Quest for Space 2013
This is a previous quest for space added for archival purposes.
What?
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.
The model
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:
Requirements
We currently require the following out of our hackerspace:
+1500 sq ft (the more square footage, the better)
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24 Hour Access
M2 or I2 zoning (Need to check with the city, landlords may lie)
Ability to control access to the space
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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
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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.
Locations
These current areas are where we are looking:
We currently would prefer to not go to these places:
Surrey
Burnaby
South Vancouver
Things to ask the landlord
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?
When we find a place
Places we looked
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
1149 Grant St.
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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
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How the process works
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.
URLS