23 February 2017
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Jann Raveling
Co-working in Bremen - nine places where you can find a new office community
Creative / MediaHow freelancers and entrepreneurs can find a new place to work
Low costs and high returns: co-working has many advantages over a traditional office – especially in Bremen. Co-working is based on the idea of an office community where people share their work space. This brings down rental costs considerably, and many shared offices also have secretarial services for receiving mail and calls, and taking care of security and organisation.
But what is much more important to the co-workers is the community: being able to work with like-minded people in the same place, discussing projects, jointly developing new ideas, or simply getting a second opinion. Just the thing for freelancers, small start-ups, and self-employed members of the creative economy. Often, communal events are set in motion as a result of discussions around the office coffee machine.
There are many types of co-working spaces in Bremen, ranging from open-plan offices, where desks must be cleared every night, to fixed, individual offices. The rental period also varies hugely: while many offices rent out their spaces on a daily or weekly basis, others prefer a longer business relationship and seek out tenants who will move in for several months.
And now how to decide? Our picture gallery provides an overview of the co-working spaces in Bremen:
1. Cowork Bremen
- How big is it? The 320m² space has twelve workstations available at shared or individual tables.
- What services does it offer? A phone, internet access and a fully-equipped kitchen. Archiving and storage space can also be booked. A cleaning service keeps everything tidy, and an alarm system takes care of security.
- What special features are there? Cowork Bremen is an office community whose members cooperate and help each other with jobs and projects. They therefore prefer longer-term rental contracts and don't offer spaces on an hourly or daily basis.
2. Weserwork
- How big is it? At 700m², it's the largest co-working space in Bremen, with enough room for 60 workstations.
- What services does it offer? As well as a fully equipped office, it has a 'virtual office' secretarial service, meaning that co-workers have a business address and can receive calls or have messages taken even when they're absent. Workstations can be booked on a fixed basis, or for occasional use on flexible tariffs. There are meeting rooms for up to 40 people.
- What special features are there? Overlooking the water in the New Harbour District, a lounge area is available for networking. Weserwork is a charitable 'integration company', whose internal services team is the only one in Germany to employ people with disabilities. And if you're not sure whether co-working is for you, Weserwork offers a taster day for free.
3. kraftwerk – city accelerator bremen
- How big is it? The 550m² space can host between 30 and 60 co-workers.
- What services does it offer? Besides the basic set up comprising a workstation, internet access and coffee machine, there is a meeting room and event arena, which is perfect for presentations. The FabLab and MobileGameLab are also available for shared use.
- What special features are there? As an accelerator and incubator, kraftwerk supports start-ups, entrepreneurs and other people and businesses working in the fields of energy, transport, waste disposal/recycling and participation. Not only do the co-workers get to make valuable contacts quickly as part of a vibrant co-working community but they also benefit from professional support if they are starting up a company.
info@kraftwerk-accelerator.com
http://kraftwerk-accelerator.com
4. team neusta co.working
- How big is it? 550m² – enough space for 40 co-workers.
- What services does it offer? Office equipment, a phone and internet access. Employees from the team neusta office will also help with basic secretarial tasks such as booking meeting rooms and receiving mail. You can also have your own logo placed on the company sign.
- What special features are there? Co-workers and team neusta employees can meet up over a coffee or lunch in the Hafenbrise in-house café, which fosters a sense of team spirit and encourages budding friendships. And if they need to, co-workers can access the team neusta network, consisting of more than 700 experts from a wide variety of business areas including consultancy, IT, software development, web services and communication.
5. Auxilium Business Center
- How big is it? There are two locations in Bremen with offices of different sizes – from a two-person to a four-person office.
- What services does it offer? In addition to office facilities and meeting rooms, Auxilium Business Center offers a secretarial service, which can take calls on behalf of the Center's customers, look after mail and organise catering for guests. Both locations can also be used as prestigious business addresses.
- What special features are there? Auxilium is not a traditional co-working space, but is rather an office community inside a business centre with a co-working area. Networking is very important and goes beyond the confines of the buildings themselves, as many members work from home and use Auxilium as a place to hold meetings and receive clients. Café Zentral at the Hollerallee 8 branch is a popular meeting point.
6. Alte Schnapsfabrik
- How big is it? A total of twelve workstations are available for rental by individual tenants.
- What services does it offer? As well as office facilities and meeting rooms, the riverside Café Karton is a great location for lunch or for joint working in the afternoon.
- What special features are there? The Alte Schnapsfabrik (Old Distillery) is not a co-working space in the traditional sense of the word, but instead houses approximately 20 different creative companies. Many of these companies have co-working places available that are rented out individually. However, the community of creatives quickly forms a cohesive whole – even across offices and lofts.
7. Kalle Co-Werkstatt
- How big is it? 160m², split between a workshop, office and kitchen.
- What special features are there? Kalle is a shared workshop (Co-Werkstatt), providing space and people for DIY products and projects. Workshops, events and 'super craft labs' are frequently offered and cover a huge variety of interests, such as silkscreen printing, furniture making, origami, concerts and even clothes swaps. At Kalle, there is a place – and a stage – for everything. It's great fun! Decisions are taken collectively as to whether and how Kalle's workshop can support individual projects.
www.kalle-co-werkstatt.de
www.facebook.com/kallecowerkstatt
www.pinterest.com/kallebremen
8. Kulturküche
- How big is it? There are two spaces: a commercial kitchen in the restaurant and a food preparation room with two cold stores. The kitchens have enough space for up to five people to work in them. There are also two function rooms for 30 to 60 people.
- What special features are there? Kulturküche is a unique combination of a co-working rental kitchen and cultural venue. Cooks and prospective restaurateurs can try out their menus here, while exchanging ideas and information with other professionals or interested parties from the gastronomic scene. Regular cultural and culinary events offer ideal networking opportunities.
- What services does it offer? A fully equipped kitchen that is registered under the food safety regulations. Also, a dry store and a cold store, plus function rooms.
9. C-RAUM co-working
- How big is it? C-RAUM has eleven fixed workstations in four offices (3x3 and 1x2) and a foyer with up to six workstations in premises covering 180m² in total.
- What services does it offer? Rooms with office facilities, internet access and natural light, plus a conference room and kitchenette. There will also be an outside space in the near future.
- What special features are there? A fixed business address can be rented on an annual basis. The building also has a workshop, which is used by furniture designer and C-RAUM proprietor Christian Lamour, but can also be used by co-workers.
Click here for more information about the Bremen creative industries
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