High-tech shared offices in 150-year-old city building

Building owners Jason and Kate Lindsey in the redeveloped second floor of the 150-year-old former...
Building owners Jason and Kate Lindsey in the redeveloped second floor of the 150-year-old former Ross and Glendining clothing sales and manufacturing building. Photos by Gerard O'Brien.
A Dunedin couple undertaking a more than $3 million redevelopment of a heritage building in Stafford St say their model of a high-tech shared office space will give it a new lease of life.

Their idea is to provide a cheaper option for small businesses in the city to set up a home base.

Jason and Kate Lindsey hope their work will bring the area back to life, and having gig-speed internet and a data room following Chorus GigStart funding earlier this year, hope they will attract more media and technology businesses.

The couple  tomorrow  are officially opening what they are calling Petri Dish in the building, a space that grew quickly after it became available to tenants three months ago.

Number 8 Stafford St is being redeveloped into shared office space with gig-speed internet...
Number 8 Stafford St is being redeveloped into shared office space with gig-speed internet connection.
Nine businesses have already moved in.

"It’s a big shared office space," Mr Lindsey said.

"The whole building is going to be converted into a shared office community."

That would include, as the building was redeveloped, a large shared conference room, a shared workshop and other facilities such as kitchens.

The idea was to provide a cheaper place for small businesses who could not necessarily afford a full office, and ensure tenants were "quite nimble".

Mr Lindsey said business happened fast as those who had moved there collaborated within the building.

"It’s amazing how fast that’s actually happened.  Most people come in and strike up a deal with another company within days.

"It’s been pretty awesome actually, it’s really neat."

The former United States-based film-maker, who is now creative director for NHNZ’s ZooMoo television, bought the 1866 Ross and Glendining building almost two years ago.

The idea was for a hub for creative media companies, potentially bringing dozens of new workers into the area.

Mr Lindsey said he had a hard time convincing big companies to come into the building, and found it hard to get across his vision for it.

"This side of town really has had to overcome some mental hurdles for people to come back over here."

However, that had "changed dramatically" in the past year or two.

His US-based father, Roger, told him of a company in that country that provided shared office spaces, and did well, so the couple looked into it and decided "this is exactly what Dunedin needs".

It would also allow them  not only to make money, but also do something that would benefit the community, something Mr Lindsey said was important to him.

A large area of the second floor  fitted out for office space contained nine businesses. Work would begin next week on another area of that floor.

The lower floors would follow, as would some earthquake strengthening, with completion expected in about three years.

"This whole building is going to be a thriving community of people," Mrs Lindsey said.

She said there were plans for a cafe  on the street front, and events were planned for the conference space.

"We also want to invite local artists to come in and have their galleries.

"We’re quite big on the community, and involving people that are not necessarily in the building, but are in the neighbourhood.

"It’s all about changing the street, changing this area.’’Mr Lindsey said the internet speeds would allow businesses to go for jobs overseas.

"Whenever you can bring money into an economy rather than recycle money in the economy it’s great for the whole city."

david.loughrey@odt.co.nz

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