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The Rise of the Hybrid Spaces

Day mode as a cafe.
Night mode as a vinyl listening bar.

Work mode as a conference hall.
Events mode as a wedding venue.

Day mode as a retail store.
Events mode as a gathering space for marathon runners.

A white gallery space with a central table and DJ set up in the basement of A Bar with Shapes for a Name in London. Image by Von Chua

The above are a few recent examples of hybrid spaces seen in London, United Kingdom, which have recently seen a surge in popularity in the city. Though not unique to London, the rise of hybrid spaces’ popularity in London has been fuelled by soaring real estate prices in the city. In this economic climate, savvy property developers and tenants seek creative ways to generate interest, demand and rent; how does one maximise the utilisation of a space? How do unique amenity offerings create demand and marketability? In turn, it contributes to the rental price per square foot of a project, which many would consider a major success within their key performance indicators, immediately quantifiable within the balance sheets.

In the early 2000s, there was a surge in the transformation of the hotel lobby, which is a private space, altered into public spaces where local residents are also welcomed. This transformation and experience changed how people viewed the hotel lobby as a space to meet and gather; one might now take a casual meeting or meet friends at a hotel lobby, whether or not any of them are staying in the hotel. The transformation was most notably seen at the Hoxton Hotel in Shoreditch, London, which pioneered the open lobby concept, inviting guests and locals to enjoy the hotel’s common areas. This design move became the Hoxton hotel brand’s signature design move, where subsequent Hoxton hotels expanded with this design move included as a default. When the Ace Hotel opened its first international outpost in London in 2013, which also happened to be in Shoreditch, the open lobby concept further expanded into day use as a communal work and gathering space, and night use for events. The Ace Hotel Shoreditch was designed by Universal Design Studio’s team with a simple but strategic design of a communal table made by Benchmark Joinery. In 2017, the PUBLIC Hotel by Ian Schrager in New York opened with a different interpretation of the open lobby concept. The Herzog & de Meuron-designed lobby space is one level above street level, making it feel intimate and has a sense of being ultra-exclusive (as if it does not want to be discovered) because it is further separated from street level. All of this, yet retaining the qualities where one feels welcomed to stay and mingle for a couple of hours, additionally supported by a furniture layout that encourages strangers to talk to each other and experience chance encounters. Whether or not you are a staying guest at the hotel, these examples strongly represent the ability of spatial design and furniture design to transform the end user experience. Re-looking back at these examples, the end user of the hotel lobby grew in size from hotel guests to the general public. It was an interesting lesson within the hospitality industry.

Today, with a slightly different lens on, one of the main challenges of designing hybrid spaces - a single space that needs to perform different purposes at various times, is its need to act and perform flexibly. With that design brief comes its challenges of meeting each brief to its full potential. How does one need be met without deteriorating the experience of another? How can a space act in a multi-functional way? If there is an ‘on’ mode and an ‘off’ mode for a space, does the ‘off’ mode still generate or retain an excitement that exceeds the baseline of similar spaces? Does the space serve the many purposes, eg. of the building’s users, of its locality, with or without regard to the local council’s requirements? Does it require extensive manpower or technicality to transform into a fit-for-purpose space? Is the upfront investment justifiable and has a direct correlation to the success of the project? These are merely some of the commonly posed questions during the design phase.

The rise of the hybrid spaces is fuelled not only by owners or tenants, but also encouraged by the desire of consumers. Though hybrid spaces are born out of necessity, the reasoning behind it is a little less poetic but more functional; the outcome of it has delivered a rich fabric into the city. With new projects come new challenges where we may be designing three to five years ahead of their opening; what we see in publications and the media today was likely given approval to be built a few years ago. For clients, client’s representatives, architects and designers, are we asking the right questions? Does the design brief call for something forward-thinking? Understandably, some design briefs and some projects just require a straightforward design proposal. Are we proposing or signing off on design proposals that will sufficiently future-proof a project without diminishing key design moves? It is often sad and disappointing to see a project lose its aspirations, delivering another bland project that contributes little to its vicinity or to the people the spaces serve.

A conveniently located space coupled with a space where one can mingle from day to night for different uses, these may be some of the ingredients to be added to the recipes of the future’s hybrid spaces.