Digital 52 3️⃣6️⃣ - Adapting to new members, growing within the same building, promoting the local design culture through education: the story of Fikra Campus.
Today's story will take you to Sharjah, the third-largest city in the United Arab Emirates. What's there? Fikra Campus, a multipurpose space that supports local entrepreneurs and attracts global talents.
Community Curation - Covid19 Adaptation - Multipurpose Spaces
You can read the story of Fikra Campus on page 75 of “Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces”.
Coworking spaces are unique in the sense that the people they attract make them what they are. As this is the 36th story you are receiving since we started Digital 52, you might remember how certain coworking spaces target specific professionals, such as parents, makers, or even chefs. Today's story will highlight a different take, one that may not be as 'profession-focused' but certainly exemplifies the hidden power of a coworking space in supporting its members. As you are about to discover, when Fikra Campus started, it was actually a design studio, not a coworking space. Then, what prompted its founder to convert the design studio into a multipurpose space that plays a key role today in attracting global talent and businesses in Sharjah? The answer is just a few scrolls away!
➡️ A little refresher
Who’s behind the featured space?
Meet Salem Al-Qassimi, the Founder of Fikra Campus.
Salem founded Fikra Design Studio in 2006, an award-winning multidisciplinary design studio, and launched Fikra Campus in 2017 as a design-led communal space created to connect and enable creatives and entrepreneurs which comprises a coworking space, a café, a gallery, a library, and an active urban rooftop.
When asked how the transition between a design studio and a coworking space happened, Salem told us: “It was a natural progression for Fikra. Over the years, Fikra took on several roles. And one of the most interesting things that happened is that a lot of friends and family members who lived in Sharjah and worked in Dubai, or people who worked in Dubai and were visiting Sharjah, somehow liked to stop by and work from our Studio. There then was an opportunity when our neighbors decided to move out of the space. We spoke to the landlord who then rented us the entire 2nd floor which then became Fikra Campus in 2017.”
➡️ Key Figures
- Opening year: 2017 for the Fikra Campus
- Size when they started: Around 290 sqm
- Size today: 2 new addition to the existing space: a café and a rooftop!
➡️ A little tour around Fikra Campus
➡️ Behind-the-scenes
Things you didn't read in aw250cs.
