Grand Opening of Renovated Student Coworking Space Held at HSE
The development and implementation of the project took almost a year. Several planning solutions were proposed and the optimal one was selected quickly. The main tasks to be solved included various scenarios for space utilisation, acoustic comfort, and modern multimedia equipment.
The coworking area comprises 32 workstations at communal tables, six soundproofed booths for individual work, and 20 seating places in the recreation area. The meeting area, designed for 10 people, is separated from the main space by a glass partition. There are also 15 padded stools to expand the seating area for larger events. The bright and dynamic space was topped off with a neon sign, which was designed following the results of a student vote. The project was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of HSE staff and students alongside colleagues from VTB Bank, who co-authored the project.
‘I think we should have a karaoke night here,’ joked HSE Vice Rector Irina Martusevich, highlighting the good acoustics. The coworking area is designed to allow a large number of students to work simultaneously, which means that zoning and sound circulation in the space are extremely important. ‘At HSE University, we strive to ensure that students communicate with each other as actively as possible, since the ability to communicate is one of the soft skills in demand among Russian employers. Our graduates have this skill, which distinguishes them from those who are used to working alone,’ said Irina Martusevich.
HSE Vice Rector Salambek Dombaev believes that the space ‘will be a place of inspiration for students, teachers, and scientists.’ ‘I hope this is not the last beautiful and multifunctional university facility that we build with our partners from VTB,’ he added.
‘It’s important to create spaces that are both comfortable and useful for students so that they can receive high-quality education, step into the real world, and build successful careers,’ said Irina Kuzmina, Project Manager for Corporate Social Responsibility at VTB. She noted that the bank has been cooperating with HSE University for a long time and that such partnerships help VTB, among other things, to find prospective staff among students.
The project was implemented and supervised by the HSE Design Lab. The new coworking space features a mobile partition wall that can divide a room into two independent spaces. The only limit to the coworking possibilities is the imagination of students and staff—the space is equally suitable for hackathons, lectures, round tables, film screenings, and board game competitions.
The space also features a schedule screen displaying when the coworking a is busy and when it is free. As noted by Deputy Vice Rector Dmitry Shminke, this ensures that students in the space will always be able to plan their work and will not be asked to leave prematurely, as happened before the renovation.
The first event to take place in the renovated coworking space was a round table featuring representatives of student organisations. The students discussed various opportunities for using the coworking area for student events and tested the much-hyped acoustics.
The coworking space is now open for event bookings via a form available on the Student Initiative Support Centre website. At the same time, the space remains open to anyone in need of a place to work when it is not booked.