Posts Tagged ‘workspace’

Coworking creativo

domenica, aprile 18th, 2010

In occasione del Salone del Mobile 2010 è stato presentato un servizio di per sé abbastanza banale, il co-housing temporaneo legato per tutte le persone che si troveranno a Milano per qualche giorno e non vogliono spendere cifre folli. Il servizio offerto da Id-Rent però non si ferma al solo co-housing ma offre la possibilità di co-working: uno studio di progettazione aperto a tutti che permette di far socializzare designers e progettisti con diverse esperienze e provenienze. Un modo per socializzare, conoscere nuove persone e passare qualche giornata insieme, accomunati dalla stessa passione. http://interactiondesign-lab.com/idrent/

E la stazione «Moscova» diventa bacheca di eBay

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

Per vendere, meglio la metropolitana di Internet. Da lunedì scorso, fino al 28 di aprile, la stazione «Moscova» della linea 2 è stata trasformata in una grande vetrina di eBay, il celebre sito di e-commerce, che ha tappezzato le banchine di annunci. Così, aspettando il treno per Gessate o Famagosta, è possibile imbattersi nell’occasione giusta: un bilocale a prezzi umani in Porta Ticinese, una mountain bike d’occasione oppure il divano «praticamente nuovo, in regalo a chi se lo porta via». In tutto 2.000 annunci reali, aggiornati settimanalmente. Una trovata pubblicitaria, certo, ma con una sua utilità: «Per chi non ha voglia o tempo di andare sul web», dicono quelli di eBay Annunci che contano di incontrare un pubblico più vasto ed eterogeneo rispetto ai frequentatori di Internet. E si tratta anche di una piccola rivincita dei media tradizionali sulla tecnologia: non si può più vivere senza il Web ma, per fare affari, vuoi mettere le vecchie affissioni pubblicitarie?

Spectacular Urban Transformation in Student Green Roof Design Competition

mercoledì, marzo 24th, 2010

As part of the Cities Alive Green Roof Infrastructure Conference in Toronto, there was astudent design competition, that Steven Peck of Green Roofs for Healthy Citiesdescribed as a challenge to “faculty-led student teams from around the world to develop ways of productively using the walls and roofs of multiple buildings by incorporating green infrastructure elements such as green roofs, green walls, wetlands and urban forests.”

But that doesn’t begin to describe what the spectacular winning entry does. It is more than just green roofs, it is a complete reinvention of the ubiquitous strip mall.

Ryerson University Architectural Science students Dov Feinmesser, Yekaterina Mityuryayeva, Tommy Tso and Aaron Hendershott, with faculty advisor June Komisar Started with the completely ordinary Cliffside Village Mall in Toronto’s east end. They then went to work on it:

It is our intention to lift the strip mall out of the mire it has gradually sunk into and make it the vibrant, pedestrian and community friendly environment that it has the potential to be. This potential, we feel, is inherent in every strip mall, making this proposal a viable solution for the revitalization of dilapidated commercial strips throughout North America, with the addition of site- specific accommodations.

The judges write:

“The brilliance of this design”, said Dr. Brad Bass, Environment Canada official and competition judge, “is that it accomplishes this transformation with existing technologies and landscape modifications that have been evaluated and have proven their worth all over the world.”

The students continue:

It is our hypothesis that single-use zoning, such as that of the existing Cliffside Plaza and most strip malls, promotes the isolation of the commercial space and the wasteful use of space dedicated to parking. As such, our proposal recommends a rezoning of the site, allowing for residential units to be constructed over the existing commercial strip, bringing the community into the strip mall and creating a coexistence reminiscent of successful and popular older neighbourhoods often found closer to the downtown core of large cities. Furthermore, the insertion of green and interactive spaces into the fabric of the site promotes new and diverse activities, including farmer’s markets, playgrounds, urban farming, cycling etc… This in turn supports the diversity of the community surrounding the mall.

Ideas include:

1) Implementation of green walls and extensive green roofs, including a massive overhauling of the parking between the residential apartments and the strip mall, moving it below grade and planting an extensive green roof atop the parking structure to create a continuous green space for local residents.
2) Removal and replacement of an existing drive-through with an outdoor seating area.
3) The addition of greenhouses to existing roofs in order to facilitate year-round rooftop harvesting.
4) The insertion of a grade level gray water removal and retention system, including porous asphalt, a swale and a bio-retention pond, that both keeps gray water away from the sewage system and provide water for the intensive urban farming lots proposed in the design.
5) Solar powered street lighting systems.
6) The removal of parking from street level to below grade to make more room for green spaces and urban farming at grade.

creativespace.com

domenica, novembre 23rd, 2008

The Creative Space Agency is an innovative service that links owners of vacant property with creative professionals looking for potential spaces in London in which to work, exhibit, perform or rehearse.

The services on offer through the Creative Space Agency include an up to date list of available spaces in London, handy fact sheets and regular training sessions to help creative professionals get the most out of the service.

The Creative Space Agency is a project delivered jointly by CIDA (the Cultural Industries Development Agency) and Urban Space Management.

CIDA is the leading support organisation for the creative and cultural sector. We help thousands of creative individuals, businesses and arts organisations by providing information, business support, professional development training, networking & showcasing opportunities, and by commissioning new work.

Urban Space Management is a leading developer and manager of regeneration projects in Great Britain and the United States, drawing more than 15 million visitors to it projects annually.

This initiative is funded by Arts Council England, London and the London

http://www.creativespaceagency.co.uk

citizen space

domenica, novembre 23rd, 2008

 

 

Citizen Space is a coworking space in San Francisco located at 425 Second St on the third floor. It is generally open from 10am – 6pm weekdays. The idea of Citizen Space is to take the best elements of a coffee shop (social, energetic, creative) and the best elements of a workspace (productive, functional) and combine them to give indie workers the chance to have their own, affordable space. Citizen Space was built on coworking philosophy.Day-tripping and casual guests can visit for free, but you must follow our ground rulez and be a good neighbor. If you want to leave your stuff, we rent out desks for $425/month. We also hold various events at our space and are happy to consider making our facilities available for event hosting.If this sounds interesting to you, drop us a note or join either the Citizen Space mailing list (low volume) or Coworking Group. Or just drop by!

workspring

domenica, novembre 23rd, 2008

 

When we wrote about Meet a few weeks ago, one of its cofounders noted that the meetings industry has been in desperate need of some innovation. Continuing on that upward trend, office furniture manufacturer Steelcase is gearing up to launch a new meeting space in Chicago that will not only host meetings but also serve as a testing ground for future products.

Situated within walking distance of Chicago’s Magnificent Mile, Workspring is the brainchild of a team of work experience experts at Steelcase who imagined a network of extraordinary spaces designed to inspire and support creative collaboration, productive retreat and transformative exchange. Workspring is surrounded by the quiet natural beauty of an urban courtyard, with bright modern studios and a raft of collaborative tools. Five work studios are available with ergonomic seating, in-room storage, natural lighting and a ready supply of paper, pens, sticky notes and other supplies. Lighting can be adjusted to complement changing activities, and all studios are equipped with Springboards, or layered movable planes of tackable and writable surfaces that encourage teams to create, share and rearrange content. Common areas, meanwhile, include a cafe, forum and oasis space, with services including healthful food and beverages and a resource library stocked with inspirational books and objects, printouts and photocopies. Finally, and perhaps most interesting of all, Workspring will also serve as an ongoing “lab” for new products from Steelcase designed to enhance communication and collaboration among teams, the company says. Launching in mid-November, Workspring can be booked for morning, afternoon or evening sessions, with pricing of USD 140 per person per session.

There’s no doubt the time was ripe for the meetings industry to be reinvented, and what better agent to make that happen than a company that’s already involved? Never mind killing two birds with one stone—this is reaping two profits with one venture. A concept to emulate whenever possible!

http://www.workspring.com/

the coffee office

domenica, novembre 23rd, 2008

The Coffee Office is built for business – meeting spaces, workstations, conference rooms and café are combined into a centre for mobile professionals.

Based in Windsor, Ontario, The Coffee Office was founded to offer business professionals everything they need to stay productive outside a traditional office, in what trendwatching.com calls a being space. A café section is open to everyone, and like the rest of the building, offers free high-speed wireless internet and plenty of power points.

The rest of the space is reserved for TCO members, who have access to private workstations and conference rooms. For CAD 90 per month, members have free use of the workstations and members lounge and (fuelling productivity) 25 complimentary coffees per month. Conference rooms can be rented for CAD 35 or 50 per hour (small or large), and private cubicles for CAD 5/hour. When it’s time for a power nap, a sleep module is available for CAD 10/hour. Other thoughtful touches include noise diffusers that help keep conversations private, and access to a Nerd On Site.

We previously covered similar initiatives in New York, which offered work spaces to writers or parents. TCO, however, is focused exclusively on the ‘mobile warrior’. The Yankee Group, a Boston-based research and consulting firm, estimates that 50 million people—about 38 percent of the working population in the United States—are mobile workers, defined as those who spend at least 20 percent of their time away from their primary workplace. These employees in the field, independent contractors, freelancers and minipreneurs all need a flexible base for doing business.

Plenty of opportunities for The Coffee Office (which is working on expansion through franchising) and other new entrants in this field. Hey, they may eventually even sell to Starbucks? ;-)

Website: http://www.thecoffeeoffice.com

global-out-ofoffice

domenica, novembre 23rd, 2008

A few weeks ago, we wrote about how Microsoft’s Surface technology is being used at Sheraton hotels, letting hotel guests use interactive touchscreen ‘tables’ to access local information and plan their stay. As we mentioned, the interactive tables are part of a wide-reaching partnership between Sheraton and Microsoft, which also includes new high-tech hotel lounges named “The Link@Sheraton experienced with Microsoft”, thankfully shortened to Link@Sheraton.

Launching Link@Sheraton in a big way, the hotel brand invited New Yorkers to abandon their desks yesterday to work from Central Park, where it recreated its new lounges and set the right example by stationing around 600 of Starwood’s own employees to work remotely using Link@Sheraton’s technological offerings. The event, dubbed Global Out Of Office Day, was also celebrated in in Shanghai, where Sheraton took over part of West Nanjing Road, and in Sydney’s Customs House. Last but not least, G.O.O.D. will be hosted at the Sheraton Lisbon Resort & Spa on Thursday, September 18th. Starwood—Sheraton’s parent company—will also be offering free wifi in Central Park’s Sheep Meadow through the rest of September. While tumbling markets made for rather awkward timing, especially since Sheraton hopes to attract more business travellers, the concept playfully combined a number of consumer and marketing trends that are still going strong: pop-up spaces, online oxygen, brand butlers and, of course, new spaces for mobile workers.

www.globaloutofofficeday.com

 

http://www.globaloutofofficeday.com/

hatfactory

domenica, novembre 23rd, 2008

The Hat Factory is a coworking space, a space shared by a number of people to pool workplace resources such as internet connections, while retaining the amenities of working from home or a coffee shop. Members of the Hat Factory are freelancers, consultants, work from home, and other independent types preferring flexible workplace conditions.

Cost and facilities

Shared open table layout, can accommodate 15+ people

Internet: WiFi & Ethernet

Desk lamps, printer, fax, power outlets

Full kitchen w/dedicated refrigerator for co-workers

Lockers to store your stuff

Comfy living room/lounge area

Numerous public transportation options: Muni 22, 48, T & Caltrain 22nd Street.

Easy street parking

Rates

Join us for only $200 a month. We are available for special events as well. Drop us a line for further information.

http://hatfactory.net

Hub Pavilions – Fusing the physical and virtual workspace

martedì, ottobre 28th, 2008

Connected and Sustainable Work

Hub Pavilions – Fusing the physical and virtual workspace

Hub Culture Pavilions (HCP) is a concept being implemented through a partnership with Hub Culture (www.hubculture.com).The solution consists of a global network of urban physical spaces, or “Pavilions”, which deliver a real-world communication platform linking points of interest between local and remote locations. Each pavilion venue acts as a unique node within the global Hub Pavilion network, as well as interacts with other venues.

Pavilion venues are connected to one another, so that while users are in the venue they can communicate with one another and make connections to others who share their interest – whether by visual meeting, sms, or visual social.

How will Pavilions work ?

  • Hub Culture Pavilions enable new work models and space innovation in urban centers. This location caters specifically to the urban worker, and makes them readily accessible to foot traffic. A secondary benefit to HCP is the renewal of a city center.
  • Pavilions are a member-based entity, where an individual pays a monthly fee to join the global virtual and physical network. Access to the facility will be made available on a drop-in basis. Membership provides access to all global pavilions, making them of interest to the global worker.
  • Pavilions offer a convergence of physical and virtual collaboration, social engagement and work. People can choose to engage virtually and/or in person, with no disruption. This new approach blends the advantages of remote and office work, as well as expands the connections among workers to a much personalized, and relevant, setting.
  • Upon arrival to a venue, a visitor is greeted by a concierge who offers connected services, local information and community based on the member/visitor social/ interest profile. Once inside, the user has the option to work individually, in groups or socialize. Connectivity is offered at no extra cost. The venue would deliver interactive services such as voice and high quality video (TelePresence) in a conference room setting.
  • The user collaboration would be extended inside or outside the venue using collaboration technologies, as membership will include collaboration “wells” for each user

http://www.connectedurbandevelopment.org/connected_and_sustainable