联合办公空间——一个新涌现的类型

张利/ZHANG Li

21世纪的前15年里，我们见证了各种实体空间的消失。唱片店关门了，线上购买和下载音乐更方便；游戏厅在衰败，移动设备令每个人用指尖就拥有了足够的快感；餐馆在缩减，这是受送餐外卖的影响；百货公司——20世纪早期资本主义终极吸引力的重要体现，也处于螺旋下行的趋势当中，更是拜全能的在线购物巨头所赐。我们正在进入城市生活理念变得自相矛盾的时代：城市中共存的人口密度与在公共场所和他人相遇之间不再有必然联系。

那么，问题来了：既然谈到实体空间多米诺骨牌似的颓势，下一个轮到工作空间了吗？一方面，金融街上闪闪发光的外墙和花哨的装饰似乎对企业建筑的持久非常有信心。另一方面，当我们研究波动的另一端，越来越多的新兴商业体却在以“无领地”的方式工作。如果地点位置和华而不实的实体空间仍然是大公司自豪感与旧式权力的典型特征，那么模式不断演化的灵活又不依赖实体空间的动态工作方式，似乎是新的小公司创新的关键，意味着商业的未来。

这一系列变化在建筑方面产生的成果是令人吃惊的，由此一种新类型出现了。过去，新建筑类型的出现是因为功能的复杂性和专门化。这一次，现代工作空间的新趋势所代表的一个新的建筑类型以另一种方式出现了。这种新的“联合办公空间”的建筑类型，是多个不明确的工作实体的共享空间，实际上是对传统工作空间概念的全面否定。

首先，身份问题。传统的工作空间，通常是办公楼，表现或者服务于一个特定实体的身份识别性，那就是它的所有者。所有的建筑局部都与这个实体紧密地联系在一起，就像家庭与家人的联系方式一样。在这方面，联合办公空间是中性的。即使在每个联合办公空间后面都有一个开发者，联合办公空间仍然需要尽可能地适应所有人的需求。如果传统的工作空间是对企业独特信念的实体表现，联合办公空间则是中立的虚无主义的创业精神的表现。鉴于21世纪的特殊语境，这种呈现是对不可预知的未来的好奇心和谦卑。如果传统的工作空间描述了一个公司或一个企业的个体身份，联合办公空间描述的则是新兴世代的集体身份。

第二，功能问题。传统的工作空间，将效率视为讨论这一问题的核心。工作空间类型最重要的革新可能是1950年代引入模块化个人单元。这一概念是从科学实验室借来的，通过修改基本模块的设计，成为了提高工作地点效率的手段。这其中必然结合了大量人体工程学与环境行为学的成果。但时至今日，这些东西已经过时了。如今，不同职业的工作空间的功能分别越来越少。银行家的办公桌工作风格可能与建筑师相当接近，甚至与漫画家都可能没有太大不同。至少在实体需求方面，通用的工作模式正在出现，这使联合办公空间成为可能并且十分可行。在所有联合办公空间设计中，我们都看到焦点已经从办公桌上移开了。工作场所的设计不再是受制于某种功能的特定方案。

第三，氛围问题。因为在一个实体空间中共同工作不再是必须的，仅是当前世界完成工作的一个选项，你真正需要的是将人们聚集在一起的能量转化为资本。你需要促进乐观积极的氛围，而在联合办公空间里效果更显著。这就是为什么所有新的联合办公空间设计都在深入挖掘将积极情绪融入功能均质环境中的潜力。视线接触的屏障，在模块单元时代曾被称为“隐私泡沫”，而这一问题已被根除。服务于正式的规范化活动的家具已经让位给服务于灵活的非正式活动的家具，后者涵盖了从零散的运动到变化多端的身体定位，到纯粹的身体整形或体育锻炼的多种可能。经过设计的公共区域和会议空间让人联想到各种各样的休闲社会空间，从带有怀旧意味的拱廊到持续流行的酒馆。总而言之，现代联合办公空间设计不仅融合了现代城市的特点，更是微型的现代城市。

联合办公空间项目看起来很有趣。这并不令人惊讶，因为所有的联合办公空间生来就是好玩和令人愉悦的。研究这些联合办公空间会产生心理治愈的副作用。当这么多的建筑作品，连同媒体，揭示了困扰世界的创伤和挑战，令我们陷入悲伤与混乱，联合办公空间项目短暂地将我们带入了充满喜悦与好奇的旅程。□

In the first one and half decades of the 21st century we've witnessed a departure from all sorts of physical spaces. Record shops are closed down because purchasing music downloads online are much more convenient. Gaming parlours are decaying because mobile devices provide most of the thrill at everyone's fingertips. Restaurants are in decline because of meal delivery services.Department stores, the ultimate attraction of major capitals in early 20th century, are in a downward spiral too, because of the almighty online shopping giants. We are entering a time when the idea of urban life is getting to be paradoxical: the density of co-inhabiting in the city no longer necessarily means meeting other people in public spaces.

Here comes the question: talking about the domino of diminishing physical spaces, is working space the next in line? On one hand, the glowing curtain walls and fancy dresses of the financial streets do seem to be very reassuring about the perpetuation of cooperate buildings. On the other,if we study the other end of the spectrum, more and more emerging business entities are indeed working in "territory-less" manners. If both a location and a pompous physical existence are still quintessential to the pride of huge corporations, or, to the powers of the past, the flexible and non-substantial dynamics of working in ever-evolving pattern seem to be the key to the innovation of new and small firms, or, to the business of the future.

The consequence in architecture is amazing:a typological break-through. In the past, we saw new building typologies emerging because of sophistication and specialisation of programmes.This time for the new trend in modern working space, we are seeing a typology emerging in the other way around. This new "co-working space"typology, or, the shared space for multiple,undefined working entities, is actually a whole scale negation of the conventional working space concept.

First and foremost, there is the question of identity. A traditional working space, usually an office building, presents and serves the value of one specific entity: its owner(s). All pieces of architecture are closely linked to this entity similar to the way a home is linked to a family. A co-working space is neutral in this regard. Even with fact that behind each co-working space there is a developer, co-working space still needs to be as adapt-all as possible. If a traditional working space is a substantial expression of special beliefs of entrepreneurship, a co-working space is a neutral, nihilistic presentation of entrepreneurship itself. Given the strong 21st century context, this presentation is mostly on curiosity and humility towards the unpredictable future. If a traditional working space depicts the individual identity of one firm or one corporation, a co-working space depicts the collective identity of emerging generation.

Secondly, there is the question of programme.In traditional working spaces, this question is discussed around the core of efficiency. What might be deemed as the most important update to the working space typology was the introduction of modular personal unit in the 1950s. Borrowed from scientific laboratories, this concept provided a vehicle of increasing work place efficiency by revising the design of the basic modules. There have been certainly a lot of ergonomics and a lot of environmental behaviourism involved. All are expired in our time. Nowadays, programmes for a working space of different professions are getting less and less distinguishable. The desk working style of a banker may be quite similar to that of an architect, which is again not much different from that of a cartoonist. It is the emerging of such a generic working pattern, at least in terms of physical requirements, that has made co-working space not only possible, but also feasible. In all co-working space designs, we have seen the focus being shifted away from the desktops. The designing of working place is no longer programme-specific.

Thirdly, there is the question of vibe. Since working together in one physical space is no longer a must but an option to get the work done in the contemporary world, you really need to capitalise on the aura of getting people together. You'll need to promote optimism, a lot of it, in the co-working space. That's why all the new co-working space designs dig deep into the potentials of attaching positive feelings into the programme-neutral environment. Barriers of visual contacts, known as privacy bubbles back in modular unit times, have been eradicated. Furniture for formal activities have given ways to furniture for informal activities,from sporadic movement, to unpredictable body positioning, to sheer body shaping or physical exercise. Public areas and meeting spaces have been designed to be reminiscent of all kinds of recreational social spaces, from the nostalgic arcades to the ever-popular pubs. In one word, modern co-working space designs not only incorporate characteristics of the modern city, they themselves are miniaturised modern cities.

Looking at co-working space projects is fun in its own right. This is not surprising because all coworking space are inherently made to be playful and pleasurable. A side effect of studying these coworking spaces is a partial healing function. When so many works of architecture, together with media,revealing wounds and challenges of a haunting world, leading us into tears and confusion, the coworking space projects temporarily take us to a tour of joy and curiosity.□