Being someone who likes to move around between places while I’m working, and who does sometimes miss sitting in an office with a group of other like-minded people, I was really interested by an post on Co-working spaces I read on the Creativity Exchange blog today.
The idea is to create a flexible working space which can be hired out whenever necessary but more importantly to create a social space and sense of community around the space. As the post put it (sort of) “Part cubicle, part coffee shop”
I think this is exactly the kind of space we need in Birmingham City Centre and / or in Eastside. I’d use it. It fits exactly into a lot of what I think Glenn Howells was trying to say about the importance of dialogue to the development of the creative industries at the Eastside Dialogues last year.
One of the interesting things is that the idea has a wiki which spaces all over the world can use to share information and best practice on how to set one of these places up as well as finding other people to collaborate with when doing so. Having checked it out I’m pleased to see there are already plans to set one up in Birmingham. I’ve emailed Ben who’s proposed the idea to find out more and will post more if and when he gets back to me.
In the meantime I’d be interested to know what people’s thoughts on this are. Would you use it if there was one here? What features would you like it to have?
6 comments ↓
This sounds a fantastic idea! I would definitely be interested in using a space like this.
Useful stuff would be locker space that you could hire, access to printers and other equipment, food & drink, and a perfect space for me would also include a creche facility!!
Keep me posted please Tone!
Thanks for the comment Emily - a creche would be a fantastic idea. Quite a few new mums I know are self employed and quite a few are doing creative stuff - this would really help I would think.
You may know about it already, but The Hub in Islington (london) is a shared workspace for social entrepreneurs. It’s been trying to build networking into the physical space, which is probably a fancy way of saying that if you share an office with people you don’t know, you’re bound to meet new people eventually! Check it out - http://www.the-hub.net/
Molly - I didn’t know about The Hub but thanks for the heads up! I have been looking for something exactly like that in London. Thanks!
[…] A quick update on the post about Coworking Spaces. […]
the hub idea is a really good one for birmingham.
its like a hot house for entrepreneurs - single room at the top of a 5 storey block behind the tube.
cath ralph for the moseley cdt is checking it out for the exchange project in moseley (check out th web site http://www.moseleycdt.com) and i chatted with sara harris of sml to see if we could do something to support a “hub” through the university.
i read as well as having 2 beaches we are also getting an internet lounge idea next to the station.
i think this is the way forward - new spaces between home and work.
the hub is well worth a look
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