From INVADE, the team that brought Malaysians Artbox 2018 and 2019, a new creative-centric space has popped up in the Klang Valley, and this time it’s one that’s taken up a more permanent residence in Sunway Putra Mall.
It’s called MOX Malaysia and it takes on the concept of a coworking space, but with a bit of a twist: it brands itself as a co-making space.
In an urban area so saturated with countless coworking spaces, here’s how MOX Malaysia wants to stand out, according to INVADE’s CEO and founder, Kent Teo.
What Even Is Co-Making?
First of all, we wanted to know what exactly differentiated co-making and coworking, and Kent graciously explained it to us.
“Coworking spaces are traditionally targeted towards tech startups, and to us, that’s not exactly the kind of target audience and demographics that we’re looking out for.”
“As a co-making space, we have the facilities and amenities to empower the creative community. For example, we have the photography studio, the audio suite, the creative room powered by Faber-Castell, we have our marketplace and artisan café,” Kent said.
However, the most important factor he highlighted was the programming at MOX Malaysia.
The programming here is skewed towards creatives, and with the team’s combined years of experience in dealing with the creative ecosystem, Kent is confident that MOX Malaysia understands creative needs and can address them appropriately.
This is especially important because, according to him, one of the biggest issues the Malaysian creative ecosystem faces is that it’s rather fragmented.
“We understand that entrepreneurship is not an easy game. Creative entrepreneurship? Even worse,” he commented.
So, by launching a permanent, physical space like MOX Malaysia, he’s hoping that creatives will be drawn to one place to collaborate on multiple levels.
First Impressions Matter
In comparison to MOX Singapore that spans about 40,000 square feet, MOX Malaysia takes up over 21,000 square feet of space in Sunway Putra Mall.
It should be able to host about 200 startups at full capacity, and Kent hopes that they’ll achieve a 50% occupancy rate within the next 6 months (they’re currently at 10%).
MOX Malaysia is located on the fourth floor of the mall, and the moment you step off the escalator you’ll be greeted by the bright concierge area.
To the left of that you’ll see the marketplace and the corridor towards the bulk of the co-making space, and to its right, the artisan café operated by KAVEH X Rawsome.
The marketplace is an area where artisans (members or not, though members will be given preferential locations) can showcase their products for sale, just like you’d find in a retail shop.
Being right at the entrance, it’s one of the first things a passerby would see, and Kent has said that they’ve garnered a lot of interest in the space from walk-ins alone.
The space also helps the INVADE team discover more creative retailers for their events like Artbox.
Getting Down To Business
As you move past the marketplace, on your right you’ll pass by the Faber-Castell creative room that acts as a resource library and a space for workshops.
Past that, there’s the one and only hot desks area, where a monthly membership will cost you RM399/pax, but if you sign up within the month of January 2020, you can get the pre-launch price of RM200/pax.
A good one-third of the space is dedicated towards private offices of varying sizes; in total, there are 18 of them.
The office designs are very simple, but one thing that stands out is the pigeonholes connecting each room that enable split teams to still communicate with one another.
The private offices which can fit 4 to 8 pax are RM400/pax at the pre-launch rate, and once that’s over, they’ll cost RM699/pax.
Or, if you just want to say hi to your neighbouring startup, you could do that too.
Within that area, you’ll also find the printing station and some colourful lockers, a micro pantry for a quick snack or drink, and 3 phone booths for some privacy.
Curated For Creatives
Continue onwards past the private offices and hot desks area and you’ll see the fixed desks area right in front of you, and the photography studio to your left.
The pre-launch rate for a fixed desk is RM300/pax, and once January is over, it’ll be RM499/pax.
The photography studio is free to use for 8 hours/month for members, and additional time can be rented at a member’s rate.
Throughout the space you’ll find mini-lounging areas, whether they’re decked out with chairs or hammocks.
Further up ahead are where 4 meeting rooms lie alongside a recording studio, the auditorium, napping room, the pantry and kitchen area, and 3 workshop studios.
Members get 6 hours of meeting room credits per month, and similar to the photography studio, there’s a member’s rate for additional time.
Besides the meeting room and photography studio that come with some monthly credits, the other facilities are available on a rental basis.
Members who sign up for MOX Malaysia get complimentary 5-day passes for MOX Singapore too.
Open 24/7 So You Can Grind Anytime
Like most coworking spaces in general, MOX Malaysia’s membership plans are inclusive of the usual benefits like access to the micro-pantry and Wi-Fi.
The space is also open 24/7 for members who can it access from a side entrance, and when we asked Kent about safety concerns (since the concierge wouldn’t be around 24/7), it seems that he’s willing to place his trust in MOX Malaysia’s members.
Of course, there are CCTV cameras in important locations, but he’s been giving MOX Singapore’s members the benefit of the doubt for the past 2 years with no issues, so he’s hoping that he can do the same in Malaysia.
As for accessibility of the location, MOX Malaysia’s location allows for direct connection to the Putra World Trade Centre LRT Station.
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One thing that I wish could’ve been implemented in the space were toilets, as the only ones available for use right now are located outside of MOX Malaysia itself.
However, since the space is still very new and a work in progress, perhaps that can be something added a little later down the road, if demand calls for it.
- MOX Malaysia is located at Level 4, Sunway Putra Mall, 100, Jalan Putra, 50350 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- You can read more about other coworking spaces we’ve written on here.
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Featured Image Credit: MOX Malaysia / Vulcan Post
