Brighton & Hove business and coworking community wins two national awards

Brighton & Hove business and coworking community wins two national awards

Brighton & Hove’s largest independent business and coworking community, PLATF9RM, has won two national awards at the Global Coworking Unconference Conference (GCUC).

PLATF9RM won the top award for Best Community Programme, while Best Designed Coworking Space under 10,000 sq ft went to its newly opened ground floor venue in Hove Town Hall.

Announcing the Community Programme award the judges praised PLATF9RM for creating a community that reaches beyond its walls, as well as supporting its members. For example co-creating events with art, culture, education and third sector communities within the city, as well as the more obvious but vital business networks. In recent months these events have been as diverse as workshops with Channel 4 commissioners, fine dining pop-ups and parenting support groups, while last weekend PLATF9RM hosted a conference including a talk from the VP of Twitter Bruce Daisley.

With more than 800 members and two sites across the city - one in Tower Point and one in Hove Town Hall - many of PLATF9RM's events are open to the public as well as members.

In keeping with PLATF9RM’s commitment to bringing unused or unloved buildings back to life, its renovation of the undercroft below Hove Town Hall which opened this Spring won the under 10,000 sq. foot design award. In collaboration with We Like Today, PLATF9RM’s adaptive reuse of the space was recognised for reviving the grandeur and soft-brutalist features of the original building’s 1970s design. Renovations included ripping out false ceilings to expose the original shuttered concrete and lifting the ceilings back to double height. This is contrasted against modern fixtures and bold colour combinations.

This previously vacant area of Hove Town Hall opened its doors in March 2019 and is now the company’s first venue with areas open to the public including a cafe and bar.

Accepting the two awards, CEO and Founder of PLATF9RM Seb Royle said:

“When we started out, it was important to me that we embedded ourselves into the existing community, rather than just creating our own. Before designing anything we met with all sorts of people and everything we’ve built reflects this understanding of our city. We’ve worked so hard to build the PLATF9RM community, so it’s amazing to be recognised for this by the best in the industry. None of this could have been achieved without our incredible team, and of course the members that make PLATF9RM what it is, so a huge thank you to all of them. We’re very lucky to be part of something that continues to grow and take on a life of its own.”

Tim Devitt, Producer of GCUC UK commented:

“PLATF9RM’s entries stood out for the commitment they have made to creating an environment and community that benefits member’s day to day lives and reflects the needs of the surrounding area. PLATF9RM has also made fantastic use of an old unloved building and brought it back to life which came up in the Judges discussion.

“Co-working communities are thriving across the country and it’s great to see independent businesses like PLATF9RM raising standards and ultimately improving people’s working lives.”

PLATF9RM reveals ambitious plans for latest Hove Town Hall development

PLATF9RM reveals ambitious plans for latest Hove Town Hall development

Brighton & Hove’s largest independent coworking and business community, PLATF9RM is turning a previously vacant area of Hove Town Hall into the company’s first semi-public venue. The new ground floor development will connect to PLATF9RM’s existing space on the second floor of Hove Town Hall, which has been home to more than 200 members and 50 businesses since 2017.

Artist's impressions have today been released of the latest PLATF9RM venue, which is opening its doors on Friday 1st March. With space for up to 200 people, the bold ground floor development of more than 4,000 sq foot will breathe life back into the building, accentuating its original soft-brutalist features and exposing shuttered concrete previously unseen for over 25 years.

The development follows an £11 million renovation of the iconic Brutalist building in 2016. The Church Road undercroft that PLATF9RM is converting was last open to the public as a walkway more than 25 years ago. In the intervening years it was divided into separate spaces that were used for council offices, parking permit collection, a toy library and even a wedding room.

PLATF9RM’s new members-only coworking lounge and informal meeting area will benefit from an adjacent cafe and bar space that will also be open to the public from spring 2019.

The mezzanine floors will feature four meeting rooms available to members and non-members, including a 12-person boardroom with elevated views across the atrium. Downstairs will house showers for cycling commuters, artwork, bar seating and a 100-person plus event space with a full community programme of social and cultural events. The outside will also be opened out into a cafe working space.

Seb Royle, CEO and founder of PLATF9RM, said: “Brighton & Hove has the most incredible blend of talented people and businesses, but they have long lacked a home that matches their ambitions.

“PLATF9RM exists to support new and exciting ways of working and enable freelancers and businesses to spark new connections. This venture is a physical representation of that vision.

“It will be the first PLATF9RM venue with a high street presence and public access. We’re bringing this right into the community to support our city’s unique working culture, while rejuvenating the high street at the same time.”

Council leader, Daniel Yates, said: “Brighton & Hove is at the forefront of new ways of working, and it’s great to see an unused part of Hove Town Hall being brought back to life, offering co-working space for people wanting to work, network, host meetings and do business.

“Collaborative workspaces that foster connections between small businesses and freelancers are an essential part of the ecosystem for this thriving part of our economy. We’re very happy to be supporting PLATF9RM in transforming this space to serve our diverse business community.”

PLATF9RM’s two existing venues at North Road’s Tower Point and the second floor of Hove Town Hall on Church Road are already home to 650 members across 200 businesses ranging from startups to larger employers. The new venue, especially aimed at freelancers, will have room for 200 more members.

Anthony Prior, Director of Bagelman, added: “As a local high street business owner it’s encouraging to see this aspirational development bringing together the trends for freelance working and cafe culture. We need people with new ideas to evolve the high street and this hybrid between work, leisure and community could be part of the puzzle.”

PLATF9RM members use a blend of private offices and collaborative working environments among beautifully fitted surroundings. They can choose various packages ranging from unlimited access or a set number of hours per week starting from £99 a month. Packages above the entry level 40hr/per week membership allow members to move between venues as much as they like, with the latest venture at Hove Town Hall being no exception.

More than 50 new members have already signed up to join once the building opens. To book a tour of the space contact jess@platf9rm.com or visit www.platf9rm.com/groundfloor.