Quest for Space 2013

This is a previous quest for space added for archival purposes.

We are now at 45 West Hastings Street, and VHS is now a 24/7 Hackerspace to serve the needs of the interested hacker/crafter/hobbyist/whatever. We have run out of space and need to find something bigger than our current ~850sf.

We are looking for a large space to grow the hackerspace. We are currently spending $1000 on rent, with our current membership we can afford up to $2800 comfortably, or $3000 with a few more members or with fundraising.

Fundraising ideas may include:

• Hacker Auction (AKA Mad scientist yard sale)
• Hacker Craft Fair (AKA MakerFair)
• Classes
• Kit Sales

We currently require the following out of our hackerspace:

• +1500 sq ft (the more square footage, the better)
• A benevolent landlord
• 24 Hour Access
• M2 or I2 zoning (Need to check with the city, landlords may lie)
• Ability to control access to the space
• Bathroom (pref with shower)
• More then one room
• Close proximity to public transit, especially skytrain
• Ability to get large items into the space (laser cutter, milling machines, lathes, etc)
• Ventilation (laser cutter fumes)

Nice to have:

• Three Phase Power
• Kitchen/Chem Lab Area
• Emergency Safety Shower
• Rooftop Access (for HAM, and other Radio/Wireless experiments)
• Lounge
• Bay door, for large projects.
• 16" or larger ceilings for big projects
• Power, 30+ people with laptops == about ~30 Amp. Preferably across 3 breakers or more.
• Room for a single long table, 42' x 8'. - One thing that I think is essential for VHS "culture" is the single long table. I love being in a long row of other people working on different projects and I think that should be included in what ever space we end up at.

These current areas are where we are looking:

• East Vancouver (Strathcona, Hastings-Sunrise, Grandview Woodlands, Mt. Plesant)

We currently would prefer to not go to these places:

• Surrey
• Burnaby
• South Vancouver

• How much is the rent? Does that include heating and hydro?
• Is there a lease? Is it a triple-net lease ? (Most Commercial and Industrial in BC are, but please check)
• Can we customize the access?
• Is it possible to get 24 Hour Access to the space?
• Who were the prior tenants? (Important for BC Hydro, we will be billed based on the last tenants)
• Who else has looked at the space?
• Ask about the neighbours? Which businesses/residents are nearby, and what do they do. A good design pattern is to have good neighbors
• Ask about parking. A lot of VHS members are transit dependent, but a fair number do drive. It's important to have parking where people's windshields won't get smashed in.
• Ventilation, windows?

• We'll likely convene a new-space-upgrades-and-moving committee. TBD on vhs-members list
• If you want to help, add yourself to this shared doc: http://piratepad.net/Ek6tefTi7Q

• Empty Lot - It's an empty lot
• Great Northern Way Campus - <del>No bathroom (might be fixable), not available until summer.</del> Not available any more

• Property PDF Details
• By Vancouver Community Collage. Just off Clark Drive and 1st Avenue
• 1820 Sq ft - 1st floor Showroom/Warehouse 1,080 sq. ft. 2nd floor Office 650 sq. ft. + loft area open to wearhouse 90 sq. ft.
• 2 bathrooms (1 per floor) + kitchen with sink.
• Rear grade level loading *High ceiling warehouse area
• 3phase, 100amp electrical service
• Davis Trading is next door.

For those new to VHS since we have been at 45 west, here's how our process goes:

• Some VHS members decide to take action to help find a new space
• Those VHS members look for spaces, then go meet the manager and preview it. They ask questions from the wiki page [1] to cover the basics. They take video and pictures of the space. They email all the details in a new thread to vhs-members.
• The group talks about it, more members go check it out.
• If we have one or more strong candidate spaces, we hold a General Meeting to get together in person to find consensus.
• Logistics planning, high fives.

• Vancouver Zoning Map
• hackerspace design patterns