2013 is the year of the co-working revolution in Singapore – we know because even we jumped onto the bandwagon! Check out our round up of the best 11 spaces for coworking Singapore for all your entrepreneurial needs – without have to worry about the dirty looks from Starbucks’s employees when they realize you bought that last cup of coffee 6 hours ago.
Egg Singapore
Welcome to Honeycombers HQ! Located in The Quadrant, a heritage building that began life as the regional headquarters for the Kwangtung Provincial Bank more than 80 years ago, Egg Accelerator Singapore houses cool architecture and a still-functional old gated elevator (score!). The unconventional co-working space, surrounded by blah skyscrapers, also houses European bistro The Black Swan. We’re also looking forward to having many a cocktail party on the private rooftop.
Egg Singapore, #04-00 The Quadrant at Cecil Street 19 Cecil Street Singapore 049707, p. 8338 3597. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm.
Hackerspace
Built by tech geeks for tech geeks, Hackerspace is the mother of all co-working spaces – they started this insurrection in office culture in 2009. This co-working space is only open to members (though you can attend any public event for a sample of the community), who are required to commit at least 6 months. If you’re baulking at this, think about all the cool stuff you get, such as access to the shared library of books, gear, and tools, an email address, and even a customizable business card identifying yourself as a member of the Hackerspace.
The Hub
Open 24/7 to members, the Hub is a hotbed for social enterprises. Not only do you get to interact with fellow community members here, there are also friendly Hub Hosts – part troubleshooter, part networking guru, and part office manager – on hand to help! Being a member of the Hub enables you access to a growing global network of 40 Hubs, and 6,000 like-minded members across 5 continents. Better yet, you get to check in at any Hub overseas one working day for free, each quarter.
The Hub, National Youth Council Academy, 113 Somerset Road, Singapore 238165, p. 6309 0046. Open 24 hours daily.
Hackerspace, 70A Bussorah Street, Singapore 199483, p. 6297 7167. Open 24 hours daily.
Kennel.
Creative critters and art bugs, knock on Kennel.’s door for a cozy and collaborative co-working experience. Located in the second storey of a shophouse, you’ll enjoy natural light and a great vibe to get those creative juices flowing. The folks behind Kennel. have branded its as a work/play space, complete with programmes like workshops or lectures. We also like the regular, themed Kennel. nights, where like-minded people gather for a pithy conversation about certain issues.
Kennel., 166B Rochor Road, Singapore 188441, p. 8182 2972. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm.
Ecosystem
Ecosystem is a co-working space that caters to all the office needs of tree huggers (or environmentalists, if you will); they also provide services like public relations, web development, and green printing. We fancy their idea of a weekly open house (7pm every Friday), where two speakers speak about a topic, like technology, trends, and food, and how they tangle with the environment. Not only do first-timers get to walk-in for a taste of Ecosystem, the green community is also kept active by the exchange of ideas.
Ecosystem, 3 Jalan Kledek, Singapore 199259. Open Mon-Fri 930am-6pm, Sat 10am-5pm and Sun 10am-5pm.
Occupy
To quote the folks at Occupy, this is a creative-friendly, yet quiet and productive temporary workspace that helps you to get sh*t done. Choose from 6 Counter Culture spots – you’ll definitely find one that suits you, regardless of what your fengshui master says. Did we mention the caffeine fuel here is provided by the Bettr Barista Coffee Academy (a social enterprise centred on arming disadvantaged women with barista skills)? And it’s free-flow, all day long? That’s what we’re talking about.
Occupy, 768A North Bridge Road, Singapore 198736, p. 9695 8584. Open Mon-Sun 10am-10pm.
Makespace
Residing in a brutalist slab block in Lavender, Makespace is your collaborative space amidst an old neighbourhood of small-scale manufacturing and fabrication. With amenities like indoor bike parking, filtered drinking water, showers (!), and Nespresso coffee, Makespace feels like a home away from home (sans distractions). Besides the neighbourhood, we also like the quaint café feel of the pantry in Makespace, which is perfect for a brunch meeting or a beer break.
Makespace, 318C King George’s Avenue, Singapore 208563, p. 6293–6275. Open Mon-Fri 930am-6pm.
The Co.
With big name tenants like Sequoia Capital (a big-name US fund), you know The Co. means business in the co-working scene with an entire 8-story building of space. We just know you sophisticated birds will love the the interior’s black and white design. There are also 3 event venues for networking opps. We love that it’s so easy to escape from this concrete jungle when you’re at the Co. – Fort canning Park is only 5 minutes away.
The Co, 75 High Street, Singapore 179435, p.6595 6288. Open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm.
Hired Turf
The cool guys at Hired Turf have a great office environment – large windows, decent chairs, and most importantly, a relaxed atmosphere that you share with other start-ups in this two-storey open concept office. If that’s not enough to keep you coming back for more, they have a workout gym and an infinity pool too. If you’re sneering at the pantry’s coffee, Hired Turf is walking distance from Loysel’s Toy and Antoinette (Penhas Road) – we see the light in your eyes.
Hired Turf, 883 North Bridge Rd, Singapore 198784, p. 6631 8931. Open Mon-Fri 9am-6pm.
Collective Works
This is the place to work from if you desire a creative workspace and easy access to the bigwigs in Singapore’s CBD. Whiteboards are built at the height for video conferencing, and removable outlets accompany a clean simple layout. Modular desks and flexible furniture arrangements give members some freedom to work where and how they want. The folks at Collective Works also encourage serendipitous meetings in the lounge and deliberately large kitchen.
Collective Works, #10-01/02 The Globe, 100 Cecil Street, Singapore 069532. Open Mon-Fri 8am-6pm.
Frontdesk
Exclusive to creative freelancers and start-ups, Frontdesk marries the best elements of a coffee shop (social and energetic) and the best elements of a workspace (productive and functional) to give you an affordable space with a creative work environment. The weekly events are not bad either– they have the Mid Week Soiree (anything fun you can think of) and Soccer Saturdays (snacks included but BYOB). The folks at Frontdesk are currently offering a 2-day free trial so do get in touch.
Frontdesk, 53 Ubi Avenue 1, #B1-44, Singapore 408934, p. 8186 4363. Open Mon-Fri 9am-11pm, Sat 11am-2am, Sun 12pm-5pm.
Top image: Makespace