聯(lián)合辦公空間
——一個(gè)新涌現(xiàn)的類型

張利/ZHANG Li

21世紀(jì)的前15年里，我們見證了各種實(shí)體空間的消失。唱片店關(guān)門了，線上購(gòu)買和下載音樂更方便；游戲廳在衰敗，移動(dòng)設(shè)備令每個(gè)人用指尖就擁有了足夠的快感；餐館在縮減，這是受送餐外賣的影響；百貨公司——20世紀(jì)早期資本主義終極吸引力的重要體現(xiàn)，也處于螺旋下行的趨勢(shì)當(dāng)中，更是拜全能的在線購(gòu)物巨頭所賜。我們正在進(jìn)入城市生活理念變得自相矛盾的時(shí)代：城市中共存的人口密度與在公共場(chǎng)所和他人相遇之間不再有必然聯(lián)系。

那么，問題來了：既然談到實(shí)體空間多米諾骨牌似的頹勢(shì)，下一個(gè)輪到工作空間了嗎？一方面，金融街上閃閃發(fā)光的外墻和花哨的裝飾似乎對(duì)企業(yè)建筑的持久非常有信心。另一方面，當(dāng)我們研究波動(dòng)的另一端，越來越多的新興商業(yè)體卻在以“無領(lǐng)地”的方式工作。如果地點(diǎn)位置和華而不實(shí)的實(shí)體空間仍然是大公司自豪感與舊式權(quán)力的典型特征，那么模式不斷演化的靈活又不依賴實(shí)體空間的動(dòng)態(tài)工作方式，似乎是新的小公司創(chuàng)新的關(guān)鍵，意味著商業(yè)的未來。

這一系列變化在建筑方面產(chǎn)生的成果是令人吃驚的，由此一種新類型出現(xiàn)了。過去，新建筑類型的出現(xiàn)是因?yàn)楣δ艿膹?fù)雜性和專門化。這一次，現(xiàn)代工作空間的新趨勢(shì)所代表的一個(gè)新的建筑類型以另一種方式出現(xiàn)了。這種新的“聯(lián)合辦公空間”的建筑類型，是多個(gè)不明確的工作實(shí)體的共享空間，實(shí)際上是對(duì)傳統(tǒng)工作空間概念的全面否定。

首先，身份問題。傳統(tǒng)的工作空間，通常是辦公樓，表現(xiàn)或者服務(wù)于一個(gè)特定實(shí)體的身份識(shí)別性，那就是它的所有者。所有的建筑局部都與這個(gè)實(shí)體緊密地聯(lián)系在一起，就像家庭與家人的聯(lián)系方式一樣。在這方面，聯(lián)合辦公空間是中性的。即使在每個(gè)聯(lián)合辦公空間后面都有一個(gè)開發(fā)者，聯(lián)合辦公空間仍然需要盡可能地適應(yīng)所有人的需求。如果傳統(tǒng)的工作空間是對(duì)企業(yè)獨(dú)特信念的實(shí)體表現(xiàn)，聯(lián)合辦公空間則是中立的虛無主義的創(chuàng)業(yè)精神的表現(xiàn)。鑒于21世紀(jì)的特殊語(yǔ)境，這種呈現(xiàn)是對(duì)不可預(yù)知的未來的好奇心和謙卑。如果傳統(tǒng)的工作空間描述了一個(gè)公司或一個(gè)企業(yè)的個(gè)體身份，聯(lián)合辦公空間描述的則是新興世代的集體身份。

第二，功能問題。傳統(tǒng)的工作空間，將效率視為討論這一問題的核心。工作空間類型最重要的革新可能是1950年代引入模塊化個(gè)人單元。這一概念是從科學(xué)實(shí)驗(yàn)室借來的，通過修改基本模塊的設(shè)計(jì)，成為了提高工作地點(diǎn)效率的手段。這其中必然結(jié)合了大量人體工程學(xué)與環(huán)境行為學(xué)的成果。但時(shí)至今日，這些東西已經(jīng)過時(shí)了。如今，不同職業(yè)的工作空間的功能分別越來越少。銀行家的辦公桌工作風(fēng)格可能與建筑師相當(dāng)接近，甚至與漫畫家都可能沒有太大不同。至少在實(shí)體需求方面，通用的工作模式正在出現(xiàn)，這使聯(lián)合辦公空間成為可能并且十分可行。在所有聯(lián)合辦公空間設(shè)計(jì)中，我們都看到焦點(diǎn)已經(jīng)從辦公桌上移開了。工作場(chǎng)所的設(shè)計(jì)不再是受制于某種功能的特定方案。

第三，氛圍問題。因?yàn)樵谝粋€(gè)實(shí)體空間中共同工作不再是必須的，僅是當(dāng)前世界完成工作的一個(gè)選項(xiàng)，你真正需要的是將人們聚集在一起的能量轉(zhuǎn)化為資本。你需要促進(jìn)樂觀積極的氛圍，而在聯(lián)合辦公空間里效果更顯著。這就是為什么所有新的聯(lián)合辦公空間設(shè)計(jì)都在深入挖掘?qū)⒎e極情緒融入功能均質(zhì)環(huán)境中的潛力。視線接觸的屏障，在模塊單元時(shí)代曾被稱為“隱私泡沫”，而這一問題已被根除。服務(wù)于正式的規(guī)范化活動(dòng)的家具已經(jīng)讓位給服務(wù)于靈活的非正式活動(dòng)的家具，后者涵蓋了從零散的運(yùn)動(dòng)到變化多端的身體定位，到純粹的身體整形或體育鍛煉的多種可能。經(jīng)過設(shè)計(jì)的公共區(qū)域和會(huì)議空間讓人聯(lián)想到各種各樣的休閑社會(huì)空間，從帶有懷舊意味的拱廊到持續(xù)流行的酒館?？偠灾?，現(xiàn)代聯(lián)合辦公空間設(shè)計(jì)不僅融合了現(xiàn)代城市的特點(diǎn)，更是微型的現(xiàn)代城市。

聯(lián)合辦公空間項(xiàng)目看起來很有趣。這并不令人驚訝，因?yàn)樗械穆?lián)合辦公空間生來就是好玩和令人愉悅的。研究這些聯(lián)合辦公空間會(huì)產(chǎn)生心理治愈的副作用。當(dāng)這么多的建筑作品，連同媒體，揭示了困擾世界的創(chuàng)傷和挑戰(zhàn)，令我們陷入悲傷與混亂，聯(lián)合辦公空間項(xiàng)目短暫地將我們帶入了充滿喜悅與好奇的旅程?！?/p>

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.□