The rise of ‘Knowledge Economy’ and ‘Sharing Economy’ of the Post-Industrial World and the emergence of new Creative Class has created a growing interest in Collaboration and Shared Spaces. This led to the emergence of a new typology of social environments that are designed for fostering human social interaction, building a community, and networking with similar minds, merging the boundaries between social and work life. However, most of the current workspaces available, especially in Malaysia, function merely as a Rent-a-desk Model and are catered mainly for the Tech Sector, not the Creative Sector. In addition, several users have reported issues like distraction, lack of privacy, and not forming the valuable connections they have anticipated.
Designer: Samaa Alsokkary
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Type: Concept
‘Creative Village’ is a shared workspace designed based on Social Interaction Principles aiming to foster a true work/social balance which is much needed for users who suffer from distraction and difficulty networking in other conventional coworking spaces. It’s a niche co-working space for the creative class, with creative hub facilities that can be hard to access elsewhere. It also includes co-living and socializing spaces, making it an ultimate venue for creative talent.
In a world where the exchange of information is the main means of economic growth, “new social environments are deliberately being created combining places in order to facilitate networking and the exchange of knowledge”. (Morisson, 2017)
DESIGN STRATEGIES
In Creative Village, shared living and working spaces are designed around social interaction and community living rather than individual users. Understanding the different patterns of social interactions within shared spaces aided in designing a well-functioning space that allows for the different types of social interaction to happen simultaneously, without having one negatively impact the other. This also allows facilitating socialization and networking between individuals when required or discouraging it to prevent distraction. Design strategies used include:
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
This project represents a “mini vertical village” where like-minded creative people live, work, & play. Both connections within the community and with the outer community are emphasized in the design. Social areas that foster collaboration are included to help inspire creativity, as well as quiet areas connected with nature to allow for “attention restoration”. This combination will provide different settings throughout the space for different work modes and socialization, supporting the different stages of the creative process.
ZONING AND PROGRAMMING
The zoning is designed with an intimacy gradient in mind. Noisy/public activities are located on lower levels that are near the traffic and have higher noise levels, while more quiet/private activities are at higher levels that have lower noise levels and more privacy. Social spaces act as an in-between area.
The “Town Hall” – Ground Floor
The ground floor acts as a “town hall”, a social public space in which people inside can mingle with the outside public as a means to breed innovation. This is achieved by increasing the transparency, using floor-to-ceiling windows, and putting social spaces such as the cafe, gallery, and amphitheater ‘on display’ to incite the public in, increasing pedestrian exposure.
The “Makerspace” – Frist Floor
The open makerspace is “team space”, or collaboration space, used for group work and ideas exchange where people build and experiment. The space is designed with playfulness and team interactions in mind, allowing for noise and dirt. Private studios are designed as “solitary space”, a personal, quiet space with reduced stimulation that allows for concentrated work, with glass walls to allow interaction and curtains to control privacy.
The “Co-working area” – Second Floor
The second floor contains desk-related work facilities. The space design acts as a “source of stimulation” providing different types of simulation to trigger creativity. Colors used in the space, like shades of blue and teal, are calming and can help in clear and focused thinking. Vegetation is used as a natural sound baffle and visual partition, without compromising light and visual connection.
Samaa Alsokkary
Samaa received her Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture from Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Malaysia in 2019. Her passion for interior design is driven by her interest in influencing human experiences through the spaces they inhabit. As a designer, she believes that a good design is a human-centered one that focuses on how humans engage with a space, and eventually with one another. Thus, design research has become an essential part of her design process and every project is a new learning experience. After graduating from Malaysia, Samaa is now pursuing her career in her homeland Cairo, Egypt.
