Second Street Studios Archives

Work stations in CoLAB at Second Street Studios, Santa Fe, NM

During a recent extended stay at Adobe Oasis I needed an dedicated workspace for a project that I was working on. Familiar with coworker spaces in theory but not in practice, I was excited to discover CoLAB at Second Street Studios.

CoLAB is a progressive work environment providing a month-to-month desk rental for the independent creative entrepreneur and businessperson… CoLAB is a community of motivated, creative individuals who are interested in changing how work gets done, services get delivered, products get built, and where awesome stuff happens. (CoLAB at Second Street Studios)

If you’re unfamiliar with the coworker concept, owner/developer Wayne Nichols offered this explanation in a February 7, 2011 interview.

[CoLAB] has a much fuller set of facilities (than) a home office at the same time offering the independence and flexibility of a home office. It’s part of a trend that allows people to work independently and to connect into large aggregations. ~ Wayne Nichols (The Santa Fe New Mexican)

I am drawn to the scalability and collaborative potential of coworker environments in general, but my recent interest was driven primarily by the need for a distraction-free, easily accessible, dedicated workspace where I could edit and revise a manuscript. In many respects CoLab fit the bill.

Here’s how graphic/web designer Raul Chico Goler explained the benefit of coworking at CoLab in an August 29, 2011 interview.

I was tired of working at home. When I am here at CoLAB, I am much more focused and self-disciplined. It is also much nicer to bring clients here, rather than meeting in a coffee shop. We have a great conference room, and everything I need is here. ~ Raul Chico Goler (santafe.com)

In addition to the design-forward conference room with digital projection capability these are addition amenities included for CoLAB coworkers (as listed on their website, colabatsecondstreet.com.)

Desk, locked file, chair, desk lamp and personal storage.
Networked printer, scanner & copier.
24/7 access for tenants of CoLAB with a secure swipe key.
2 Lounge areas for relaxing or client meetings.
Kitchen and dining area with coffee services.
Production copy machine and collating work area.
Commercial broadband Internet/network (wired and wireless).
Utilities and basic janitorial service included.
Ongoing professional development workshops.

And that’s just the nuts and bolts. Minimalist but handsome design elements distinguish the coworker space, and the location – smack dab in the middle of Second Street Studios – promises hip, creative neighbors. Learn more at colabatsecondstreet.com, and browse the photo gallery below for a glimpse into Santa Fe’s dedicated coworker environment.