Riff plays to Spacecubed’s strengths

Spacecubed’s expansion plans are taking shape, with the social enterprise re-branding its original co-working space and using design as a key part of its business strategy. 

More than $3 million has been invested to improve Spacecubed’s network of co-working hubs, with fitout works recently completed across two new floors at Parmelia House and one at 45 St Georges Terrace late last year.

Spacecubed founder and managing director Brodie McCulloch, a 2017 40under40 winner, said the organisation had recognised the need to tweak its branding in light of recent growth.

Since its inception six years ago, the social enterprise’s co-working tenancy at 45 St Georges Terrace has been known as Spacecubed, encompassing the ground floor and now level four.

“People were getting confused with Spacecubed being a space as well as a membership organisation, with additional events and programs,” Mr McCulloch told Business News. 

The team decided to introduce a ‘powered by Spacecubed’ model to all of its spaces, which had been trialled at its five floors at Parmelia House, operating as ‘Flux powered by Spacecubed’ since 2016.

The new model was launched at 45 St Georges Terrace earlier this month, with both floors renamed as ‘Riff powered by Spacecubed’.

“Riff like the musical riff, but also this idea of people ‘riffing off’ each other’s ideas to create new things,” Mr McCulloch said.

“There really isn’t anything else in Perth designed like Riff or Flux.

“Recently we were announced as one of the top 1,000 (132nd) high-growth companies in Asia-Pacific, so what we’ve built, besides Australia, globally is competitive.”

Recycled leadlight windows, timber, dangling light bulbs, chalk boards and mix-match lounge furniture feature across the refurbished level four, blending to form what IA Group senior interior designer Emma Olsen said was a homely, driven space. 

“People are spending more and more time at work, so there’s been a real shift in the past two to five years to make it an environment you want to be in and are more comfortable to be in,” Ms Olsen told Business News.

“Spacecubed had come about as an office away from home for people starting out, so we wanted to keep that feeling.

“Riff has a more creative feel to the space (than Flux).”

Nooks filled with pot plants and books added to the residential feel, she said, along with a salvaged traditional front door leading into a presentation space.

The 1,080 square metre floor is mostly open plan, housing about 200 desks, with 130 people currently using the space daily. It is equipped with soundproof phone booths and four meeting rooms named after Swedish and Japanese numbers, which Mr McCulloch said reflected Spacecubed’s diverse member base. 

Riff’s ground floor will also be revamped later this year, including expansion through street frontage.

Spacecubed’s investment into its co-working hubs has already started to pay off, with 85 per cent of Flux and about 70 per cent of Riff currently occupied.

Between Flux and Riff, Spacecubed now manages more than 5,000sqm of co-working space, including a number of innovation hubs, and Mr McCulloch said the organisation had finalised discussions with Yanchep-based Y-hub, to manage part of its co-working space.

Expansion into the suburbs is part of Spacecubed’s vision to support 100,000 entrepreneurs by 2025.