4 Lausanne Coworking Communities You Should Try
In our last post we covered Lausanne’s 6 best cafes to work from, so it only makes sense to now cover our favourite coworking spaces too. Who better to help me co-write this than seasoned coworker Yann “shalf” Heurtaux.
Since coworking arrived in Switzerland back in 2007 in the shape of Citizen Space, Zurich, it’s quickly spread across the country, taking over our home offices and shaking up the corporate sectors. It’s obvious to see why, as the Swiss workforce shifts to a more remote setup, coworking provides a great alternative for people who find working from home too distracting, working from cafes too inconvenient and working from the office too dull.
I had my first experience with coworking spaces back in 2013 in London when I was teaching coding crash courses and since then I’ve been hooked. Every time I travel to a new city, I try to visit a new coworking space and even co-wrote an article on London’s scene:
Coworking comes with a whole bunch of perks, including:
- Dedicated working environment. No it’s not your kitchen table or a cafe table. It’s your own dedicated work desk, inside of a dedicated workspace, surrounded by other dedicated working people.
- Reliable wifi. Dealing with wifi issues is one of the remote workers biggest perils. Luckily this issue is almost non existent at coworking spaces as their business model relies on ensuring fast wifi speeds for happy members.
- On site facilities. Coffee, tea, printers, staplers and more. Most coworking spaces should have these facilities included in your membership or at a small additional cost — saving you hassle & time.
- Working environment. Have you ever tried working from a cafe during lunch hours? It’s impossible. Luckily you’ll find that most coworking spaces are suited to workers, not diners, ensuring that you can work effectively and undistracted.
- Networking. Whether that be through an event hosted by the coworking space or through a random conversation that struck up over lunch, coworking spaces provide a great place to meet hard working, like minded people.
The coworking spaces Yann and I have mentioned below all have great wifi, are conveniently located and provide the necessary on-site facilities. But coworking is much more than just the space and the facilities, it’s also the community that exists and this community will change depending on the space you go. We’ve selected 4 different coworking spaces in Lausanne which are all exceptional and stand out for their own unique style but it’s up to you to pick the one you feel most comfortable in.
Work ’n’ Share
When you think of coworking and Lausanne, Work ’n’ Share always pops up into mind first. The founders of Work’n’Share have been involved in Lausanne’s coworking space since the early days and have grown a loyal following. Community members include entrepreneurs, start-ups, free-lancers and even employees from nearby companies, all who seem to work in harmony and who are happy to get together at the end of the day to enjoy a drink or two. It’s no surprise their moto is ‘Come for the space, stay for the people’.
Located just behind Ouchy metro, Work‘n’Share is the first stop on the m2 and has everything you could need to get your work done. Step inside and into their lounge where you can take a call or meet with clients. To the right you’ll find a large kitchen and dining room perfect for preparing a meal. Continue on from the reception and enter into the airy and open coworking space filled with hard working coworkers and brimming with natural light thanks to the large windows that line the space. Work’n’Share provides the perfect office away from office (or home) and is a great starting point if you’re new to the coworking world.
Details
Website, Facebook
Address: Rue du Liseron 7, Lausanne, Switzerland 1006
Facilities
Kitchen, showers, printers, mobility car, meeting rooms, projector
Vibe:
Friendly, Cozy, Professional
3 reasons why we love Work’n’Share:
- Located in Ouchy making it ideal for those who want to escape the bustle of the city and enjoy a stroll down the lake during their breaks.
- You can choose from a range of membership options, including day passes, nomad passes, residencies or just rent out the meeting rooms, all at a fair price.
- They regularly host events like their Work’n’Breakfast and Work’n’Yoga which provides a great opportunity to meet new people in Lausanne.
Why you should try them out:
“This June will mark the 2nd anniversary for Work’n’Share. Part of the core community met in the late La Muse Lausanne, in 2013, which was the 2nd coworking community in town (the first one, still up and running, being the eclau). That’s where I met them. I’ve been a coworker myself at WnS for 6 months last year.
WnS is always the community I recommend for someone wanting to discover classic (in the noble sense) coworking executed the way it should be. They were also the first in town to secure a lease/deal with a Lausanne landlord as an association of coworkers, which is quite an impressive milestone. The association’s board is well connected with the national and global coworking scene if you are into this kind of networking. Work’n’Share offers free try-out days, and are also part of the Coworking Visa. Don’t just visit them, grab your laptop, and go get things done there for a couple hours or days to experience first-hand what coworking the Lausanne way means.” — Yann
Jura 11
This ex-architect’s office has now been converted into a bright and beautiful working space that draws in all kinds of designers, architects, illustrators and more. Walking by Jura 11’s glass facade and you probably wouldn’t guess that it is a coworking space. The entrance leads into a gallery which houses exhibitions managed by Galerie Heinzer Reszler. Continue on and into the true coworking space and you instantly get a feel of the vibe of Jura 11. Desktop computers, magazines, stacks and stacks of books, posters, artwork, textiles and more. These aren’t decorations, these all belong to Jura 11 residents, most of whom are working in the creative industries.
Head down the stairs to find even more residents desks, a meeting room, kitchen, bathrooms, storage space and two silent rooms (which are great for skype calls but also function as changing rooms for the Jura 11 residents working in the fashion industry).
Details
Website, Facebook
Address: Rue du Jura 11 1004 Lausanne
Facilities
Kitchen, printers, meeting room, convertible white room for photo/video, storage shelves
Vibe:
Modern, Minimalistic, Creative
3 reasons why we love Jura 11:
- The giant skylight fills Jura 11’s space with beautiful natural lighting, ideal to get the creative juices flowing.
- Each resident get a dedicated storage shelf on-site (a huge plus for people who don’t want to carry their work/materials in and out of the office every day).
- With a room full of so much talent you’ll never have to look further than across the room to find a reliable person to work with on a project of your own or your clients.
Why you should try them out
Bautista Dahlrö, Jura 11’s founder, is also a bit of a local legend who founded Lausanne’s Electrosanne festival. Schedule a visit and he’ll give you a tour of the place so you can see for yourself how beautiful your future office is.
La Serre
One of the most recent coworking spaces in Lausanne to open, La Serre is a refreshing face in the coworking scene here. Located further up Lausanne just next to Fourmi metro, La Serre is easily accessible by the M2 metro. Housed on the 1st floor of a new office block, you might not realise what lies behind La Serre’s inconspicuous doors.
A garden at the entrance invites you to step inside and you instantly feel as if you’ve stumbled upon something great. Look to your right and you’ll see 3 more rooms, 2 of which are meeting rooms that can be rented out by members and the public alike and the third of which houses vertical gardens surrounded by desks and coworkers. Return to the reception and head to your left where you’ll find La Serre’s showstopper feature, a beautiful vertical garden that takes up the entirety of the wall and acts as a visual separation for Luncheonette’s cafe. Further behind lies a naturopath cabinet that is the brainchild of Julien Henzelin, La Serre’s founder and all around health nut.
Details
Facebook, Website, Instagram (#changederythme)
Address: Chemin de Bérée 4A, 1010 Lausanne
Facilities
Showers, kitchen, printers, yoga mats, projector, meeting room, massage table, on-site cafe
Vibe:
Minimalist, Zen, Healthy
3 reasons why we love La Serre:
- Having a kitchen on-site is great. Having Luncheonette on-site is even better.
- After a hard day’s work, La Serre is one of the few places where thanks to a combination of the gardens, healthy food, yoga and zen interior, you leave feeling healthier than when you entered.
- Of course, Yann and the whole team at La Serre are fantastic hosts!
Why you should try them/us out
“I might have a little bias here :p
I do love and use La Serre (the venue) as a freelancer and community member because it is co-designed by a team trying to meet high expectations and needs. I’ve been an hacktivist and a practitioner of this way of working and living for 6 years, in 8 countries and 2 continents. It has to be simple, smart, fully and well-equipped, so that I can concentrate on getting things done. This attention to details and execution tends to attract people I love to hang around with as community members.
We are building a long-term framework aiming at experimenting the intrications between the way we work and the way we take care of ourselves, both on the personal and community level. It is possible thanks to Julien’s commitment as the initiator and “Chief Viking Officer” of our efforts here. (You should register and attend his upcoming talk next Friday to learn more about that).
Come and get things done at our place for free until 11pm today, 9am-6pm tomorrow, or any other day to try us out.” — Yann
Patchwork
People often forget, or just do not know, that some of the best coworking communities in the world have been started by and are famous for their artists (Indy Hall, Philadelphia, comes to mind). That’s where the Atelier 6 community, now known as Patchwork, shines. They’ve been active since 2007 (“a6”, their first and still up and running shared studio, opened in January 2008).
Better than that, the cool people behind it are the first to have two spaces available for the same community in the Lausanne area: the historic one, in Renens, aka “atelier 6”; the newest one, downtown Lausanne, aka “tivoli 14”. Each year, they organise a “coworking tour”, visiting other sister coworking communities in major coworking cities: Paris 2 years ago, Athens last year. — Yann
Details
Facebook, Website
Address: Avenue de Tivoli 14, 1007 Lausanne
Facilities
Showers, kitchen, printers, projector, meeting room, painting area
Vibe:
Artistic, Creative, Supportive
3 reasons why we love Patchwork:
- Diversity and roots
- Endurance, strong community
- Creative space to draw inspiration from
Why you should try them out
“I’ve been a neighbour and friend of the Patchwork community for 3 years. I’ve been a backer of their crowdfunding campaign (my name is on the wall there). Blindly go to anywhere Martino is pointing you to if you are looking for cool people and great art.” — Yann
That completes our list of ‘4 Lausanne Coworking Communities You Should Try’, hopefully you’ve found a place that fits your liking and we encourage you to go out and try them for yourselves! Comment below to let us know what you think 😁
Final thoughts from Yann
Lausanne is finally becoming a great coworking city. The way Swiss residents are shifting to more remote work, and the increase in digital nomads here mean that its no longer the “Future of work”, it is the Now of work. Come and experience it for yourself.
Guest writer:
Yann Heurtaux
aka “shalf”, is a founding member of Hackuarium, and most recently of La Serre, two tiers-lieux and communities in Lausanne, Switzerland. Never visit a space he operates, work from there. It is creating value for both of you.
Arman Anaturk
Co-Founder at OneRoof.Agency, Vice-president at FoodHack, organiser of Product Tank Geneva/Lausanne. Find me eating food and travelling on Instagram, debating on Twitter and not sure what exactly on Linkedin
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