Archive:New Space 2010

Since Somerset House is on hold for the foreseeable future a search for a new space to build-out in September 2010 is being held, as another winter at the existing space is undesirable.

Progress

Step	Description	Target	Status
1	Define requirements	May 2010	Done
2	Shortlist spaces	End May 2010	Started
3	View spaces	June 2010	Not started
4	Sign lease	Early July 2010	Not started
5	Begin build-out	Mid July 2010	Not started
6	Grand opening	Early August 2010	Not started

Viewings

Please no more than four people per viewing.

Questions / points of interest

• Ok with our access policy?
• Use of the space for light industrial purposes.
• Us removing carpets/flooring if present.
• Us putting in partitions (if required).
• What state they would expect the space to be left in at the end of the contract.
• Adding in kitchen/sink if plumbing available.
• What toilet facilities are available.
• Length of lease.
• How does rubbish disposal work?

Phase 1

Initial viewings of spaces to decide what is useful to consider or not.

Address	Date / Time
The Ivories	2010-05-27 1300
Cremer Business Centre	2010-05-27 1400
131-132 Shoreditch High Street	2010-05-28 1315

Viewers 2010-05-27

• Solexious
• Robert

Viewers 2010-05-28

• Solexious

Map

Requirements

Venue

Required:

• At least 1100 sqft.
• Permanent heating
• B1 or B2 use class - B1 is probably OK as long as it's not directly next to any residential.
• Price: Less than £2000/month (£24,000/year), including all charges, excluding rates. This equates to £10-£20 per square foot (per annum).
• Toilets

Preferred:

• Little or no internal finishings (e.g. hardwood floorings or carpets) we can mess up
• Multiple rooms
• Cycle storage out of space
• Kitchen/sink.
• Roof access

Ideally we want at least two rooms/areas - one carpeted for hacking, light electronics, and chilling out, and an uncarpeted room for wood/metalworking. If it is a large open space we can build internal rooms ourselves, but bear in mind this is surprisingly expensive (and will have to be done to Building Regs)! Most landlords will also require the space to be returned to its original state once we move out.

Location

• Within zone 2
• Close to tube station (ideally less than 0.5 miles)

Places to Look

• Space Station
• City & Urban
• Camden council
• Railway arches: Spacia (TfL arches aren't attractive because they require a director of the company to personally guarantee the rent. If there's a particularly good deal we might consider it, though.)
• Stirling Ackroyd
• Strettons
• Pearl & Coutts
• Gumtree (Looks like mainly nice offices)
• Workspace Group
• Estate Office

Shortlist

Cremer Business Centre

Rent

£990 - £1,610

Size

666 - 1305 sqft.

Tube

0.8 miles (Old Street)

Facilities

• 24 hour access
• 24 hour security
• 3-phase power
• Goods lift
• On-site parking
• Passenger lift
• Recycling facilities

Notes

• Satisfies all criteria aside from location and kitchen/sink area.
• Looks to be suited to hackspace-type activities, there appears to be a stone floor in two of the photographed units.
• Right next to (<1 minute walk) Hoxton London Overground station which connects to the tube at Whitechapel.

Pictures

• 1st http://www.flickr.com/photos/solexious/sets/72157624024133231/
• 2nd http://www.flickr.com/photos/solexious/sets/72157624024380699/
• 3rd http://www.flickr.com/photos/solexious/sets/72157624148765964/

Viewing notes

We were shown around three spaces:

First space "#30" (1100sqft) £1,360 +vat +biz rates @ ~£5sqft/pa

Has a concrete floor, a single toilet cubicle (separate from the wash basin though), and a very small room which could potentially be used for storage. The sink room seems to have also been used as a shower room. The main area featured a basic kitchen area and electric heaters. One issue is that in the main section there are a set of curved walls making it difficult to use efficiently. Also there is one large dividing wall (un changeable).

Second space "#23" (1305~sqrft) £1,610 +vat +biz rates @ ~£5sqft/pa

This space was large and spacious, but lacked flooring (appeared to be just the mess left by whatever adhesive the previous floor used). There were two decent toilet cubicles and a modern sink area, with reasonable flooring.

Third space "#24" (1305~sqrft) £1,610 +vat +biz rates @ ~£5sqft/pa

Partition Layout

The third space was identical to the second, but with partitions that we thought would be very useful and had windows in them. Additionally it had a lowered ceiling with modern lighting and network run around the entire room (with a large network cabinet). Also there was an abundance of power sockets around the space. This space did lack a kitchen area however, but had all the plumbing to add in one. All of this can be removed or modified as we see fit, without the need to reinstate on vacating the space.

(My gut feeling with this space is we could move in tomorrow with no work need to make the space useful, adding heating and a kitchen area is the biggest work needed --Solexious 19:13, 27 May 2010 (UTC))

General notes on Cremer

What we can do with these spaces is basically unlimited, and from what the contact explained to us there will be very little we need to do when we move out - providing we leave it in a clean condition (i.e. partitions could stay up, flooring needn't be added or removed, etc.). Noise does also not seem to be an issue, apart from basic stuff like making sure heavy machinery isn't directly resting on the floor.

As for our access policy, we can do what we like. We are free to change the locks, and give out as many keys as we see fit.

These tick all boxes apart from, tube distance isnt amazing, but great bus coverage should mitigate most of this. Also no heating included, but this will be a factor in most premises that will allow light industrial. But with hot water and 3 phase electric, this wont be to hard to rectify ourselves. And with the dropped and partitioned space in #24, we can reduce the cost of heating.

Transport

Tube

Old Street (0.7 miles, Northern Line) ~14min walk

Liverpool Street (1.1 miles; Circle, Hammersmith and City, Metropolitan, Circle Lines) ~19min walk

Aldgate East (1.2 miles; District, Hammersmith and City Lines) ~24min walk

Train

Hoxton (0.1 miles, East London Line, Train every 5min, 5min journey to Whitechapel for H&C and District Lines)

Cambridge Heath (0.8 miles; Lea Valley, West Anglia Main Lines)

Bus

Kingsland Road (0.1 miles; 149, 242, 243, 394, 67)

Hackney Road (0.1 miles; 26, 48, 55, N26, N55)

Not shortlisted

131-132 Shoreditch High Street

Rent

£15,014 pa (not sure for what size)

Size

floors: 1,109 sq, ft. - Basement | 427 sq. ft - Ground | 1,032 sq. ft. 1st-4th | 1,009 sq. ft. 5th

Tube

0.5 miles (Old Street)

Train

0.3 miles (Shoreditch High Street railway station)

Facilities

• Passenger lift
• Raised floors
• Kitchen
• Toilets
• Air conditioning
• Unfurnished

Notes

• Could take multiple floors, i.e. basement and ground
• Actually being sold/let as a single unit.

Solexious 17:49, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

The Ivories

Rent

£560 - £1800

Size

297 - 1237 sqft.

Tube

0.5 miles (Highbury and Islington)

Facilities

• 24 hour access
• CCTV
• Designated Centre Manager
• On-site parking
• Passenger lift
• Recycling facilities

Notes

• Satisfies all criteria aside from kitchen/sink area.
• Right next to Essex Road National Rail station which connects to Highbury and Islington and Old Street.
• Visited: sounds like they're noise-sensitive.

Viewing notes

This was a nice space and felt spacious (spread over three floors so easy to separate stuff out), with a kitchen area and toilet cubicle on the ground floor. The contact was very concerned about sound though, and the area is mainly offices - so this will be unsuitable given the desire to do stuff with machinery.

Robert 15:53, 27 May 2010 (UTC)

Leroy House

Rent

£800 - £1,920

Size

466 - 900 sqft.

Tube

0.8 miles (Highbury and Islington)

Facilities

• 24 hour access
• Evening & weekend security
• Entry phone system
• Broadband
• On-site parking by arrangement
• Passenger & goods lift
• Recycling facilities
• Cycle racks

Notes

• Does not meet size hard-limit so is unsuitable.

Robert 09:09, 23 May 2010 (UTC)

Willow Street

Rent

£19,560 pa

Size

1565 sqft. (un-confirmed)

Tube

0.3 miles (Old Street)

Train

0.4 miles (Shoreditch High Street railway station)

Facilities

• Goods lift
• On-site parking (additional cost - unkown)
• Large windows

Notes

* Not available any more

Solexious 14:46, 23 May 2010 (UTC)