A place for creative space
MANILA, Philippines - Full disclosure: Warehouse Eight wasn’t exactly easy to find. It didn’t matter if La Fuerza was just a walk away from my condo, or if I could read Chino Roces avenue like the back of my hand. When I got to the building, I found myself looking around bewildered, asking the guard where in God’s name the place was.
The day of July 29 — a Friday, as I recall –— was also the day that I learned La Fuerza wasn’t just a building. No, as the guard ushered me behind a gate, I found myself gaping at the sheer amount of space and places that I would’ve loved exploring. NOVA Gallery. The Pietro Collection. Seeing La Fuerza Compound was some sort of revelation, to be honest; a strange creative pool hidden by a building façade. I reached Warehouse Eight by following the clusters of people near the entrance.
The concept of a co-working space is not new to me. I’ve been working in one for some months now, and as simplistic as my comprehension of it is, it isn’t hard to understand its allure. By providing avenues for multiple companies and professionals to share a workplace, it’s 1.) easy on the budget, and 2.) a great way to foster collaboration. Warehouse Eight’s launch, however, proved that the benefits can extend a bit more than that — okay, way more than that.
“We realized we were in a very designed-oriented compound — La Fuerza — so there’s a lot of creative people around us. There’s an independent production house by Paul Soriano, and there’s a lot of contemporary furniture stores around us,” says co-founder Kayla Dionisio, when asked about Warehouse Eight’s beginnings. “That’s when we realized that we wanted to mesh into that same feel, na parang, we’re providing a home for creatives.” It’s a sentiment that echoed throughout launch night, filled with live music and art performances. Local brands also had a chance to sell their products, a recurring thing for the space as part of its Artist’s Residency program.
It doesn’t hurt that it’s quite large – so large, in fact, that it fits a coffee stall (owned by another local brand, Brown Paper Project Café) on the ground floor and a host of private spaces (and a pantry) on the second level. Depending on your needs, you’re also free to choose your working arrangement aside from the shared co-working space: be it a semi-private cube, a private office space, or an event venue.
Ultimately, even with its relative newness in the field, Warehouse Eight’s strength lies in its desire to connect creatives of all backgrounds together, as well as provide opportunities for them to be discovered. It is, after all, a community first and foremost – and one that aims to consistently uplift.
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Warehouse Eight is located at Warehouse 8-A, La Fuerza Plaza 2241 Don Chino Roces, Makati, 1231 Metro Manila. For inquiries, call (+63) 917-537-9438 or visit their Facebook page at fb.com/warehouseeight8.
