The classrooms and halls of most tuition centres remain unoccupied during mornings and early afternoons as most classes are held in the evening or at night.
When the tuition centre Study Point opened its doors in May last year, its founder Ili Aqilah Baharin (pictured L) quickly realised this problem and was determined not to fall into the same trap of leaving them unused.
Seeing the popularity of a shared working space amongst students, freelancers and budding entrepreneurs in other countries, Ili decided to experiment with the concept at Study Point and introduced the co-working space she named ‘The Workspace’.
The concept of co-working spaces isn’t new in Brunei – but while others focus more on a corporate audience, Ili wanted to provide a more casual place where just about anyone can socialise while doing work.
With its strategic location at the Airport Mall, an area popular for its heavy foot traffic and conveniently a few educational institutions nearby, response to the Workspace has been “unexpectedly” positive.
“I was surprised at how many people need the space – we receive up to 50 people on weekdays, and 70 on weekends,” said Ili, with their customers citing their reasonable rates and comfortable environment, as their decision to pick the Workspace over a cafe.
Dividing the rates into night and day passes, the Workspace day rate begins from 9am to 6pm at $5.50 while the night rate is priced at $4.50 beginning from 6pm until midnight. On Fridays, in respect to the Friday opening hours, the rate is lowered to $4 for each day and night passes.
The Workspace offers four common areas, one silent study area and three private rooms – priced between $23 to $27 and able to fit up to 12 people each.
Customers are guaranteed an area in which they are able to do work individually or in a group with access to unlimited Wi-Fi and complimentary self-service snacks and drinks.
“Now we’re really trying to reach a wider audience and get the word about the Workspace out there,” said Ili.
The Workspace is located at Unit 4 & 5, Second Floor, Airport Mall. For more information, follow The Workspace Brunei on Facebook and @theworkspace.brunei on Instagram. You can also contact them directly at +6732330505.
