SecondHome - changing the way we work

One of my passions is Architecture.
I'm a firm believer that one's environment is fundamental to state of mind and informs our attitudes and thought processes.
Today, this seems pretty self evident but its remarkable for how long work (and home) spaces had been designed for minimum cost, maximum return without sufficient thought to how effective and productive the users of these spaces could be with imaginative space design.

Shared workspaces have proliferated, clusters are recognised as drivers of innovations, serendipitous meetings in the corridors, kitchens and coffee bars increasingly result in positive collaborations.

Now Rohan Silva and Sam Aldenton with the active support of a few hand picked investors and Selgas Cano, Madrid based architects have created SecondHome with the mission to move the whole concept of "Cluster" on a decade.

And what a debut SecondHome has made!
The members love it, the press loves it, Selgas Cano have been selected to design this year's Serpentine Pavilion, even the in-house restaurant gets rave reviews ..eg:

Our fabulous in-house restaurant @jagorestaurant bags 4 stars from The @Telegraph. Well done, guys! http://t.co/KANLFYyXGg
— SECOND HOME (@SECONDHOMELDN) March 6, 2015

But its not just the design of SecondHome which has been so appreciated. The team that manages the East London based first SecondHome are really engaged with the members, nothing is too much trouble - all delivered in a relaxed, friendly and efficient way.

Its hard to put one's finger on exactly what it is that makes you feel happy inside SecondHome.
It could be the 1000 indoor plants. I could be that every chair and lamp in the place is of mid-century design and is different from every other one.
Or perhaps its the use of colour, light, transparency.

The permanent studio members, in SecondHome, Hanbury Street include
US companies like: Survey Monkey,  Task Rabbit,  Artsy ,  Four Square,  General Assembly,  Blue State Digital;
Creative Agencies like: Fuelled, Visualise, Rooster Punk and Klein & Sons and
Home grown startups like: Kovert Designs, Chineasy and Signal all find they're in good company with Santander's $100m Fintech fund and Christian Henandez's VC firm WhiteStar Capital


Read what the press have said about SecondHome...

SECOND HOME - SELECTED MEDIA COVERAGE 

"Second Home is a workplace of the future." - Evening Standard

http://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/are-you-cool-enough-for-this-workspace-why-second-home-is-a-workplace-of-the-future-9902677.html

Second Home offers a different way of working... There is something hugely seductive about Second Home... You want to work here." - RIBA Journal

http://www.ribaj.com/buildings/second-home-offers-a-different-way-of-working?previewId=6io9qki

"Tucked away inside a former carpet factory in trendy east London is a futuristic office space that London's most innovative companies all want to join." - Business Insider

http://uk.businessinsider.com/second-home-london-office-2015-1

"It is sometimes said that the more virtual the world becomes, the more the physical is needed as its counterweight. Second Home is an elegant demonstration of this idea." - Observer architecture critic Rowan Moore

http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2014/dec/14/second-home-review-london-office-selgas-cano

"Located in a former carpet factory in Shoreditch, Second Home is a collaborative workspace, featuring transparent acrylic walls, over a thousand plants and a so-called 'flying table'." - Dezeen

http://www.dezeen.com/2014/12/08/second-home-selgascano-london-office-orange-tunnel-flying-table/

"A new co-working paradigm." - Architizer

http://architizer.com/blog/second-home-coworking-space/

"How 1,000 plants, a greenhouse bubble and Stella McCartney could change the way we work." - Fast Company

http://www.fastcompany.com/3041976/how-1000-plants-a-greenhouse-bubble-and-stella-mccartney-could-change-the-way-we-work#2

The experience of moving through the building is delightful... Second Home is a calming and wonderful space to be in." - Architectural Review (attached)