I’d like to think that C⁴ Workspace embraced most of the principles the talk about. SO enjoy.

“The hell is not something that will be: if there is one, it is already here, the hell where we live every day, that we form staying together. There are two ways not to suffer from. The first one is easy for many people: accepting the hell and become part of it up to the point not to see it anymore. The second one is risky and requires attention and continuous learning: searching and being able to recognize who and what, into the hell, is not hell, and to make it last, and to give space to it.” -Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

The nature of work is evolving, and with it the workplace. We know that. These changes offer incredible potential for development. Workspaces are the ones that connect diverse organizations and individuals, giving them the chance to collaborate, share knowledge and develop systemic solutions to the issues they are trying to address.

The Hub Oaxaca, photo via the Hub Bay Area blog

The co-design method requires a mixed and participatory approach involving people from different fields. This approach acknowledges complexity and seeks not to simplify process and outcome but to explore the set of unpredictable and surprising ideas that emerge from combining different ideas and points of view.

Creation demands a higher level of reasoning and draws connections between cause and effect. The best rules are never permanent, but always naturally evolving. A good collaborative space it needs to be:

1. People-centered

Hub Oaxaca co-design workshop run by Andrea Paoletti

2. Luminous

Cliff Bar Emeryville’s glass walls and meeting room, designed by ZGF Architects

3. Simple

Square San Francisco’s Informal gathering areas, designed by Studio O+A

4. Diverse

Hub Milano’s open collaborative environment, designed by Andrea Paoletti, Marta Pietroboni and Roberto Siena

5. Randomizing

Skype Palo Alto’s contemplation areas, designed by Design Blitz

6. Fluid

Milano Curved-edged furniture, designed by Andrea Paoletti, Marta Pietroboni and Roberto Siena

7. Adaptive

Rovereto paradoxical furniture with unconventional materials, designed by Andrea Paoletti and Rosso Scuro Design

8. Ethical

Hub San Francisco inspiration steps, designed by Andrea Paoletti

9. Flexible

D-school Stanford’s rolling white board and table on wheels, designed byScott Witthoft and Scott Doorley

10. Open-ended

Hub Oaxaca co-design workshop run by Andrea Paoletti

Co-design the space to feed the soul of the people and give them a sense of accomplishment. This cross-fertilization makes the space more human, spontaneous and flexible, making people more creative and fostering discussions that play an essential part in the development process, bringing down walls and inspiring collaboration.

All plans require an annual membership for $50 which gets you two Daily Desk passes so membership only costs you $10.

Conference room is FREE to all members if no one is using it unless you need to hold it for an appointed time. Then it’s $25.00 an hour. We rent the conference room to the public so paid gigs get some level of preference.

Community Space is FREE to Residents since they have 24/7 access, $25 an hour with a 2 hour minimum for all other members. Same deal as the conference room; we rent the Space to the public so paying gigs take preference. If Residents charge for an event then we treat that as a rental.

We can work deals with students, study groups, etc.

C⁴ Workspace is a community resource but we need revenue to keep it going.

Thanks everyone for your support!

• There are doors on most of the rooms now.
• We’ve covered the big hole in front of the HVAC units with a curtain.(The fuse panel is next.)
• One of the phone rooms has been sound treated eliminating almost 100% of the echo.
• We have lockers near the left hand bathroom for member storage.

Next on the list is to tweak the lighting with some china ball paper lanterns in the community space. Over the holidays we’ll drape strings of lights down from the ceiling. Drop on by and check it out.

We’re always looking for information about coworking that we can share. But I thought it might be good to make this one relevant to C⁴ Workspace. So here goes.

Point by Point

WWD laid the post out in three points.

Step 1: Identify What You Have to Gain from Coworking
We like to think of these in terms of our name:

• Collaboration
• Cooperation
• Community
• Connection

Put those together and you have what we could call “opportunity investment.”

Step 2: Assess the Risks and Costs Associated with Coworking
WWD didn’t really address the “risk” part of that so we will. The biggest risk of coworking is that you will run into someone who isn’t about the community so much as about themselves. They could steal an idea or a client. This is a case of what I call the 99-1 rule. Don’t spend all you time planning and worrying about the 1% of worst case scenarios. Plan for the 99% you’ll run into and deal with the 1% when they come along. You are more likely to have an idea or client stolen at a coffee shop by someone you don’t know eavesdropping on your conversation. (We take the “Co-” in community seriously. If you need a private conversation speak more softly or use a one of the phone rooms.)

Costs always have to be considered. It was one of the first things we thought of when we stated to think about opening a space: will people pay for professional workspace? We answered it in one of our initial presentation slides titled “Whadya Nuts?”. The answer is that as a small business or a freelance or solo you have no choice but to grow your business, especially in a down economy. To grow you will need to attract new clients and appear more professional than the next guy. That requires an investment in time and money.

You also have to consider what operating out of your home costs you now. You’re driving to meet clients. If you work (ethically) in a coffee shop you’re buying drinks and food. You’re paying for WiFi in some fashion. So, add up those hard costs for gas, drive time, WiFi, food and drink. You probably spend about $20 a day for little to no privacy, no connection to others, noisy meeting space and overpriced WiFi and beverages.

Coworking at C⁴ Workspace starts at $20 a day and goes down from there. Last I checked Starbucks didn’t give you volume discounts on lattes.

Step 3: Make an Informed Decision

Absolutely. The best way to do that is to “try before you buy”. Drop in on the Second Thursday for Jelly San Antonio all day free coworking. Better yet, just drop in and sit down. Talk to us about what you need and we can work something out. Remember, it’s all about the community. Essentially, everyone is a customer, a participant, a contributor. Even us.

No Hard Sell

Because it’s not necessary. Try coworking one day and you’ll be hooked. Yes, it costs money and money is dear right now. But if you are serious about your business and want to be a player in our economic ecosystem we think it’s an investment worth making.

]]> http://c4workspace.com/2009/11/coworking-as-an-investment/feed/ 4 http://c4workspace.com/2009/08/some-nice-words-and-a-video/ http://c4workspace.com/2009/08/some-nice-words-and-a-video/#comments Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:54:36 +0000 Todd O'Neill http://www.c4workspace.com/?p=820 Continue reading →]]> Bruce Eric Anderson (@bruceericatdell) visited us at the beginning of August to get some work done while his family was out to play at SeaWorld. Bruce is a blogger at DigitalNomads (@digital_nomads), a community site for individuals that work or play without regard for their physical location Powered by Dell.

We were included in his first anniversary post, One Year of Digital Nomads, for Digital Nomads which we consider quite an honor. He wrote some very kind words about us…

Asked what my ideal workspace would look like today and I?d describe a workspace with no walls, large open-air spaces with lots of open tables for impromptu meetings and team collaboration. I?d also be listening to Nature Sounds Radio on Pandora in a set of noise canceling headphones to block out the ?loud laughers? that invariably would find me where ever I sat.

It would look very much like a place I worked out of a few weeks ago while spending some time in San Antonio with my family.

And Bruce shot a video of Todd giving a tour. Check it out!

Thanks Bruce!

[Note to self: Begin diet today.]