Over the past year, our friend Boris Mann of Bryght has been tinkering about a concept of creating an "open" office space in Vancouver.
The concept although not a new idea is a variation of the long established artist commons, but for businesses.
I feel the concept of a common shared office could present some problems: Privacy, work space, controlling the flow of people in and out, costs and long term planning/growth, plus IMHO, I think it might be a capital lost venture.
That said, I think it is a wonderful idea, it would help startups and established business alike develop stronger tie with the business community and help them grow with stronger peer support. For instance, this would have been a great option for us a few years ago when Raincity was just starting up, but now, some time later, we have 6 full-time staffers, 2 offices and working on $50k+ projects. Also, since privacy and independence is key for us, this would not be the ideal situation. What can I say? We love our "quiet" time and we like to do thing on our own terms in our own space.
I can see this being an excellent option for growing companies. Boris is taking the right approach, he's looking at the options and planning with the common's input. There are still many details to be worked out before we'll see a successful model rolling out. I'm sure we'll hear more about this; seeing the crowed tonight, there is no lack of interests and Boris a highly resourceful kinda guy.
Read more about this project on Bryght's wiki.
See the pictures from the meeting.