[2] Coworking Cities: London
Workspaces, coworkers and services. Find the best fellow in our coworking guide of London.
In the past year we visited 106 coworking communities to explore their people and spaces. This article is part of our challenge to sum up 12 coworking cities in 2017. Bookmark this article as we are going to constantly update it!
When it comes to coworking in Europe, London is one of the brightest stars. Let us take you around for a quick tour full of coworking stories and products!
Do you actually know when the first coworking space opened in London?
and the best part is, it remains open and active to this day!
Today, the city of London counts more than
They developed a very cool map categorizing them as incubators, accelerators, coworking, artists and makers spaces. Browse around and look for yours!
Aside from the interactive map, the city of London also worked on a global report studying coworking spaces through different metrics. Among the many, the breakdown of coworking spaces by boroughs in central London caught our attention. Can you guess which one has the highest number of coworking spaces?
In 2016, during several trips to London, we were glad to see some new additions as well as some expansions, adding more content and more value to London’s coworking scene.
In 2016, during several trips to London, we were glad to see some new additions as well as some expansions, adding more content and more value to London’s coworking scene. Here are few that really pushed the scene forward.
work.life Camden opened its doors and later in the year opened a second location in London Fields. Shoreditch has welcomed quite a fair amount of cool coworking spaces throughout the year: Huckletree, Runway East, and Shoreditch Platform has eventually expanded or opened in the neighborhood. Greenhouse has also opened a second location in the heart of Hackney.
Co-living has also surfaced with The Collective, opening the world’s largest co-living building in London with over 500 beds in Stonebridge.
Let’s talk business! When it comes to the business model of coworking, London is challenging. The rental market of office spaces being super expensive, it is quite difficult to offer higher flexibility in coworking offers.
Nevertheless, some coworking places are innovating by:
Such as Shoreditch Platform & Work.Life which are offering membership cards that let members pay by the hour. a.k.a Tap and work! Quite neat!
A special shout out also goes to Timberyard, a super busy and popular coffee space, welcoming everyone on the ground floor and one of pure coworking underneath. There teams can work in peace next to a welcoming bar. Thanks to Joost we were able to explore the whole miultilevelnes of the space!
Coworking Chats
Enough facts and figures, let’s meet some cool people who are greatly contributing to making London’s coworking scene so fascinating!
We have carefully picked 2 stories to share the perspectives of a coworking space manager and a coworker.
Meet Grace, one of the two ladies behind the coworking initiative Collabofcowo
“I met Amy by chance when she came for a meeting at Work.Life to speak to my boss, classic mix up with the calendar, and he wasn't around. I couldn't let her leave, so I stepped in to take the meeting in his absence, not knowing who this person was or what the meeting was about — but, I am so glad I did!”
This is a glimpse of the beginning of COW, a coworking initiative started at the end of 2016 with the objectives of discussing and working through the coworking challenges coworking space managers face together.
Here is the full interview with Grace:
Meet Tobi, a London coworker sharing her insights on the benefits of coworking
Meet Tobi, the co-founder and Editor in chief of Dream Nation. We discovered her story through a blog post she wrote for work.life, the coworking space she works from. We loved how she perceives coworking and how she values the power of community and we are glad to share her coworking (love) story!
Here is the full interview with Tobi:
🔥Latest jobs in London coworking spaces 🔥
Coworkies is proud to reveal its latest feature: a custom-made coworking job board. From now on, joining a team in a coworking space is easy!
Check the job positions in London bellow and share some with us, we would love to feature you! We would also love to get your feedback :)
Made in London
On our first journey to London last year, we met Bernie, a coworker at Work Hub and 90 Mainyard who blogs and records awesome podcasts that are regularly about coworking. He is doing way more than this; check him here and listen to the coworking podcast we made right here discussing coworking and how it can be made better by sharing of resources and opportunities among members.
Nomadspace is a very handy app letting users find the right space for them or their company. They offer vast variety of choices, from a desk, to office spaces, a meeting room or even an event venue.
Humbleworks, a London industrial design collective, makes beautiful and simple solutions to help you take better care of your working posture. Check out their beautiful range of products.
Finding the perfect office has been made easier with Hubble. In a few clicks, users can check offices and book viewings in your space. If you want to advertise available space or desks, check them out!
We are on the hunt for some cool coworking stories and coworking facts about Barcelona! Suggestions? Message us @coworkies
