I still remember that one lunch in our cozy kitchen at TLR Coworking back in 2018. It was spring time in Málaga and just like every day various members of the TLR Family sat down together to enjoy their meals. Our space was just awarded with the 2018 Member’s Choice Award by Coworker.com, which proclaimed us the best coworking space in town thanks to votes from active and former members all around the world. Jokingly somebody said: “This coworking space would be even better if we had a terrace to have lunch outdoors!”. It didn’t take our dear Ulrik, himself a developer at the indie game studio Northplay, a long time to pull out his phone and open Google Maps. This is what he showed me and asked: “Isn’t this our building?”
After lunch, Ulrik and I immediately did the unthinkable; something we never dared to do before. We took the staircase of our building all the way up to the very top. At the end we found a locked door with a big window next to it. With open mouths we stared outside onto this huge, abandoned and completely unused rooftop terrace. A quick chat with the building’s friendly caretaker Juan confirmed what we just saw: This hidden gem is only used to maintain the exterior air condition machines.
You probably think now, like in many of these stories, we rolled up our sleeves and within no time we inaugurated our brand-new and shiny rooftop. That’s not quite how it went. The illusion of our own rooftop was soon pushed aside by daily business consuming ourselves, other interesting projects like TLR Agency taking priority and limitations of the terrace to be safe for usage put us off to proceed. It took a pandemic and a strong trend to be more outdoors for us to take a closer look again. This time around we made it happen. On the 1st of December 2020 we inaugurated TLR Rooftop.
The making-of
But before that could happen, there was a little bit of work to do. As you already know, the terrace wasn’t really fit for daily usage. A major factor was the surrounding walls being very low, apart from the terrace simply not looking nice nor inviting. Our very own in-house architect Juan Manuel from FINSA, who by now is continuing his professional journey in Ireland, helped us find out the minimum height required for a safe fence. Daniel, himself a digital marketeer with years of experience in the event management business, didn’t shy away from picking up the electric driller and helped us install a beautiful wooden fence and lay out artificial grass for a welcoming touch.
For perfectly-fitting furniture we turned first to the second hand platform Wallapop. When there’s a chance to make a sustainability statement, we usually take the opportunity and in this case this turned out to be just the right decision. In combination with some nice plants, which I brought from my own garden, and these wooden picnic-style benches, we gave our new paradise the final touches.
Productivity outdoors
When you sit inside in front of your laptop all day long, it’s a more than welcome change to get up, move outside and change the scenery to work outdoors for a while. That’s why we swiftly decided to install a dedicated internet line with a strong WiFi signal and power plugs on TLR Rooftop.
Ever since we opened TLR Rooftop some members of the TLR Family, who usually book one of our hotdesks, just walk straight up to our terrace and only come back downstairs when they are ready for a match of ping pong. Pepe is one of them:
“The rooftop at TLR showed up at the perfect moment. The pandemic has pushed us all to spent more time in our houses and – more importantly – a little more physically isolated from the rest of the world. Lately I was really missing the good vibes you feel at TLR. But, even more, I was missing a space, where I could enjoy fresh air and keep working on my laptop. The weather in Málaga is a perfect ally for that, since our friend the sun comes to visit almost every day here and – even during winter time – gives us ideal temperatures. Sum all of this up and you can easily guess why every day, that I spend working on TLR Rooftop, always gives me a great mood boost!”
Giuseppe Iannì, web developer at Soulweb, member of the TLR Family since 2017
Open air events
Events are an essential part of TLR Coworking and any other shared space worldwide that focuses on creating a vibrant community and mutually beneficial synergies between members. Members is the keyword here; of course, without people a community would be a tat boring. However, if on top of a strong community a great location creates a cozy and enjoyable ambience, you’ve got a recipe for success. That’s why we host most of our events at TLR on our beautiful rooftop terrace.
“As a swede, who escaped the cold winter in the north, I have to say that the TLR Rooftop is much appreciated, especially during the crazy times we’re living in. Having the possibility to take breaks and socialise with other members of the TLR Family during events, in a safe way under the sun, is a real privilege!”
Moa Svangren, payroll manager at Nidab Produktion, member of the TLR Family since 2020
Lunches in the sun
And to close the cycle, the thought that was spit out jokingly during lunch back in 2018 has now become a reality: At TLR Coworking many folks enjoy their meals in the open air on our rooftop terrace. With a microwave available upstairs, it becomes even more comfortable to bring in your own food, heat it up and have lunch in good company under the sun.
“When you put amazing people together under the sun, bonds are created that surprise even the most skeptical of us. The terrace is not only a place to enjoy fresh air and the warmth of the sunrays, it’s a place where great food feeds the soul and unexpected creative ideas take place. That’s what happens when you’re having lunch on TLR Rooftop. Memories are created that last a lifetime.”
Simona Rahmanova, freelance copywriter, member of the TLR Family since 2020
That’s also what we did for Christmas back in 2020. With the pandemic going on, we couldn’t really throw a big party as we usually do to close off a year full of sharing, thriving and laughing together.
Instead we organised a cozy community lunch on our rooftop terrace. We invited everyone to bring along a home-made (or Mercadona-made) dish, which we could easily share among everybody. The pure fact that we were eating leftovers for about 3 days after the event, clearly showed the event’s success.
Our plans for the future
The most rewarding thing is to see the TLR Family enjoy our rooftop terrace. It’s also the main driver for our ambitious plans for the future: This is only the beginning, but there is an entire second half of the rooftop, we still need to prepare. We are thinking of a relaxation area with hammocks, a proper utility corner to prepare your coffee upstairs, sun shades, and many more things that’ll turn TLR Rooftop into one of the most enjoyable assets TLR Coworking has to offer … after its family, of course.
A huge thank you goes to our dear landlords! Without your support none of this would have been possible
About Ben Kolp
Ben, co-founder of TLR Coworking, is an intrinsically driven entrepreneur fascinated by the power of networking, both online and – believe it or not – offline. He made it his personal mission to network, connect & synergise wherever he goes. By simply listening Ben learns from others about what they are good at and what they could use help with. This puts Ben in the unique position to connect people and craft synergising relationships. In his various roles as a consultant, a sales man and a coworking owner, he always thrives towards that same goal: A smile on people’s faces caused by win-win-win synergies.
