03.06.25
Join us for our final event at Hapworks_00 on Thu 19 June at 5.30pm to celebrate the pilot and take part in a discussion about possible next steps for Dundee to establish and support long-term space for creativity in the city.
When taking up residency in a vacant city centre unit in February 2024 (initially for three months), our aim across 16-months at 7 Castle Street was to test new collaborative ways of working, generate data which evidenced the positive economic and social impacts of creative spaces and communities, and develop Hapworks – a long-term vision to establish and support more creative space in Dundee.
Working with Dundee City Council through their Vacant to Vibrant initiative and with funding from Creative Scotland’s Recovery Fund for Cultural Organisations, it was also an opportunity to demonstrate alternative uses for empty city centre units as well as the role that the creative sector can play in city centre regeneration.
During the pilot we offered 57 coworking days, with over 350 people joining us to work alongside others and build new connections. We hosted over 85 events, welcoming more than 1,400 people to the space for workshops, film screenings, performances, talks, game jams and exhibitions. Our series of Hapworks Takeovers supported groups to temporarily occupy a visible city centre unit providing space for development and experimentation, and platforming 65 creative practitioners.
Despite this, as a temporary space it was unable to demonstrate some key aspects of a long-term model. The limited floor space and open plan layout didn’t allow for private meetings or anchor tenants, which would be the main source of income in a long-term space, and we couldn’t cater to those working at a larger scale or not working on a laptop. The space wasn’t accessible to some people and the uncertain nature of multiple temporary leases didn’t allow for meaningful access developments. This highlighted the time and investment needed when establishing long-term space to understand peoples’ requirements and how to better meet their needs.
It has been a hard decision to end our lease at 7 Castle Street and move on. We recognise the desperate lack of affordable spaces for people to gather and host events but this temporary space is only able to do so much and the required resource and responsibility is too heavy for our small organisation to carry alone. We feel this is the right time to take all that we have learned and refocus our resources and skills on developing the partnerships and initiatives needed to achieve long-term solutions.
To mark this transition from pilot project to long-term change, we have released Foundations for Growth: Creative Space Infrastructure in Dundee. This report, written in collaboration with Matthew Richter from cultural.space, outlines the economic potential of the creative sector if more space was available, the wider impact and value of creative spaces, and proposes initial ideas for key projects we feel would move things forward in Dundee.
A text-only version of the report is also available to download here.
Hapworks_00 opened up conversations about possible long-term space and we are excited to now move forward and explore these opportunities alongside others. To instigate lasting change, the creative sector, local authorities and city partners, and the property sector must come together to re-evaluate current systems, continue to test new ways of making vacant space accessible to creative communities, and collectively attract the investment needed to support existing creative spaces and the creation of new ones.
For our final event at Hapworks_00 we will explore these ideas and the city-wide partnerships needed to make them happen, with a panel working across sectors in creative space, property and city regeneration. Book your spot to join the conversation!
Hapworks has been enabled by Creative Dundee with support from Creative Scotland’s Recovery Fund for Cultural Organisations and Dundee City Council’s Vacant to Vibrant initiative.
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