A CO-WORKING space for up to 250 people in an unused part of Poole’s Dolphin Centre is set to be ready early in the new year.

The £3million Foundry development aims to cater tofor anyone from freelancers making occasional use of a desk to businesses wanting fully serviced full-time offices.

There will also be meeting rooms, a members’ lounge and a programme of events and speakers.

The Foundry reception area will be on the first floor of the centre, opposite the stairs to the library, and the development will take up two floors of the former Brownsea House, which has in the past been used as a job centre, dance studio and soft play area.

Adam Walker, co-founder of Foundry, said: “It is a really exciting time as the build of Foundry continues to progress, and we’re now in the position to be able to share what our team has been busy creating for the aspirational business community of Poole.

"We are offering location tours for those interested in how Foundry can enhance their current workplace situation by immersing themselves in a carefully curated community, with the opportunity to make new connections and collaborate with members from a variety of sectors.”

He added: “Foundry will be a place that celebrates Poole, and the team has embedded nods to our local community throughout the building’s design. We have teamed up with Mathmos, the local brand who invented the original Lava Lamp back in the 1960s here in Poole, to create our very own Foundry Lava Lamp. These will adorn our concierge-style lobby and will be the first striking feature that people will be greeted with when they enter Foundry.”

The project is a joint initiative with the Dolphin Centre’s owners, Legal and General Investment Management Real Assets (LGIM). 

Foundry opened its first sight in Eastbourne earlier this year and is to open another in Walthamstow, east London, next summer.

Mr Walker told the Daily Echo: “It’s a component of positive change for Poole town centre as Foundry, Legal and General and BCP Council work collaboratively to start regenerating the gateway to Poole town centre.”

He said it would help reposition the town centre as “a place to shop, work and play”.

“With our members’ lounge accessible by the day, week, month or year, our private studios fully IT-enabled, from two work stations to 10 work stations, and from two desks to 10 desks, meeting rooms and other spaces, we’re already programming our hosted events series at Foundry for 2023,” he added.