Members of Hawaii’s tech and social media community are passionate, creative and dynamic pioneers who share a love of technology, media, art, culture and the proliferation of knowledge and education. They are a group that can gather resources to build a variety of platforms and tools involving new media and Internet technologies, mixed with traditional communication channels to offer viable industry solutions.
A centralized coworking hub will attract artists, creatives and digital professionals, who will help to foster eclectic urban living experiences. This hub will attract attention from mainstream businesses and media, contributing to the creation of fervent community members with a worldwide reach.
Coworking towards the future
Coworking is a movement in which group of people share a particular environment for professional and creative purposes. Independent professionals partake in Coworking because they benefit from the potential synergy created by working with talented people in the same space. Coworking spaces were developed as an alternative to working in coffee shops and cafes, or in isolated, independent home offices, allowing independent professionals to escape from the distractions of their residential space. Coworking spaces function like agglomeration economies, making them cost effective. As like-minded individuals cluster, the residual benefits of having a built in set of resources in a localized place allows for increased efficiency, education, innovation, collaboration and inspiration.
What the space could look like
Coworking spaces offer a unique perspective to traditional offices. A variety of different work styles will mix to create an energetic work environment. A potential Coworking space will include a multitude of purposes, from media creation nodes to studio areas, for collaborative video projects or advertising campaigns.
A Coworking space could serve as:
- “Coworking Space” to serve remote workers, independent coders and designers, and entrepreneurs in need of desks, Internet access, and basic business infrastructure
- “Hackerspace” to serve makers, builders, and coders seeking peer-to-peer education, collaboration, tool sharing, and facilities for fabrication and construction
- “Media Space” to serve independent artists and content producers seeking video and audio setups and other infrastructure for recording, editing, and distribution
- “Learning Lab” for students from independent, charter, or home school environments to engage in extracurricular STEM and media activities otherwise not available to them
- “Sustainability Lab” to demonstrate technologies including renewable energy, recycling, aquaponics, and other eco-friendly practices Physical spaces within the building can be configured as hot desks for blogging or programming to live sets for recording audio podcasts and video segments for Internet broadcast.
Possible facility highlights include:
- Coworking Space — Basic hotdesk/telecenter area
- Meeting/Teleconference Space — Meeting rooms with telepresence equipment
- Presentation/Teaching Space — Basic classroom/lecture setup
- Audio Space — Soundproofed studio with support for recording, mixing, editing
- Video Space — Adaptable studio or set with green screen for recording and editing
- Workshop — Large space with power and tools for building or fabricating
- Gallery Space — For exhibits, demonstrations, performances, and community events
Developing A Viable Coworking Model
A key component to the longevity and success of any Coworking space is the ability to craft a viable model for sustainability and replication in other neighborhoods. This includes the ability to cover space, utilities, material and equipment costs with a steady flow of fresh resources and to allow for internal and external growth.
Ideas for sustaining a Coworking space:
- Short and long-term rentals of hot desks for coworking/remote workers
- Short-term rentals of meeting/teleconference space (membership/one-time)
- Rentals of audio and video studio time or services to commercial productions
- Paid access to workshop space and tool rentals for makers and builders
- Paid multimedia services (production, promotion) provided by center users
- Sale of artwork, software, electronics, or items fabricated or grown at the center
- Development and sale of kits and curriculum for schools and educators
- Investment funds and grants
Project Management
While the user base of a Coworking space is constantly changing, the identification of anchor tenants will help to build a foundation for management and support of this viable hub.
Potential Coworking partners:
- Local arts and music collectives and educational initiatives
- City Department of Environmental Services (recycling, ecycling)
- Independent multimedia production companies
- Local clubs and groups
- Small business incubation, startup and venture organizations
Moving Forward
A plan for measuring growth and progress in addition to setting goals and hitting milestones will be developed to ensure clear expectations and a successful project launch. An ongoing effort to evaluate this space will include an active and open management of tools, equipment, housekeeping and scheduling. A Coworking space in Kaka‘ako provides us with an exciting opportunity to lead a unique movement in community development, that will positively impact the local labor force and provide opportunities for today’s youth. This opportunity will engender open collaboration in an enjoyable, inspiring setting, attracting tenants who wish to be involved in innovative and creative industries.
Developed with notes from Ryan Ozawa, Rechung Fujihira and Hawaii’s tech and social media community.
