Betahaus (3.0)

Hey, I'm team member Jonathan and this is my first post on the nomad blog. Recently, I had the opportunity to work at a coworking space called Betahaus, located in Berlin, Germany. I was a member of Berlin Studio through Virginia Tech. Here, I was exposed to not only the intricacies of German city life, but also the international appeal of coworking. I have researched and seen other coworking spaces here in the United States. What I have found is that once to a city level, the desire to create/the purpose of coworking becomes globally consistent. Globalization and urbanization are trends that are most salient in terms of their effects on the design of work spaces and third spaces meant to sustain progressive lifestyles. By the year 2030, it is predicted that 87 percent of the population of the United States will live in a city. Now it is approximately 82 percent. So, not only will the population increase, but so will the percentage of people living in a city.

Along with city life, especially large city life (as these cities will surely become), is the lack of specificity that will permeate these new, or expanded environments. By this I mean that cities all over the world will be the same. Globalization. I am weary of the lack of authenticity that may come as a side effect of this globalization but celebratory of the more interesting, overarching culture that is being spurred by this overlaying of nations. More or less, globalization is a double-edged sword: the world can more cohesive than ever before, but may become increasingly generic in return. This is why I think it is important when creating new working spaces, ones designed to be part of a global environment yet specific enough to maintain a physical community, that deep considerations are made for this balance.

Interestingly enough, Betahaus did seem as though it were beginning to do this. It was in Kreuzberg in Berlin and was slightly out of place from its surroundings. It still managed to bring in a steady flow of people; and not just the daily professionals from whom Betahaus recieve monthly payment. The public Betahaus Cafe, an essential of the successful coworking philosophy in my opinion, was on ground floor, while the rest of the working space was three floors up in the same, mid-century office building. The cafe was extremely authentic. A blackboard along the back wall displayed a handwritten menu of coffee drinks and the daily lunch special, OSB boards made up the the counter and most of the tables, while regular transitions of art displayed on the walls allowed for local artists to be represented. There was a huge community associated with Betahaus, many of whom worked in the space, many of whom did not. The same will hopefully be created for nomad.

Simply put, we need to think about creating a space that is global and local at the same time. That is the future of coworking.