Hi! I’m trying to find out if there would be interested in joining a coworking space that I would very much like to begin in Madrid. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept - it began in 2005 on the US West Coast and has been spreading throughout and is now reaching different cities in Europe too. Coworking has been defined as a social response to the technological revolution, i.e. technology has allowed us to be able to work virtually and independently to the extent that we are losing and missing out on social interaction. The space would be focused on those of us working independently, but who would appreciate having contact with others. In the States they refer to it as bringing the caf? culture to the office… as many independents resort to going to caf?s (Starbucks) to get out of their homes and take advantage of their wifi or to meet with clients, since bringing them home is often not an appropriate option. The idea is that you would only have to have a laptop and a mobile phone (if you want to make phone calls) and everything else is provided - a lounge with coffee, water, snacks, desks, WiFi, fax, printer, photocopier and meeting and conference rooms (which might be of interest to those of you who are freelance language teachers). The space would also be open to small business owners - who might not be prepared or want to lease an office on their own - but require a professional spot in which they could meet with clients or their partners, etc. I for one am hoping that others are interested in this as I got tired of working from home a month after I started… and years later, it’s starting to take a toll on me and my work.  Eventually, once we see that the first site works… my goal is to open a site in which we could offer temporary daycare to mothers and fathers who have trouble getting work done at home with the kids (0-3 years)... the idea being that which you would find in a gym - where you can leave your child while you work out or attend a gym class.  Memberships to the coworking space could be monthly, day-passes, or part-time, etc. Check out sites like: http://www.officenomads.com or www.indyhall.org to get a feel for what I’m hoping we can develop. Thanks and I hope to hear some enthusiastic feedback soon! Cheers, Allison

Hi Alison,
Are you looking for potential business partners/investors or are you doing market research and trying to find prospective clients? It’s not clear to me from your post what your objective is.

Also, do you know about Negocenter in Madrid? It’s a similar concept to what you describe. Their web site is http://www.negocenter.com

Hi neoyorquina, sorry for not making it clear. I’m not looking for investors but trying to get a feel for the possible demand or interest in having users want to use a coworking space - so yes, it would be more along the lines of a market study… as I have the idea designed and mapped out… but before moving on I need to confirm interest (or else I just may ask if people want to meet up every once in a while with their lap tops and we can just work in an open WiFi area). The site that you mention is not what the coworking movement would describe as a coworking space - having the coworking spaces focus more on “establishing a community” in which there can be a free exchange of ideas and a feeling of camaraderie, and a place in which we would - at least- encourage people to act in accordance with community and socially responsible principles, etc. The idea is to take the best part of the office life and foment it within an office but non-corporate space. But added to that - and something very important to me and the entire coworking concept/movement are the principles behind it: collaboration, openness, community, accessibility and sustainability (for more information on those 5 principles you can check out citizenspaces’s website: http://citizenspace.us/about/our-philosophy/ - one of the founders of the movement and one of the strongest advocates (Tara Hunt). What do you think? (BTW - I am also from NY) 😊

Also… I think that places like negocenter… are very overpriced. The coworking space I have in mind would establish prices ranges to make the space accessible to different economic ranges.

have you sceen some rent in Madrid , ha need to win the lotto just have off some places
jurdy

Sounds like a very interesting idea! Never heard about the concept before but I would most probably sign up if it were available and not to expensive. I currently work from home and really miss having colleagues around.

Hi Allison,

I live in Madrid and work from home. I am definitely interested in the concept, but my participation would depend on the details, e.g. social environment, price, location, etc. I do love working from home, but sometimes I miss going out to lunch with co-workers and that kind of thing.

Could you please keep me informed about this?

Hi again! This is great! I was hoping that I wasn’t alone in thinking that “working from home isn’t exactly what it’s cracked up to be”! For right now, I was thinking that those of you who are interested - so I can keep you informed or even (if you don’t mind) throw some ideas your way or even poll again for ideas in terms of locations/neighborhoods, etc. and get feedback on pricing and membership options, etc. (once I get that far) - take down the email I’ve opened for this: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and if you want you can send me a message so that I can have a way of contacting you. If you don’t like that idea - I’ll just try to keep updating and adding new questions to this thread. Thanks! Allison

SPACES AVAILABLE IN SHARED WORKSPACE

Hello everyone!

We are renting two spaces of 9 squared meters each in our loft. After working for 2+ years in a similar shared workspace,
we decided to set up our own place. We are working out of a beautiful loft in downtown Madrid.

We are only 5 minutes away from Atocha, Embajadores, Lavapi?s, close to La Casa Encendida and the Reina Sofia Museum of Art.

The rent includes Wi-Fi Internet connection (10 MB), cleaning service, A/C and heating, and use of the common areas (fully equipped kitchen with full size fridge and microwave and meeting room). The building boasts a swimming pool on the third floor and the ground floor has a nice zen garden, perfect to disconnect for a few minutes a day!

Ideal for creative professionals such as architects, designers, programmers, illustrators and the like. If you are looking for a place to work and share your ideas, look no further.

You’ll find more details in our blog at: http://blog.loft-to-work.com/ (in Spanish so far). We would love to have an expat in our loft for a more international environment!

Get in touch with us and we’ll tell you all the details!
Feel free to repost this message in your blog or website 😊

Diana
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Hi Allison, mayber another business centers like Unicentro are less expensive and they have a coworking space, you can see it at http://www.ucn.es, http://www.ucn.es/index.php/alquiler-de-oficinas-compartidas-oficina-compartida-en-Madrid.html

best regards