Archive:New Space 2010

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Revision as of 09:46, 9 August 2010

This project has finished, and this page is for historical information only.
Please see Laboratory 24 (our new space).

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 Phase I June 2010 Done
3 Phase II July 2010 Done
4 Sign lease By 16th July Started
5 Begin build-out 17th July Done
6 Grand opening 1st August 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 I

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
Viewers 2010-05-28

Map

Summary
  • The Ivories and 131-132 Shoreditch High Street were not suitable for our purposes.
  • We could possibly do better location wise than Cremer - exceeds minimum distance to tube by a minimum of 0.2 miles.

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

Potential spaces

Shortlist

Cremer Business Centre - Deposit Paid!

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 (prefitted) 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

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. 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)

Longlist

Please add places to the Longlist and discuss on IRC or the mailing list.

Links to Video Walkaround of Cremer

Not sure which is which, though they are in chronological order

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