Shaping Tomorrow’­s Urban Spaces

What will urban living look like in the future? A new exhibition at Here East from technology and interior design duo – Plenti Space and LOFT – offers a glimpse into tomorrow’s flexible, innovative, and sustainable modern spaces.

A spinout from UCL based on our campus, Plenti Space is a property tech startup paving the way for a new era of optimised living using robotics. Their pioneering ‘Smart Walls’ technology enables small apartments to be transformed into multifunctional spaces “at the touch of a button.”

Finding innovative solutions to urban challenges is a cornerstone of Here East’s manifesto, so we were excited to learn more about Plenti’s patent-pending technology from the startup’s Chief Commercial Officer, Joe Revell.

What is Plenti’s mission?

Joe: “We want to improve living conditions in smaller homes by creating adaptable spaces that maximise people’s ‘lived experience.’ We aim to become the global leader in space optimisation; providing technology that creates the most sustainable, affordable, and profitable urban spaces.”

What makes Plenti’s technology unique?

Joe: “User experiences with existing space-saving furniture are often poor. But more sophisticated solutions are typically bespoke and expensive. We’re here to bridge this gap.

“By combining innovative design with cutting-edge technology, our Smart Walls system provides an affordable, user-friendly, and adaptable solution; offering a more functional and modern approach to optimising living in smaller homes in urban settings where space is limited.”

Tell us more about your UCL spinout journey.

Joe: “Our co-founder, Markus Urban’s space optimisation research at The Bartlett Faculty of the Built Environment at UCL helped shape Plenti’s core idea. At the beginning of 2024, we joined UCL’s startup incubator – The Hatchery – which provided valuable early-stage support, offering access to mentorship, resources, and a strong network that helped guide us.”

What’s on the horizon?

Joe: “This May we were thrilled to raise a pre-seed round. This enabled us to finalise our product design, build a prototype, file patents to protect our IP, and launch our demo space at Here East.

“It’s been fantastic to see our technology gain commercial traction, with most of the UK's largest developers visiting our demo. We now plan to work with a small number of them – piloting our Smart Walls in their buildings – and will soon begin seed fundraising for the exciting next step: taking our technology to market.”

What’s it like being a startup in the Here East community?

Joe: “Here East is an inspiring environment filled with innovators – especially across the built environment sector. The support from the Here East team has been invaluable, giving us a platform to launch and grow our business. We’re grateful to be part of such a dynamic community and deeply appreciate the ongoing support.”

Thank you, Joe, for sharing Plenti’s story with us. We’re thrilled to have you as part of Here East’s innovation ecosystem and can’t wait to see how your technology shapes tomorrow’s urban spaces for the better.

Visit Plenti Space’s website or come and visit their demo on our campus until the end of October to get an idea of how this incredible technology works.