Blankspaces
words by Jason Dean, photo by Robert Todd Williamson
Jerome Chang is giving me a tour of the spacious floor plan that is BLANKSPACES, his communal workspace venture that opened in the Miracle Mile District in April.
As we walk past the private offices, collaborative workstations, communal work bar, and glass-encased conference room, I’m struck by the aura of raw potential. The rooms are vacant. The desks are clear. The shelves are bare. On the surface, it’s literally blank space.
But Chang’s vision goes deeper than that. And the Harvard-educated architect (who also holds two engineering degrees from Cornell) could be onto something big. As a larger portion of the workforce abandons the traditional, centrally-located home office hub (by choice or by circumstance), Chang sees BLANKSPACES as an alternative to the espresso-machine-as-hydraulic-jackhammer atmosphere of the local coffeehouse, where nap-inducing sofa chairs and circular tables with the circumference of a small pizza tray provide a challenging environment in which to create a successful marketing plan, meet with a prospective client, or compose a cinematic masterpiece.
BLANKSPACES is positioning itself as “the brick-and-mortar equivalent of popular social networking communities”, where presumably the opportunity for spontaneous interaction in a spiffy work setting will fuel creative genius.
What little furniture there is has been meticulously chosen. The CEO-worthy chairs are high-end Steelcase, an ergonomist’s wet dream. The wrap-around office desks are no-frills, yet ample and sturdy. Cushioned file cabinets on rollers (“mobile pedestals” also from Steelcase) provide mobility and dual functionality.
Chang says he was only thinking about how he would want to work when he came up with the idea for BLANKSPACES in 2006. After stints at Clive Wilkinson Architects (CWA) and SF Jones Architects, the 35-year-old decided to go independent. “I wanted to have my own space, but not have it be just for me,” he says. “I wanted collaborative areas within a bay and between bays, and I was also careful to have desks that were often 30 inches deep, since we architects need that extra depth for our large drawings.”
BLANKSPACES is structured like a timeshare. You only pay for the time you’re there. There are weekly, monthly, and yearly plans designed for workaholics (70 hours/week), moonlighters (nights and weekends), and varying degrees in between. There’s even a walk-in option called “the NOMAD”. (A euphemism for unemployed wanderer?)
The office amenities include a mail room, color laser printer (with 11×17” capability), copier, fax, wi-fi, high-speed T1 Internet, and direct-dial VolP phones. There’s also a lounge/library with a wall-length sofa and a pantry/kitchen with fridge and microwave. There’s plenty of parking nearby, and the block is populated with essentials for the independent worker: UPS, FedEx, Staples, and yes, even a Starbucks. “It’s a social networking community,” Chang says of BLANKSPACES. “Everything is done online now, but people still appreciate face-to-face contact. No one works in a bubble. You need to bounce ideas off each other, get a second opinion.”
Chang collaborated with Koren Nelson on the interiors, logo and branding, and interface. Ultimately, it’s the flexibility of the 4,800 square feet of space that could pay the biggest dividends. “When we had the launch party, people saw this as an event space,” he explains. Book signings, live performances, private screenings, photo shoots, art shows, location shots for TV and film–these are just some of the possibilities available by rearranging the furniture and “swapping scenarios” as Chang calls it. “Engineers are known as very analytical,” he says, offering a bit of self-analysis. “My architectural side articulates that in a physical way. I consider architects to be the last visionaries on earth. We philosophize and then we have the physical skill to implement our ideas.”
While his isn’t the first business of its kind (other flexible work settings have opened in Seattle, San Francisco, Portland, and Philadelphia), Chang readily admits to having designs on positioning BLANKSPACES as the Starbucks of the mobile worker/entrepreneur contingent. If so, he’d better be prepared for idiosyncratic requests like a double-tall, half-frosted glass office with 73-degree climate regulation, 75-watt incandescent lighting, and foam on the side.
For more information, or to become a member of BLANKSPACES, visit their website at: www.blankspaces.com
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