I’ve been sceptical of co-working spaces since they started popping up all over town a few years ago. I was like, why would you pay for desk space – in many cases, a hot desk – when you probably have a perfectly good nook at home? Granted, it might be wedged in amongst sundry personal effects, but hey, it’s free.
Well, I’m starting to change my tune a little. After spending several years working from my share house bedroom, I’ve finally had enough. I want a dedicated workspace, dang it, and joining a co-working space might be my best shot at getting that within my sole trader’s budget. It’s time to look into what’s new in co-working as a contemporary office design concept. Melbourne, what have you got for me?
I’ve already popped into a couple of places this week to start learning what the go is. The whole business seems to have really developed since last time I looked. In short, I had previously dismissed it as a means for capitalists in denial to make money off faux hippies. Turns out it’s the latest ‘disruptive game changer’ (hey, gotta get with the entrepreneurial lingo) in commercial facility management.
Word on the street is that many larger companies are now adopting this concept in the redevelopment of their spatial layouts. I’m told that in Melbourne, office fitout specialists are taking certain cues (such as how technology is arranged for shared use) from co-working spaces and transferring them into conventional offices.
Why am I interested in all this? Well, I suppose it’s because working primarily from home has given me an appreciation for spaces that actively support the specific types of work carried out in them. In addition, it’s clear to me that a bit of high-end branding, in the sense of how the ambience of a space immerses one in the underlying vibe behind the work being done, may not go astray.
Anyway. If you haven’t heard from me in a month, please call to check that I haven’t been tricked into a full time job.