Page 71 - AIT0421_E-Paper

Entwurf • Design Studio BV, US-Minneapolis
Bauherr • Client The Coven, US-St. Paul
Standort • Location US-St. Paul
Nutzfläche • Floor space 1486 m 2
Fotos • Photos Corey Gaffer, US-Minneapolis
Mehr Infos auf Seite • More info on page 126

CO-WORKING-SPACE

THE COVEN IN ST. PAUL

Equality, feminist movements and gender diversity are to-
pics that are more and more in the focus. The ways to
establish a safe foundation for them are controversial
4 and much discussed. With her The Coven coworking
5 5 space in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Betsy Vohs from Studio
1 4 2 BV has prepared the ground for a successful spatial inter-
1 2 4
pretation of diversity for women and non-binary people.
4 4
5
5 5
2 5 6 7
3 2 very year on the 8 of March, the International Women’s Day is ce-
th
4 4 E lebrated worldwide. The first such international day, on which equa-
lity was demanded and attention was drawn to misogyny and violence
against the female sex, had taken place in March 1911. An important
Grundriss Erdgeschoss • Ground floor plan woman in this context was the German socialist Clara Zetkin who repea-
tedly opted for “not special rights, but human rights” for women. Nowa-
days, however, the focus of this day is no longer exclusively on equality
of men and women but rather on equal treatment of all the marginalized
1 Konferenz • Conference groups, among them people with a trans- or non-binary sexual identity
2 Arbeits-/Lounge • Work-/Lounge
3 Server/Druckerraum • Server/Print – hence those who see themselves outside of the traditional male-female
4 Büro • Office spectrum and demand a specific category for themselves. In a historic,
5 Telefonzelle • Phone
6 Beauty Bar • Beauty Bar formerly rather dark building in Saint Paul, Minnesota, Betsy Vohs from
7 Bibliothek • Library Studio BV provides a co-working space which is clearly intended to pro-
8 Küche • Kitchen
9 Empfang • Reception mote female empowerment and where precisely these marginalized
9 2 10 Kaffeebar • Coffee Bar
groups are at least given a safe as well as a solid platform with an ap-
2 pealing design. The space is meant to create a community of the female
users but should be influenced by them at the same time. On the ground
10 floor, the premises – among them the reception area and the check-in
8 desk as well as an open lounge with a coffee bar – benefit from the high
ceilings and the special architectural character of the building stock. Cau-
Grundriss Untergeschoss • Basement floor plan tiously and with much love of detail, the historic elements of the rooms
have been restored and complemented with unique, customized featu-
res. The varied application of bright colours reflects the individuality of
the female users. Core elements of the design are the diverse art objects
which can be found on the entire area of the co-working space. They are
furthermore the linking element between the ground- and the lower
level. In the basement, which is accessed on a steel staircase with a sur-
prisingly bold appearance, the female users have office suites and smal-
ler units for working and making phone calls available. The Coven offers
not only local female artists and non-binary people a canvas but, even
more, also a place allowing them to freely develop their creativity. This
Schnitt • Section is truly empowerment which comes in the form of a space!

AIT 4.2021 • 071