of Maison d’Elite, i.e. plenty of greenery between the Service Centre Villa and the flats, are conducive to facilitating social relations amongst the dwellers.

The pre-existing central villa, with distinctive features dating back to the 1970s, has been refurbished and transformed into a centre for continuing education on the rationale underlying environmental sustainability.  All those interested in learning how behaviours can become socially and environmentally sustainable can apply for accreditation to attend the courses delivered by the relevant certified professionals.  The structure and duration of the courses varies depending on the target participants.  For example, business owners who apply for accreditation to become suppliers of products and/or services for Maison Virtual will attend a 24-hour full-immersion session.  The first day of training for business firms starts on Friday 22^nd February at 2 p.m. an ends on Saturday 23^rd February at 2 p.m.  During the meeting, an overview will be given of the ways in which, through the Maisonbook Social Network, business firms will enter the new market, where economic and environmental sustainability is the top priority.  During the courses, all existing facilities (gym, swimming pool, sauna … kitchen) will be made available to participants under the coaching of a personal trainer and of some residents for a deep dive into the reality of the Maison d’Elite model.  The use of spaces is intended for demonstration purposes in a sort of sustainability school where it will be possible to share the values and contents promoted by Maisonbook and by the Maison Virtual system.  During discussions, participants will understand how the existing houses can be used as a prototype for future ones.

In the 1:1 scale model, persons - irrespectively of whether they are residents, visitors or persons who will participate in the replicas in the various sectors - can have a first-hand experience of the direct benefits deriving from an environmentally-friendly and smart energy management that results in savings for dwellers and that is already compliant with the European Parliament 2020 guidelines (Directive of the European Parliament no. 0223/2008).  Maison d’Elite, being rated Class A, consumes as little as 19.2 kWh/sqm (against a Class G house, which consumes approximately 250 kWh/sqm), which means a saving of between 80,00-100,00 Euros over 40 years.  Such an achievement has been made possible by the use of a high energy performance combination of shell/systems & installations.

Sociology and Architecture

Maison d’Elite is also intended to be an experimental prototype aimed at monitoring the social behaviours and relations that come into being amongst dwellers so as to bring about behaviours in line with the sustainability-centred  philosophy of the overall project.  At Maison d’Elite we are faced with a group of a co-housers randomly put together, who, due to their having different views and interests, tend to develop stark social contrasts.  The Maisonbook Social Network will instead allow for a pre-selection of future dwellers.  Indeed, this housing model works and does not pollute but dwellers would need to adjust their behaviours, which can only happen as a result of a change in the order and sequence of events.  First, a sound and cohesive purchasing group will have to be formed, in such a way as to replicate the model by adapting it to the needs of the group that will come into life on the Web.  Group members, feeling that they play an active role in the project, will be more proactive and responsible and those who will want to book a house of the Maison Virtual System will be in a position to have a preview of the themes connected to energy-saving systems & installations, related spaces and the contents of regulations for a proper use of the same.  In the new social setting, a basic regulation containing the new rules for the dwellers must be put in place.  Only later on, when everything settles into a “day-to-day routine practice”, will it be possible to simplify the approach to habits.  This implies providing upfront guidance at an early stage,  which, of course, can be reviewed, improved and updated along with each purchasing group that will come into being.

The selection and sharing of rules within a diversified group can prevent or limit lack of understanding.  The third chapter of the Maisonbook book, published by architect Luigi Mario Filocca in July 2012 (by Mariani), illustrates some of the most significant episodes that occurred inside Maison d’Elite, in the form of allegoric sketches so that the reader can form a clearer idea of the social dynamics that develop in the absence of a prior selection.  The case studies show that the behaviour of some individuals can influence that of others inside a community that, by its very nature, is ever-changing and evolving. This can happen in the event of there already being rules in place and even more so where the social rules have yet to be written.  Considering that the new communities need be invented from scratch, at least in Italy, it is easy to understand that in order to prevent such scenarios from occurring, an analysis of the group dynamics need be carried out so as to figure out (and forestall) a degeneration of new projects.  The Maison d’Elite Class A housing complex has been a sort of trial stage, not just for systems & installations, but also for the new housing system.  Without verifying how the community is formed and decides to set forth the new rules, a number of “dominant” elements could positively or adversely impact the start-up of the project.

All in all, the users of the Maisonbook Social Network in the Maisonbook Tomorrow section (see the next following paragraph) can form “groups of friends”, or groups of potential buyers who, through the work of the Maisonbook team and the tutoring of professionals (including sociologists and psychologists) will be helped perform an affinity-based type of selection.

Maisonbook

Users interfacing the Maisonbook Social Network comprise private individuals and partners (with the latter being all the players of the construction industry).  In Maisonbook Today a private user can register, entering the personal details required by the system (i.e.: name, address, … besides a picture identifying its profile) and the details of the property it wishes or already has (and wants to sell or let).  Starting from this data, the Social Network can fine-tune the search by funnelling the user to such persons and properties as are more similar.  After registration has been successfully completed, the user can access its personal page, which displays its picture and that of the property to be sold/purchased/exchanged.  One can also participate without providing property details, in which case, however, the system will use the data entered in respect of the individual so as to propose him/her to other users as a “neighbour”.  Users can interact using

Messages, Visits and Notices

The services provided by this Social Network encompass three themes:

• ideal Neighbour search: this section deals with:

1. storing additional user data relating to its interests, preferences and distinctive personality traits (this will be done in the PROFILE section);
2. entering data on the desirable characteristics of a neighbour (the data required will be of the same type as that entered in the PROFILE section); this will be done in the IDEAL NEIGHBOUR section;
3. finally, after the above data has been entered, a search can be done, amongst the registered users of the Social Network, to find those whose profile is closest to one’s ideal neighbour; this will be done in the AFFINITY section;

• ideal House search: this section deals with:

1. storing additional data on the property proposed by the user, if any, such as geographical information; size, type of house, garage and garden, if any, and price.  This service will be provided in the MIA MAISON section, so that the house can be put up for purchase, rental or exchange vis-à-vis other users;
2. entering data on the desired house (specifying whether it is for purchase, rental or exchange), information on the surroundings where one would like to live and the features of the house searched (geographical coordinates, property type) and the specific price range and size for the search; this service will be provided in the IDEAL MAISON section;
3. lastly, a search can be done which allows to find the properties which are closest to one’s Ideal Maison; this search will be done in the COMPATIBILITY section.

In the event that the owners of the properties that are compatible with my desired house include users whose Ideal Maison matches the parameters of my house on sale, this will be a MAISON EXCHANGE that will be notified by the application itself.

- Ideal Neighbour and Ideal House cross-search: this service merges the searches by Affinity of profile and Compatibility of Maison, with a view to obtaining an ideal setting that can offer both the desired house and neighbours who are compatible with the interests of the searcher.

In Maisonbook Tomorrow, the user can book a new Class A house proposed by the traditional market or else a copy of the existing model made on the basis of the highly innovative Maison Virtual System for the choice of materials, technologies, systems & installations.  In the latter case, the user will have access to two modes: PLAY and BUILD.  With the former, the user can start looking for its future neighbours amongst those registered, thus forming a group of persons similar to it.  The AFFINITY will be calculated by the system after the user has entered the following parameters: PROFILE / IDEAL NEIGHBOUR / IDEAL MAISON / WHERE, or in which property development projects, amongst those proposed, it wishes to purchase a house / TIMELINE, or by when the user can accumulate 20% of the property value (this being the amount required to enter into a preliminary purchase agreement).

At this stage, based on the data provided, the GROUPS OF FRIENDS will be formed, i.e. groups of potential buyers who will be helped by the team in the process of mutual selection by affinity.

When a user decides to purchase a house, it will have to access the BUILD mode, where, in the SAVINGS PLAN page it can view the amount of capital remaining to be saved, through the advisor selected by the system, to attain the proportion of 20% required to enter into the preliminary purchase agreement.  Each payment made to put capital aside shall be bundled with one of the products proposed by the business partners, thus allowing the user to “virtually build” the booked maison.  As the users who belong to the group of friends access the build mode, PURCHASING GROUPS will be formed.  To kick-off the first construction site, the business partners, selected on the basis of their reliability and sustainability, will provide their own products and services.  Thanks to the launch of this Social Network, it will be possible to put on the market a certain number of houses so as to allow credit institutions to step in without major concerns and fund the transaction at a later stage in the progress of the construction works up until completion, in that the houses will have already been booked for sale.  Thanks to this house booking system, the business firms know that they will be repaid the capital (i.e. products and/or services) invested for a certain number of months.  They can decide whether to use the investment for the other planned construction sites thus triggering a virtuous system. The first construction sites to be launched will be in the Province of Monza and Brianza, with others following later throughout Italy.

Users can access the Social Network by means of a web browser or mobile devices.  For this reason, the project provides for the creation and modelling of a web architecture that is able to provide the tools and services described above.  As regards the management of all the technological aspects of the project, a variety of professionals will be in charge of managing both the development of the entire web architecture and the mobile application.

Why Innovative?

The project is innovative due to the criteria used to search the house and the ways selected for communicating and aggregating the registered users of this Social Network.

As regards Maisonbook today:

• the system will be able to match demand and supply as well as suggest property swaps between the users who “exchange” houses based on the data entered by them.
• every time the “user profile” created during registration is viewed, links to the other registered users who live in the same area will come up on screen.  Likewise, when the profile of a house is viewed, it will be possible to view the fact sheets relating to the other houses on offer in nearby buildings.

Starting from a geographical area defined as being the preferred area for one’s future house, with the combined “affinity + compatibility” search, a number of houses will be suggested to the user which are compatible from a technical point of view with the house that is being searched and close to the houses of persons whom the user believes can be desirable neighbours.

In Maisonbook tomorrow:

• the system will propose to the user interested in purchasing a new house, such neighbours as have similar needs and interests so as to create purchasing groups.
• this Social Network will be the instrument through which the Maison Virtual System will be disseminated, which will make available to registered users high-performing, low-consumption, non-polluting houses that produce energy from renewable sources at affordable costs thanks to a standardised construction process.  In the Maison Virtual System, economic and environmental sustainability will be the top priority and will make it possible to involve construction professionals in order to trigger a large-scale and long-lasting production process offering economic and financial opportunities for all.

Set out below is a brief overview of the approach used by Maisonbook, to highlight how technologically innovative it is, including from the viewpoint of IT.

To develop the web services, a platform will be set up that complies with the reliability, security and maintainability requirements in place.  The technologies selected will be based on open standards so as to provide a software solution resulting from the integration and customisation of Open Source solutions and frameworks for the web.  The Open Source platforms currently available are strong and reliable, feature a significant processing power and are easy to operate – all of which makes them most suitable for this project.

The project provides for the creation of a client-server type of web architecture centred on a dedicated server of the services provided, which can be used via Web Application or Mobile App.  Client and server will be integrated using APIs (Application Programming Interfaces) the development of which will make it possible to implement the service functionalities once only, thus improving software maintainability and facilitating the integration and development of different external web and mobile clients.

What Will Be the Effects on Competitiveness and Development?

Once this Social Network gets started, the project team will handle the registered users’ needs and will kick off the first construction sites.  In stark contrast with the usual practice in the traditional market, Maisonbook will shift from “build then sell” to “sell then build” thus boosting competitiveness.  Over the short term, the business firm will have very few competitors that are capable of using such an innovative communication platform for the sale and purchase of houses.  Process innovation consists in receiving well ahead of time the request for a product to be pre-sold in a “predefined” construction site that, in some cases, will be built years later.  This will enable the business firms that want to be accredited in the Maison Virtual System to benefit from uninterrupted production and to plan well ahead of time the supply of products and/or services that can meet the requirements of a broad customer base.

As described earlier, due to the highly innovative character of the project, it has been necessary to launch training courses at the Villa Service Centre of Maison d’Elite for the business firms that want to be accredited in the Maison Virtual System.

The Social Network start up is planned to take place during the event “Union Latina Europea in Festival 2013” between Thursday 25^th and Sunday 28^th April 2013 at Milano Marittima.

by Aldo Norsa, Full Professor at the Iuav University of Venice, Italy