Overview of the Study and Its Context
The article, published in Technology Innovation Management Review (Vol. 11, Issue 11/12, 2021), investigates how digital platforms create value in residentâcentric housing concepts. Authors Inka Lappalainen, a senior scientist at VTTâs Foresight and Data Economy research area, and Maija Federley, senior scientist at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, draw on serviceâdominant logic and platform ecosystem literature to frame their analysis. The research focuses on four Finnish pilot projects that integrate physical, social, and digital elements to offer âhousing as a serviceâ ecosystems.
Research Methodology and Case Selection
A qualitative multiâcase study design, based on Eisenhardtâs (1989) approach, was employed. Purposeful sampling identified four pioneering housing projects (Cases AâD) developed between 2017 and 2020. Data sources include public case documentation, eight inâdepth interviews with project representatives (e.g., builders, service coordinators, developers), and systematic content analysis using platformâdesign frameworks from Tura et al. (2018) and related literature.
Core Findings: Platform Roles and Design Choices
The study finds that digital platforms in these cases serve varied roles: twoâsided communication and resource booking (Cases C and D) to multiâsided value creation (Cases A and B). Platform design choices differ across four dimensionsâarchitecture, valueâcreation logic, governance, and competition. Closed models (Cases A and C) feature centralized ownership and clear access rights, while networked (Case B) and open (Case D) models share risks and encourage bottomâup participation. Revenue models remain emergent, with most pilots relying on fixed monthly fees plus perâuse charges.
Key Quantitative Insights
- All four cases are in pilot phase, limiting resident numbers and data volume.
- Platform openness correlates with strategic orientation: closed models align with entryâstrategy, open models with livingâlab approaches.
- Cases A and B report early dataâdriven KPIs guiding service development; Case A plans AIâenabled analytics, while Case B adopts a minimum viable product strategy.
- Scalability approaches differ: blockâconcept scalability (Case A) versus modular scalability (Case B).
Implications for Sustainable Housing Across Europe
The research highlights that digital platforms can enhance sustainability by enabling shared resources (e.g., communal spaces, shared mobility, energyâefficient building systems) and reducing duplicated services. However, scalability and competitiveness depend on three conditions: sufficient resident users, platform openness to thirdâparty providers, and replication of the housing concept in new locations. The authors suggest that coordinated ecosystem orchestrationâcombining construction, service provision, and digital platform managementâcan accelerate sustainable housing transitions in European cities.
Practical Recommendations for Stakeholders
- Builders and developers should consider early integration of platform governance structures to balance control and openness.
- Municipal planners can facilitate pilot deployments by providing regulatory support for sharedâresource models and dataâprivacy frameworks.
- Service providers are encouraged to engage in coâdevelopment partnerships to leverage network effects and achieve economies of scale.
- Investors should assess pilotâphase KPIs and scalability pathways (blockâlevel vs. modular) when allocating resources to platformâenabled housing projects.
Conclusions and Future Research Directions
The study confirms that digital platforms enable diverse valueâcreation opportunities in residentâcentric housing, yet their impact remains limited by pilotâscale user bases and evolving business models. Future research should expand beyond Finland to other European contexts, incorporate resident perspectives, and conduct longitudinal analyses of platform maturity, sustainability outcomes, and ecosystem evolution.