[Makerspaces] How Coworking Space Design Can Improve School Makerspace Design

WeWork redefined office space as a place for grownups to get together, join a bigger community, and do what they love. Here, we will explore a new methodology inspired by working environment and culture of top innovate startups, to create a new social + invention hub for kids to do what they dream.

What inspired you to begin investigating your topic or inspired you to make your project?:
While I was doing my PhD, I co-founded my first company, Tiggly, and we decided to have our offices in one of WeWork locations. While working there, I noticed the importance of belonging to a community that believes in entrepreneurship and innovation to push and encourage risk taking and continue working on problems we care about. Everything about the space, the community, the resources, or even events were designed to encourage an spirit of entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation. Meanwhile, I was doing lots of research in different schools and after school programs. The difference between the space I used to work at and the space our kids were spending majority of their day was drastic. I started doing more research in the importance of community, culture, and space in encouraging ones creativity and risk taking, and noticed many highly innovative companies including Google, Apple, Facebook, IDEO and TED have rethought their office space to cultivate creativity and autonomy among their team members. These findings inspired me to start thinking about the design of an incubator/invention hub for kids where the space, community, and resources encourages every kid to identify themselves as an inventor and do what they dream.