“There’s actually a really really great thing, a lot of great people all over the world and they’re just sort of waiting to be discovered, to find each other.” – Chris Messina, coworking co-founder.

“People live next door to each other and often don’t know that one another exist” – Tara Hunt, coworking co-founder.

It couldn’t be more true than that, could it?! How often did I not have any idea who my neighbours were each time I moved house while living in London.
Coworking, meaning literally working together, refers to individuals working in the same space though on different projects and usually for different companies. It also stands for: collaboration, openness, internationality, affordability and most importantly, for community. And a great news for those who alike myself adore post-industrial, factory-like buildings and lofts – this is where many of the coworking spaces thrive! Brad Neuberg is said to be one of the founders of the first coworking community called Citizen Space in San Francisco, of which creation has helped to spread this trend globally from 2005 onwards.

Coworking is a style of work that involves a shared working environment, often an office, and independent activity. Unlike in a typical office environment, those coworking are usually not employed by the same organization. Typically it is attractive to work-at-home professionals, independent contractors, or people who travel frequently who end up working in relative isolation. Coworking is also the social gathering of a group of people who are still working independently, but who share values, and who are interested in the synergy that can happen from working with like-minded talented people in the same space. Wikipedia

Here is my selection of some of the most original and inspiring coworking spaces worldwide. Are you a regular coworker? As a salaried employee, what are your thoughts on using this type of working space “round the corner” instead of commuting one hour through the city to your regular office? I’d rather go for coworking :-)

Most of coworking spaces occupy either former factory buildings or lofts like those of  Citizen Space in San Francisco or Amplify in Santa Cruz.

Greenpoint Coworking in New York. White walls and large windows enhance clarity and leave room for the flow of ideas. A perfect space for the creative industries.

Onward Coworking in Chicago. The old brick walls combined with the old-style wooden floor give this space a strong character for making some big decisions.

Parisoma in San Francisco. Coworking is about work and play. Communities often organise various events and classes.

Urban Station in Colombian Bogota. Spacious modernity that keeps cool when it’s hot out there.

DCOLLAB in Madrid. Retro and sweet.

Google Campus in East London. So nice that even large tech-spaces try to keep it wooden and green!

Boven de Balie in Amsterdam. A good community needs a good dining area.

Agora in Berlin. This space gives a feeling of working from your living room in a classic, old building Berlin flat (Altbau). Table tennis belongs to the city as much as the Berlin “buddy bear”.

Nadelwald in Berlin is aimed at fashion designers. Bright and cosy occupies a beautiful Berlin alt-bau loft in Neukölln.

Expaway in Berlin. Viva simplicity! The nature outside will be your only distraction.

Kompany in Cracow (Kraków). Cool and to the point.

Art Cluster in Warsaw (Warszawa) speaks for itself. This totally charming minimalist space is located in the Old Praga district where the city’s dark sides clash with young and hippy Varsovians.

CoWorking in Moscow is located in a former industrial shop of Design-Zavod Flacon.

The Hub in Singapore represents a real community spirit with a “hubbers board” for getting to know one another and a common meditation session.

/ Photos: google.com, yelp.com, greenpointcoworking.com, sharedesk.net, onwardcoworking.com, blogcoworkify.com, coworkingregistry.org, dcollab.com, athenna.com, waywardsplants.org, bovendebalie.nl, agoracollective.org, nadelwald.me, thenextweb.com, kompany.pl, artcluster.pl, bureaupraktika.ru, singaporethehub.net