OUGD502 Studio Brief 2 - Taking Care of Business - Pinnacle

Location Research

Leeds would be a prime location for a company like ours to start off with. Recourses, costs of studios and travel are much cheaper than a bigger city like london.

We set out to look for studios and gave the initial researching task to our Team member Jessica Johnson.

http://www.sunnybankmills.co.uk/red-lane-mill.php (pudsey)

http://castletonmill.com (Kirkstall Road)

http://www.templeworksleeds.com/temple-works-leeds/ (Holbeck)

http://duke-studios.com (Munro House)

http://www.tower-works.com/accommodation (Central)

Castleton Mills-Jess' notes:

This was a space I came across on twitter, I saw them announce that they were offering studio space and took a quick look to see if it would be suitable. As most of us live in Hyde Park we would be in walking distance of this space would dramatically cut down on costs for us. It seems very contemporary and a really nice location to work in.

Sunny Bank Mills

This is a space in Pudsey, although this is out of the centre slightly this could reduce rental costs of the space and would be easier to get to. 

Temple.Works.Leeds

This space I was really interested in, I love that the building has such a history to it, a Victorian building that was once known as 'the biggest room in the world'. I looked into the floor plans and had a look at some images of the site and the more I saw the more I began to realise that this probably wasn't suitable for what we wanted. As much as we wanted to be able to collaborate and work in a studio with other creatives, this at the the minute seems like a huge empty building with little inside. It seems like it could be a very hectic environment and residents 'may need to move if an event is planned for that space'. This isn't really ideal but I feel the place has potential in the long run.

Sizes of studios vary from 100 sq. ft. to over 250 sq. ft., and popup residencies allow artists to choose where to work knowing they may need to move if an event is planned for that space.  This benefits fine and film artists in particular as well as musicians.

Costs for studio rentals are dependent on location, natural light, and service provision but extend from a flat monthly fee of as little as £100.00.month for popup space to £.75 /sq. ft. / month for fixed space. We encourage co-working and there are some spaces that might suit compatible artists wishing to keep costs down.

All rentals include power and use of kitchen facilities, showers, bike racks, access to meeting rooms, but not car parking (parking spots are available on a paid basis within the commercial parking lot). Owing to the increased use of Internet on site we are now asking for a contribution towards Wi-Fi. We are open 7 days a week and do have late working hours, within certain security and access restrictions around which we all work. There is light workshop space available for shared use, with block bookings at a small cost.

Duke Studios

Duke Studios had the most helpful website so far, it showed a clear table of what we had to pay and what we would get from this. The images of the studio make it seem like a really friendly environment with plenty of unique studio space and opportunities to collaborate with other professionals. 

I Myself went to look at Duke studios to get some more research and to just experience first hand what it would be like in an actual design studio and creative space. it would give us more of an idea of what we should expect for the price we would pay and what would be included in the costs.

My Notes from Duke studio visit

Workshop available for internal and external use
Laser cutter 

Photography studio
£30 an hour or half internally upto £200 a day 

Open space £8 a month 

Desk space
£210 a month 

Offices different sizes 

Vinyl cutters external and internal use for another fee 

Meeting/board room
Studio or desk book for free just need to book

Co working - grass area, £85 a month

Membership more included
Electricity etc included 

6 weeks to get in to the studio space, like a poole, more variety of professions
Other studio is bigger

 Questions we asked studios on visits:

http://www.morganlovell.co.uk/knowledge/checklists/choosing-the-right-office-space

1. Costs: what's included? Any extra costs? Is it a minimum contract, if so, how long?

2. Visitors? Can clients come into the building?

3. Area reputation, commute easy?

4. Nearby places to take clients? Restaurants/cafes/bars?

5. Any construction/noise nearby? Internal noise? Quiet area?

6. What other creatives would be around me? Are they open to collaborations?

7. Is there room for my company to grow here if we employed more people?

8. Strong wifi/phone signal? 

9. Time of access?

10. Deliveries? Can we deliver stock etc here? Lifts? Large deliveries. Storage?

Tower Works

This space is in a great location, it would be easy for us to commute by train which would be our key mode of transport. However before I contacted them I came across the plans that showed that currently all spaces are unavailable. This could be a space to consider in the future when our business is bringing in more money as the location inevitably would be quite pricey. 

Results of Visits:

Duke Studios (Friday 13th February):

Pro's:

- Friendly people

- Good atmosphere

- Ideal decor and setup to work in

- Range of creative surround

- Discount on facilities

- Separate rooms for meetings

1. Costs: what's included? Any extra costs? Is it a minimum contract, if so, how long?

All costs included, insurance etc. Contract; Co-working, 1 month. Desk Space, 6 month, Studio, 12 month.

2. Visitors? Can clients come into the building?

Yes. For short times/meetings clients can come into the building, there are several areas to sit and chat or the boardroom can be booked out.

3. Area reputation, commute easy?

Area is good, near to BBC and other reputable companies. Opposite the bus station and a ten minute walk from train station. Taxi area.

4. Nearby places to take clients? Restaurants/cafes/bars?

Cafe 164 inside the same building for convenience. The Wardrobe, Aagrah, Bibis (more sophisticated) The calls, short walk, patisseries, bistros. 

5. Any construction/noise nearby? Internal noise? Quiet area?

Small amount of noise from traffic, not distractive. Inside the studio is fairly quiet. Workshops are shut off, slight noise with some machines.

6. What other creatives would be around me? Are they open to collaborations?

A whole range of creative work in this studio, collaborations are definitely an option.

7. Is there room for my company to grow here if we employed more people?

Yes. Bigger studios are available, and there is a whole new site opening in the next year for bigger companies specifically.

8. Strong wifi/phone signal?

Yes.

9. Time of access?

9-6 for co working area, 8-11 for desk space area, later access available for those with room studios. (24/7)

10. Deliveries? Can we deliver stock etc here? Lifts? Large deliveries. Storage?

Deliveries yes, can only store in office rooms, not available for those who work in co working area.

Finally

I wasn't able to make the visit personally, however I trust the decisions made by my coworkers in that the studio space is perfect for our start-up. The overheads are low enough that we have contingency money, The commute wouldn't be any more difficult than my current commute which is great. Thanks to the intelligent questions my coworkers asked, we have all the information we need, and are happy with Duke Studios.