Once you have visited more than two or three coworking spaces, you start to realize that “coworking” is a fairly broad term that can be applied to very different environments. Some offices are little more than a Starbucks that charges a monthly subscription fee and makes you get your own coffee. Others, such as the Geek House in Dallas, are on the other end of the spectrum and could almost be considered a standard office setting. Then again, there are few things that could be called “standard” about an office that comes complete with a life-sized Han Solo frozen in carbonite on the wall.

The Geek House is the relatively new coworking arm of Livid Lobster Inc, the parent company of popular technology news and review site GeekBeat.tv, which is based in Dallas, Texas. After moving into a new location in August 2014, Geek Beat founder and host John Pozadzides discovered that some friends had already decided what he could do with his extra space.

“When we first bought the building and moved in, we had some friends who knew we had a lot of extra space,” Pozadzides said. “Right off the bat they said, ‘Hey, we’re coming to live with you. Don’t even complain!’ And we said ok, that’s cool.”

A few months after moving into the building, Pozadzides decided to open the office further by using some of the extra room as a coworking space, allowing outsiders to work out of the Geek House through the standard tiered coworking model with open desks, dedicated desks, and offices.

Emphasizing the work in coworking

While some coworking spaces are open to just about anyone who pays, Pozadzides said that Geek House works a little differently.

“One thing that is really unique is I own the building,” He said. “Or at least, I own the company that owns the building. This building is not being leased out in a for-profit kind of manner. We’re not trying to get as many people in here as we can. That changes a lot about how everyone individually who works here thinks about the building and how we accept people into the building. This is more about being a community and sharing a really wonderful resource and taking care of it together.”

Pozadzides explained that new people who want to work at the Geek House have to go through a sort of vetting process that is not unlike what someone might go through when looking for a new roommate.

“People have to come here and meet us,” he said. “We have to make sure they’re a good cultural fit and that the kinds of things they are going to do are complimentary with the kinds of things we’re doing here. The first thing we do with anyone is give them a tour, talk with them about what they do, what they need. There has to be some element of trust here.”

While many coworking spaces try to foster a laid back atmosphere where people can hang out and socialize, Pozadzides thinks that some people benefit from a more serious, business-oriented environment than others.

“I would say the relationship that everybody has in this building on a primary level is professional,” he said. “These people aren’t going kayaking together on the weekends or anything. I mean, sure we’ll go have lunch together, but the primary relationships here are business.”

He added, “That kind of environment might be terrible for some people, but not for others. ”

Spared no expense

One reason the element of trust is so important for an office like Geek House is the building’s slightly ridiculous infrastructure, which includes a lot more than a Wi-Fi hub and coffee maker. It is hard not to think of Jurassic Park’s John Hammond saying “we spared no expense.”

The office boasts a 10Gbps network architecture with 1Gbps internet connectivity for residents, and Pozadzides bragged that his office is capable of serving as an ISP for an entire city. There are also server cabinets in the office’s data center that have room to support equipment provided by residents, and the building has its own backup generator and UPS units at every desk.

Something else you will not find at many other coworking offices is Geek House’s production studio, which houses two sets with lighting rigs, a cyc wall, and more. Pozadzides noted that some people are interested in the office solely for the studio, and he has started providing rate sheets for people to come in and use the space on a scheduled basis. He explained that residents can also use the studio space for half-off the public rates, and they are welcome to occasionally use it for free for self-promotion purposes.

Other Geek House features include custom made UpDesks, which can be raised to standing desk height at the touch of a button, as well as security badge access, zoned sound systems, LED lighting, 4K monitors, sound proof insulation, and more.

For a full list of features and pricing for the Geek House coworking space, visit GeekHou.se.

Image credit: Geek House