HackerspaceSG
Formation21 November 2009 (2009-11-21)
TypeNGO
PurposeHackerspace
Headquarters336D King George's Avenue, King George's Building, Singapore 208572
Location
Coordinates1°18′36″N 103°51′44″E / 1.3100879559219514°N 103.86229644903237°E / 1.3100879559219514; 103.86229644903237
Region served
Singapore
Membership
50
Origin
Singapore
Founders
Luther Goh Lu Feng, Wong Meng Weng, Chua Ruiwen, Justin Lee
Websitehackerspace.sg

HackerspaceSG is a 1,202-square-foot (111.7 m2) technology community center and hackerspace in Singapore.[1] While predominantly an open working space for software projects, HackerspaceSG is also a landmark of the Singapore DIY movement,[2] and also hosts a range of events from technology classes to biology, computer hardware, and manufacturing. The space is open to all types of hackers.

History

HackerspaceSG was initially founded by four people in late 2009. The four people came up with the idea after reading about similar centres that have opened up around the world, specifically in the United States, China and Japan. Wong Meng Weng envisioned HackerspaceSG as a spot where hackers and other geeks can congregate, exchange ideas and come up with cool applications, and where the clubhouse is a "combination of living room, science lab, and shared office space for the geek community".[3]

Though the plan was initially to just have a place for geeks to gather and network, this soon evolved into a co-working space catering mainly to tech startups.[4]

The institution has often been recognised as Singapore's first co-working space.[5][6][7][8][9][10] During the Singapore start-up 2.0 boom, it was also touted in the mainstream media as a meeting space for the start-up and entrepreneurship communities,[11][12][13] even hosting Facebook's co-founder Eduardo Saverin when he was in Singapore.[14]

Physical space

The first iteration of HackerspaceSG was located at 70A Bussorah Street in Singapore.[15] The 2-year lease was extended once, but in October 2013, the landlord expressed a desire to develop the Bussorah Street unit into two distinct units. This meant that members would have had to endure dust and noise, and it was unlikely that the units would be leased back to HackerspaceSG at existing rates when the lease was renewed.[16]

In October and November 2013, a search for a new location commenced, with the membership finally settling on 344B King George's Avenue.[17] A lease was signed on November 11, 2013, and move-in occurred on the next day.[18]

In November 2021, due to increasing rents and the COVID-19 pandemic, HackerspaceSG moved to a different unit within King George's Building, to its current address at 336D King George's Avenue.[19]

Organisation

HackerspaceSG is a not-for-profit membership organisation,[20] with many chores and activities performed by self-directed member volunteers. Organisational decisions are proposed and discussed at monthly plenums, and decided mostly by consensus.[21] A board handles administration and government-mandated filings.

The organisation has open membership: anybody can become a member.[22] It is primarily financed through membership dues, but is open to accepting 3rd party sponsorships to fund expansions and renovations.

Culture

HackerspaceSG is entirely communal space, from the tools in the electronics lab, to the desks, to the food in the refrigerator. Anything left in the space is considered fair game for anybody to play with. Very few restrictions are placed upon people, as long as they do not detract from the experience of members or consume resources they do not replace.[23] Any member may host an event in the space.[24]

Partnerships

Some partnerships formed in HackerspaceSG have been the subject of controversy and media coverage, like the organisation of a nyotaimori event as a part of a series of themed dinners.[25][26]

Notable businesses with HackerspaceSG history

References

  1. ↑ Meng Weng Wong (November 16, 2013). "Handover of Bussorah unit to Landlord". Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  2. ↑ Chua, Grace (5 May 2011). "High-tech tinkerers on the rise". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  3. ↑ Tan, Weizhen (14 November 2009). "Hackers set up 24-hour clubhouse". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  4. ↑ Chng, Grace (28 March 2013). "Rent a start-up space for as little as $15 a day". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  5. ↑ Yong, Debbie (19 July 2014). "Co-work Operations". The Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  6. ↑ Khoo, Lynette (18 March 2016). "Co-working space seen as boon for office landlords and tenants". The Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  7. ↑ Chen, Jing (17 July 2016). "租金低廉租约灵活 共用工作空间渐成趋势". Lianhe Zaobao. Singapore Press Holdings.
  8. ↑ Sim, Melissa (23 June 2013). "Share out the work space". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  9. ↑ Tang, See Kit (24 August 2016). "Upsized, stylish and going niche: Co-working spaces bloom in Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. MediaCorp.
  10. ↑ Yap, Jacky (22 March 2013). "JFDI Asia launches innovation campus, invites entrepreneurs to join as members and residents". e27. Yahoo! News. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  11. ↑ Chng, Grace (14 August 2011). "A bubbling cauldron of Start-Up 2.0 firms". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  12. ↑ Goh, Daniel (11 May 2011). "5 tips for start-ups". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  13. ↑ Chng, Grace (25 August 2012). "Singapore can become the next Silicon Valley". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  14. ↑ Chng, Grace (2 February 2012). "Tech start-up ready to flex its apps". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  15. ↑ "Announcement: Hackerspace.SG will be at 70A Bussorah Street". Google Groups. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  16. ↑ Luther Goh Lu Feng (October 24, 2013). "HackerspaceSG: The next steps". Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Visit to King George's Building". Google Groups. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  18. ↑ "Tomorrow is moving day". Google Groups. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  19. ↑ "HSG is moving! — reboot, money, old stuff and hardware". Google Groups. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  20. ↑ "About HackerspaceSG". docs.hackerspace.sg. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  21. ↑ "Plenums". docs.hackerspace.sg. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  22. ↑ "Membership". docs.hackerspace.sg. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  23. ↑ Yong, Debbie (5 September 2011). "Shared offices for little — and ideas for free". The Business Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  24. ↑ "Hosting Events". docs.hackerspace.sg. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  25. ↑ Tan, Amelia (19 June 2011). "Eating in the raw in S'pore". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings.
  26. ↑ Lim, Joyce (19 June 2011). "Some guests were worried at the start". The New Paper. Singapore Press Holdings.
  27. ↑ Meng Weng Wong (September 3, 2013). "What the Viki acquisition means for Singapore". JFDI.Asia. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  28. ↑ Lee, Terence (24 June 2014). "Cynical investors balked at accelerators in Asia. Here's how JFDI got started anyway". Tech in Asia. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  29. ↑ Mantha, Ravi (17 June 2012). "Build, and They Will Come – New Entrepreneurship in Singapore". Fair Observer. Retrieved 22 November 2022.
  30. ↑ ""Kongsi-kongsi" pejabat". Berita Harian. Singapore Press Holdings. 20 January 2019.
  31. ↑ Hashim, Norhaiza (20 January 2019). "Permintaan bagi ruang pejabat bersama di S'pura meningkat". Berita Harian. Singapore Press Holdings.
  32. ↑ "Suntik semangat apabila bersama usahatekwan lain". Berita Harian. Singapore Press Holdings. 20 January 2019.
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