A space at the back of the offices of Abacus Planning Group holds an art studio and beanbag chairs. The room and its furnishings are used for informal meetings. (Photo/Jeff Blake)
Collaborative work spaces
according to architect Doug Quackenbush. A variety of informal meeting spaces are available around the building, and rolling chairs help to bring team members together, he said. The seating even encourages collaboration over hierarchy: Owner Cheryl Holland has a desk at the end of one row rather than a separate office. Raised windows above the main hallway form a clerestory to bring natural light into the middle of the building, and small alcoves along the sides also bring in sunlight. The overall effect is warm and elegant. A couple of considerations had to be kept in mind, Quackenbush said: providing some comfortable but private space for meetings with clients and striving to keep the overall noise under control.
Co-working it out
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Several small businesses around South Carolina are dedicated to the proposition that collaboration is important even with people who don’t work with you. These coworking operations offer to rent you a place to work and also the opportunity to use their other members as a team for expertise. The Iron Yard has opened co-work destinations in Greenville and Spartanburg, while Provisions is a co-work space operating in Charleston. Columbia’s Vista neighborhood now features SoCo Co-Work, operating 24/7 out of a renovated building a couple of blocks from the State House. The idea is for people from different fields such as web design, graphic design and videography to share a space, even if they work as freelancers. It’s a resource that many folks need to tap into to get a second opinion or the benefit of someone else’s experience. “Otherwise it’s just you and Google,” said co-owner Gene Crawford. The room has long tables and a few ready workstations for those who have signed up to pay extra for a permanent setup. It’s an effort to provide a central place, based in a desirable locale, to increase creativity. “There’s an energy when there’s a roomful of people here working,” said Crawford. “Sharing what you’re doing is encouraged.”
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