Coworking at Workshop17 on Kloof Street
Words – Chantal van Baalen
Pictures – Workshop17
Let me, for those who don’t know yet, introduce Workshop17. An expanding coworking brand in South Africa. Slowly taking over the big cities and taking coworking to the next level. Workshop17 has a couple locations in and around Cape Town. This blog will cover Workshop17 in Kloof Street in the Gardens district.
Workshop17 is relatively easy to find. It covers a huge 4-storey building in the middle of the bustling Kloof Street. The area is very safe to walk around and in the entire street there are numerous bars and restaurants to be found, as well as little shops and supermarkets. Just across the road there is a bus station if you’re coming by public transport. From the center of the city it is a short 15 minute walk to Workshop17.
After entering the huge entrance hall, I am welcomed in the restaurant area of the venue. A quick and easy check-in is required when walking in. After a warm welcome by the receptionists, I was given a tour through the huge building. All the floors were shown and I immediately got a good impression of the style and the vibe of the coworking space. After the tour I could choose one of the many hot desks that each floor provides. Obviously I chose the one that came with the most beautiful views of Table Mountain.
"As you can see the place is really big, and I have to admit that I got a little lost in the beginning."
Desks at Waterfront17
Throughout the building there are numerous hot desks that you can choose from. All the floors also have an area for dedicated desks and semi-private offices. Workshop17 also provides a large number of private offices in all kinds of different sizes. Almost all desks come with a nice view, because of the floorplan of the building. The third (and top) floor comes with gorgeous clear Table Mountain views, which is beautiful but also hard to stay focused all the time. The second and first floor have mountain views as well, but not as clear as the top floor. The ground floor is a little darker, but here you can enjoy the bustling vibe of Kloof street, without getting too much distracted.
Whenever there is the famous loadshedding in Cape Town, Workshop17 got you covered with their generators to stay connected!
The desks don’t have office chairs, but come with cute wooden benches or different kind of chairs with decorative pillows. It’s not the most comfortable, but definitely the prettiest. The desks itself are rather small and have an open design. Therefore they don’t offer as much privacy as other coworking spaces. But since there are so many hot desks in different settings, you will definitely find one that suits you. All desks come with multiple power outlets that are compatible with three and two pin plugs.
Whenever there is the famous loadshedding in Cape Town, Workshop17 got you covered with their generators to stay connected!
Other rooms
Workshop17 on Kloof has a total of 9 meeting rooms and 3 board rooms. There is also a large seminar room that can host 30 people as well as an event space and bar and a café to get drinks and meals from. The venue counts 6 lounges and libraries and 3 pause areas. Furthermore there are 30 private offices that can be rented and there are 3 kitchens that can be used by everyone. As you can see the place is really big, and I have to admit that one time I got a little lost.
Waterfront17 vibes
What immediately stands out as soon as you walk through the gates of Workshop17 is the huge courtyard on the ground floor next to The Café. A great place for a sunny and informal meeting. All the floors have huge windows, filling the place with natural daylight. Also, the interior design in light and bright, with colourful and trendy decorative elements. A very tasteful design, accompanied with a good amount of exotic plants. The areas that don’t have the luxury of the bright Capetonian daylight make use of stylish office lights at every desk.
The overall vibe of the venue is young, creative and friendly and with a touch of luxury. Because of the many hot-desks on every floor, you will find a lot of other coworkers, and it’s easy to get in contact with them. The facilities through the building and the modern design make it feel like you’re in a very fancy office. An informal, homely but sophisticated vibe would best describe it.
Workshop17 services
The different memberships offer different services, which will be explained later on.
The building offers a café and restaurant on the ground floor, offering breakfast and lunch, as well as any kind of coffee made by their barista. The inner courtyard is a lovely place to sit, have a break and enjoy the sun, or maybe have an informal meeting. The café and the courtyard are open to the public and are dog friendly. Throughout the building there are 3 kitchens that everybody can use. You can make coffee and tea here, warm up your meal and make use of the water machine. For those that like to work out during the break, or maybe those that came to the office by a sweaty bicycle ride, there are huge luxurious showers that can be used to freshen up.
For those in need of a refreshment before a gig or a meeting, or if you just had a sweaty bike ride to the office, there are showers available. For those that come by bicycle, there is a bike stall in the office to keep it safe and sound.
Next to this there are books available to loan and to unwind you can play one of the games at the old school arcade machine! After work, you can make use of the honesty bar that is filled with nice cold beers for retail prices to finish up your work day in the smoothest way.
Memberships
Workshop17 offers different kind of memberships. There is the possibility to get a daily pass, providing you with a seat at one of the hot-desks, access to the communal kitchen and lounges, the cafés and 10 hours of access to the fast WiFi for two devices.
The memberships are all on a monthly base and each membership comes with different services. Some memberships provide you with monthly credits, that can be used in the café’s, for printing or to rent meeting or board rooms. All memberships can be topped up at any moment to make your workday more comfortable and to meet your needs. Some of the memberships also give you access to the other Workshop17 locations, which is very handy if you’re travelling or just feel like a change of scene. More information about the different memberships and their services can be found on their website.
