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Jakpost guide to coworking spaces
Ever felt bored in your two-walled office cubicle? Try working in these coworking spaces to boost your spirit and expand your network.
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Greenhouse wants to connect its customers with nature. (Greenhouse/File)
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hanks to the development of technology and flexible use of social media, it is not necessary for people to sit down at their office cubicles to get their work done.
However, some people cannot work in a café or at home probably because the noise is too loud or they simply cannot focus. If you are part of this crowd, coworking spaces could help you. Some also come with additional facilities to make you feel comfortable and expand your network.
Upon entering the Greenhouse office in South Jakarta, the lush surroundings are the first thing that catches your eye. With a capacity of 228 seats, you can enjoy floor-to-ceiling glass windows that maximize natural light, with plants spread in almost every corner.
“Based on our experience in this fast growing market, companies focus more on growth and less on sustainability. This created the foundation of Greenhouse and is manifested in the space we run today,” said Adam Haluska, head of marketing at Greenhouse, in an e-mail to the Post. He later explained that glass walls and doors were added so that people will connect with each other in a more natural way. “We’d like to share our mission; to drive economic growth and environmental consciousness in our host communities.”
As part of their corporate social responsibility program, they have teamed up with Waste4Change social enterprise to recycle their waste, stop the use of plastic bags in their bins, filled their pantry with healthy as well as vegetarian products from local suppliers and support organizations that have a positive environmental or social impact with free event venues.
Their commitment to the environment also stretches to their members by enabling them to plant one tree per month on their behalf with the help of United States-based non-profit organization Onetreeplanted. “The trees are planted in Kalimantan. We’ve already planted over 300 trees that are native Indonesian species, like mentawa, papung, ubar, halaban, nyatoh, jinjit, betapai and sundi depending on the time of the year,” Haluska said.
When it comes to coworking spaces, Haluska explained they do not force people to pay a membership fee other than their chosen seat or facility. They offer a daily pass with access to all available facilities and services, but their hot-desk, dedicated desk and private offices require membership. Meanwhile, event venues and meeting rooms are available to the public even if they are non-members.
Daily pass holders can access the pantry during office hours and events on that day. Whereas for members, facilities offered are dependent on the plan, including a registered business address, 24-hour access, printing, free meeting room usage and weekly community events. Enlisted customers are also able to join the Booster Program, a collaboration platform between the corporate world and members of Greenhouse.
Founded by serial entrepreneurs who have been running businesses for years, Greenhouse aims at helping international companies with an end to end service, including company incorporation, visas, accounting, taxation and legal services.
“Mainly we focus on foreign companies that are entering or operating in fast-growing markets,” said Haluska. “At the moment, 50 percent of our members are foreign companies but we have a few startups and small as well as medium sized enterprises from Indonesia too.”
The price for a coworking space starts at Rp 150,000 (US$10) per day per person for a daily pass and Rp 2,000,000 per month per person for a hot-desk.
Moreover, they also hold various events, such as networking events and panel discussions. Among them are Moxy Monday at lunchtime, Unwind Wednesday where people can have fun after office hours and Feel Good Friday to wrap up the weekend with interesting themes.
Operating hours: Monday – Friday, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Address: Multivision Tower 25th floor, Jl. Kuningan Mulia Lot 9B, South Jakarta.
Contact: +6221 3043 6000.
Established in October 2017, Avenue8 prides itself on its concierge service that can be used by all of its customers, including those who only book a room for a one-hour meeting, without extra charge.
“We realized that the little errands we have to run during our workday can potentially be time-consuming and add unnecessary cognitive load to our brains,” said Catrin, one of the cofounders of Avenue8. “Hence, we designed Avenue8 Concierge to help our clients with the little things in their lives, so they can fully focus on their work.”
Among the services offered by Avenue8 Concierge are arranging transportation, making restaurant reservations, buying coffee or lunch and mailing packages.
Its coworking space, which has 34 seats, is divided into two parts: a quiet working and lounge area. The facilities include access during office hours, free flow coffee as well as tea, access to the lounge, high-speed Wi-Fi and access to Avenue8 events.
Furthermore, coworking customers also have access to the hot office, meaning they can use any empty private office if they need a more private workspace. However, it is based on availability.
Read also: Jakpost guide to recreational places for children
Avenue8 combines soft Scandinavian colors with Indonesian wood to create a cozy atmosphere. They also make use of natural lighting by incorporating glass partitions.
Clients of Avenue8 come from different types of businesses, including technology companies, market researchers as well as trading companies and students. There is no requirement for those who want to merge their membership, including a group.
The rate for a coworking space starts at Rp 150,000 per person for a daily pass and Rp 1,800,000 for a monthly coworking membership.
Operating hours: Monday – Friday, from 08.30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Address: Tamansari Parama Suites 7B, Jl. K.H. Wahid Hasyim No. 84, Central Jakarta
Contact: +6221 502 008 89
If you live in North Jakarta and need a place to work, you may want to visit Concrete Space. Officially opened in February 2017, Concrete Space focuses more on creatives or startups by providing different types of spaces, including a photo studio. “We made a studio for photographers, videographers, social media and branding agencies if they need to take product, fashion or even pre-wedding photos,” said Joshua, one of the co-owners.
Its building consists of two levels: the first floor is for individuals who use coworking spaces, while the second floor is for groups. It has space for around 120 people.
Their coworking space system is also flexible, meaning that there is no membership requirement and they welcome each customer, including ones who book a space for an hour, as a member. They have hourly, daily and monthly packages for coworking spaces with complete facilities, such as access to the library, game room and printer.
Should you want to become a member, there is no registration fee and all you need to do is go to the venue.
Moreover, if you need to unwind for a while, Concrete Space has a zen room to relax.
They have routine events: one or two on the weekdays and one on the weekend. On weekdays, they usually have a cardio class and sharing session open to the public with ticket prices starting at Rp 200,000 per person. “We usually have a mentor who has succeeded in their field, and the participants are usually the ones who want to start a business in that field,” Josh said.
On weekends, they have more fun with a practical workshop, including sewing, painting and flower arranging.
“We want our concept to be as natural as possible, it’s more into the Japanese and Scandinavian style,” said Josh. “We use furniture that is made from solid wood. That’s it. It follows our name, Concrete, but not industrial.”
While many coworking spaces are located in Central or South Jakarta, Concrete Space was bold enough to create one in the north of the capital. “There are many startups that are beginning their journey here,” Josh said. “If they don’t have an office in Central Jakarta, it doesn’t mean that their business is not prestigious or legit to be shown off to their clients.”
The price for a coworking space starts from Rp 35,000 per hour or Rp 120,000 per day. Online booking is available.
Operating hours: Monday – Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Address: Jl. Pluit Timur Raya No. 17, Penjaringan, North Jakarta.
Contact: +6221 662 1868. (wng)
