LIVE WORK: collaborative living and working spaces

Abstract

This thesis aims to explore the idea of a co-working and co-living space that provides a headquarters for upcoming graduates and service sector businesses in the city of Islamabad; enabling them to create, exhibit and sell their work. The goal is to design a collaborative workspace and living space that provides these users with all the basic facilities to kick start a professional practice. The city of Islamabad, has till now, failed to provide such a platform for afore mentioned people, bringing forth a need to address both residential and work space issues. Places that offer users the freedom to work as they please seem to be quite scarce in the city, forcing them to setup temporary workspaces that do not accommodate all their requirements. The rise in small businesses and improvements in technology initially led to many people utilizing where they live for their business ventures. But nowadays, things have developed past using a cramped bedroom or office study. The amalgamation of living and workingspaces has led to the formation of Live//Work spaces. This is actually an old concept of "living above your store" found in many small towns all over the country. These spaces are partly work-orientated and are often popular in renovated warehouse/building developments. As people favour working in an independent working space where a certain common interest lies in the surrounding, they are constantly searching for mutual work stands and spaces where other professionals of common and varied interests work and live together.