Considering Third Spaces, "Being Spaces", Et Al for a School Near You

Been fascinated with the "third space" concept ever since it came across my cerebral radar.  The explosion (okay, trickle-up effect) of for-profit and not-for-profit spaces dedicated to giving people a 'space' to create, work, read, think, interact, socialize, and people-watch in this day and age of the 'virtual' worker, the work-from-home worker, the one-day-wireless-everywhere society, and the I'll-have-a-mocha-frappa-whatever-you-call-it coffee talk that surrounds us all...just fascinates me.  The trend-watching group Springwise calls these environments "Being Spaces" (such as the photo of the Village Quill in NYC, above), which is perhaps a more feel-good semantic than "third space" or Starbucks.  Here's how they describe them:

This third-room phenomenon (commercial living-room-like settings, where catering and entertainment aren't the main attraction, but are there to facilitate small office/living room activities like watching a movie, reading a book, meeting friends and colleagues, or doing your admin) continues to evolve.

It always strikes me as 'why isn't it happening more?' when I am sitting in such a space that this "Being Space" model would be ideal for the school of the future. 

Just one example:  The public library in Elmhurst, Illinois (15 minutes due west from downtown Chicago if you're a crow) where my wife's family lives has been making the move recently in the new library they opened up, giving people a one-stop shop, so to speak, when it comes to drinking coffee, meeting with neighbors, and quietly spending time at the library.  An impossible vision a few years back when all public libraries were 'shhhhhh' zones void of real interaction.  Now, would it be conceivable for schools to begin re-branding themselves in this way?

Or, what if they created "Being Spaces" for the larger community?  Here are a few examples that happen so naturally in the real world...and might be of consideration for the educational setting near you:

Example #1:

Paragraph ("providing an affordable and tranquil working environment for writers of all genres") occupies a 2,500 square foot loft space near Union Square, divided into a writing room and a lounge area. The writing room has 38 partitioned desks, while the lounge area contains a kitchenette, a large round table and smaller café tables. There's a refrigerator and cabinets to store members' food and beverages, as well as a microwave, toaster oven and coffee maker. The space has a laser printer and wifi throughout, and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Example #2:

The same set up can be found at the Village Quill (see image on right) whose 1,700 square foot loft in Tribeca boasts 20 shared workstations and a lounge area. The Village Quill also organises readings and workshops.

Example #3:

How about combining work, child care and BEING SPACES? Yes, there's a business opportunity in that as well: look no further than TwoRooms ("You Work, They Play"), another (surprise!) New York based facility designed to provide office space, childcare and community, all in one setting, for freelance and/or home-based workers who don't have the need for, or can't afford the expense of full-time childcare. The setup? Two Rooms literally provides two rooms at its facility: one for parents and one for children. The 2,200 square foot communal office area has wireless internet access, computers for rent, a printer, copier, fax and scanner, and, since there's a receptionist, having packages delivered isn't a problem. A kitchen area offers an opportunity for interaction between parents. Parents can use the center for full-time childcare and office space, or can take advantage of extensive flexibility and varied scheduling options.

The leap to schools:

Imagine if the next school design in your home town or community included a community "Being Space" such as any of the above, in addition to the Media Learning Center and the Distance Learning Lab.  Imagine when community and school really become one and the same!

Comments

[Hilary Mason]

I love the term "being spaces"! I've been involved in a conversation about using this kind of space in higher education. I hope that the philosophy continues to expand, until education and work at all stages can be part of a larger community. Thanks for the post and the links.

[Sam Harrelson]

I'm trying to imagine how we could implement a model like this in our Middle School. What a powerful idea!

[ézro]

I have also being reading as much information about being spaces for the last couple of nights after coming upon the trendwatching website and found it to be hungely interesting. I myself have being thinkin of that kind of idea for the last 2 years and its great to see the concept been talked about. Its got huge huge potential and something i am going to go for as a business venture

[Ryan d'Esterre]

I too am in love with the idea of being spaces. I'm working on getting one built in our student center at The University of Montana- Helena College of Technology. Rightnow all we have is coffee shops and a library to go to. I've studied business and have a degree in small business management. I'm going to attempt to create a chain of being spaces. Let me know if you have any ideas. I will be working on this for a long time. Thank you. Ryan