Help Shape Downtown: Take Our Survey on Creative Work Spaces
DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — While Downtown's office towers may be filled mostly with law firms and accountants, much of the growth that has taken place in the central city over the last decade has been driven by what one might call the "creative class:" folks like architects, artists, graphic designers and those involved in technology.
Many of these people are just starting out in the business world or have recently taken a chance on starting up a new venture. They're working out of lofts and coffee shops, not Class A office buildings.
Whether for clean tech or filmmakers, planning talk over the last year has often included "incubators" or "hubs" designed to attract even more creative people and give them spaces to collaborate. The Bringing Back Broadway initiative in particular has latched on to "creative office" as a key use for the street's million square feet of unused upper floor space.
blogdowntown and Downtown architecture firm Omgivning are putting together several collaborative work space projects, and we want to get started by getting a feel for what kind of spaces Downtowners are interested in and what you would use.
We've put together a short survey that we would love to have you fill out. Your input will help shape projects that open Downtown in the coming years.
Have other feedback? Submit your survey, then use the comment form at the bottom of this story.
ed rosenthal on February 19, 2011, at 06:14AM – #1
Thanks for your survey. A lot of property owners are asking about the depth of the market for creative office space, and they should be aware that part of this need will be satisfied by conversion of already existing conventional office space into creative space, conversion of existing multi-story garment industrial space into creative office space, and conversion of low rise industrial space into creative office space. Landlords and developers on Broadway, will have to compete with these other sources of creative office.
Poetbroker
KJ1 on February 19, 2011, at 08:52AM – #2
As a worker in the garment industry, I have to pipe in and say that I'd hate to see my industry leave DTLA, get pushed out or simply ignored. We have been it's backbone for so long and I feel often get overlooked. We ARE A CREATVE industry! Many owners of companies are looking to expand, upgrade and revise their spaces. Please incluse us in the discussion.
Brady Westwater (@bradywestwater) on February 19, 2011, at 09:50AM – #3
Fashion is listed on the list of creative businesses and I have been leasing spaces to fashion designers and manufacturers on a regular basis for the past five years. And these spaces have been for design, office, shipping, production, showroom, live-work, retail - and every possible combination of the above.
SimonHa on February 19, 2011, at 12:08PM – #4
The nice thing about working at an office is the available resources (both human and material) and equipment. I'm sure for a lot of architects working for a company, the crutch in going rogue is the capital required to start a shop - tens of thousands of dollars in software and hardware + other overhead such as rent, liability insurance, legal fees, etc. And of course a paying client.
If a collaborative 'company' can be structured to share the cost of overhead and have to ability to provide the benefits of a small-medium company (like health insurance) but allow individual practice (like a hair salon) I think a lot of people would be interested.
A salon for designers with a shared receptionist, open floor with individual stations, area for common equiptments, rooms for things that require privacy, a break room, health insurance plan, 401k, etc.
For me, I would be interested if it was a cool space packaged with services and amenities at a reasonable cost.
Robert A on February 19, 2011, at 02:24PM – #5
Having stayed at many pensione's in Europe I would love to see some of these spaces turned into small independent hotels. Small rooms, cool designs. With so much available space on Broadway and so many more tourists heading Downtown...I think we could have a Downtown Pensione's district along with creative office space.
Rich on February 20, 2011, at 10:38PM – #6
Clean, modern facilities with an area for a private conference room, possibly a shared printer/fax/internet station, and good location for business is what I'm looking for in shared space.
Robyn on February 21, 2011, at 12:18PM – #7
Access to: * A workstation with connection to the internet (wifi is fine) * Shared reprographics equipment - color printer, plotter, or high-speed printer * A conference room for private meetings
In a convenient, secure location giving myself and my clients easy access via walking, Dash, bus, or Metro stop.
Los Angeles SEO on February 21, 2011, at 07:42PM – #8
I am glad that you're doing this survey because comfortable work spaces outside the home are difficult to find without renting my own office.
I often work from coffee shops or even a park (via an Andriod phone teathered to my laptop) if the weather is nice.
What I want from a space is a fast network connection, comfortable chairs, a conference room that I can reserve, different music in different rooms so I can switch when the mood hits and a decent price. Though for the different rooms and music, I would probably be willing to pay more.
Greensmark on February 24, 2011, at 08:44AM – #9
Only comment is the question about which neighbourhood do I live in. South Park is not listed. Does this mean that creative people don't live here?
Grnsmrk
Eric Richardson (@blogdowntown) on February 24, 2011, at 11:42AM – #10
Oops. Not sure how that happened, but it is added now.
BobbyD on February 25, 2011, at 10:03AM – #11
I appreciate the concept as applied to many people but not as what may be limited to if only one or a few types of businesses. Keeping it as more of a adult/big-kid operation, maybe similiar to arts and crafts type of classes of some colleges or universities. Perhaps one organizing body as a non-profit that can rent space and set it up for sub-leasers to have their own programs. I do not have the knowledge of downtown buildings but maybe somebody can look into the availability of empty or partly empty buildings. Maybe one floor or part of one floor for similiar skills or products to be worked on. Maybe some areas for display of finished products similiar to rotating art in museums. Maybe?
BobbyD on May 27, 2011, at 06:32PM – #12
To Greensmark: Basic Rule of Thumb in Art around is that if you do not help those at the top make money you do not count at all, creative or not creative. Give the art people and politicians involved a $ reason to consider South Park. Not necessarily money but some support or whatever. Volunteer for some of the work in a project? Ideas?