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Manifesto is not a typical marketplace or food hall. In an intimately designed and comfortable place, the curators make cuisine from white table cloth restaurants accessible at street food prices. The daily program of top local DJs, live music, performance, summer cinema and classes is attracting those seeking a cultural experience and is free.

“It was a provocative and bold combination, much like Manifesto’s mission: to push for the innovative use of Prague’s cityscape while stimulating the senses.” – The New York Times

No less inspiring, Manifesto has revived a forgotten corner and “no go zone” in the very center of Prague, to bring locals in contact with visitors, businesswo/men and hipsers. Two dozen top local purveyors, restaurants, chefs and Czech microbreweries offer special menus that cannot be found elsewhere in the city.

Manifesto is a truly collaborative project, connecting good ideas with resources, and was initiated by the founder of the non-profit organization reSITE, Martin Barry, in collaboration with local cultural powerhouse, Aerofilms. Penta Real Estate lent the former brownfield as they await the permanent redevelopment designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. Manifesto Market is the first fully cashless place in the Czech Republic and one of the first in Central Europe, thanks to a partnership with Mastercard. Another private partner is the design brand mmcité.

“Evaluating the first months of existence of Manifesto that opened on June 8^th, 2018, everything has come together beyond our dreams. The place is buzzing with interesting stories and life since the very first night. Everyday, we welcome a very diverse cross section of visitors – more locals than foreigners – and we counted more than 25 nationalities working at Manifesto and about 150 jobs created. All those people are crucial to making a now landmark destination in Prague.”

“We will continue allow people to enjoy outdoor spaces in the city during every season and bring people together. That’s one of our missions at Manifesto. Because it’s colder, we have changed the experience to enjoy the city just like we can in Quebec or Paris under the warm glow of infrared heaters and fires. Our main attraction will be special transparent heated bubbles which some visitors might have experienced in London and NYC’s rooftop cafés. This fall or winter, you won’t need to go to Krkonose mountains or the Alps to roast a sausage on an open fireplace. You can do it with us at Manifesto,” explains Martin Barry, founder of the popular gastro and culture market.

Manifesto Market: what’s there

20 well curated food and drinks concessions offer street food-style concepts from Czech to global specialties. For the Christmas season, some of Manifesto’s restaurants offer themed menus with fish, oysters and seafood, including a lobster aquarium from Matteo de Carli’s Ryba je ryba. Miska by Zátiší and a Pho Bar located in three containers are a great new addition to the market.

Manifesto’s seasonal menus focus on hot drinks, mulled wine, punch, warm dishes, soups and tasty romantic treats such a mini pancakes, while keeping the international variety with all of the favorite recipes you can come to know at Manifesto.

Dozens Czech designers and artwork by local artists, selected and curated by Lemarket, co-create a unique holiday experience in this truly inspiring and highly aesthetic environment.

Where is Manifesto Market?

Manifesto is located on Na Florenci Street in Prague 1, a few steps from transportation hubs – Masaryk Train Station, Florenc Bus Terminal, two metro stops and a shopping artery Na Prikope in the historical center of Prague. The land underneath the highway used to be a deserted area, noisy, dusty and lifeless – those characteristics have changed completely. Manifesto is already searching for other locations, indoors and out.

Project Quick Facts

• Manifesto is the first fully cashless place in the country.
• Around 150 jobs were created.
• Zero public subsidies.
• Gastronomy and innovation incubator.
• Initiated by an NGO, the project was only possible thanks to several collaborations with major private companies, which is an unprecedented cross-sector collaboration
• Architecture was designed by three young female architects, two of them winners in an initial student competition.
• Prague City Tourism has ranked Manifesto among top 4 things to do in Prague– right after the Castle.
• 70% of our visitors are locals.
• Manifesto is made by 27 containers and includes 20+ food concessions on one spot. Additional 20 stands and 4 winter igloos were added to the design.
• Manifesto has gotten proposals to expand locally and internationally.

Read our interview with the project initiator and founder of Manifesto Market, Martin Barry here…

The post Manifesto Market: An Urban Market Developed on a Former Wasteland in Prague appeared first on Archipreneur.

Starting a company can be extremely stressful. Fresh graduates, freelancers and directly employed architects looking to create startups face various initial obstacles and need to have a clear view of the operating model for their businesses. They have to choose where to cut costs, which can relate to choice of location, office space and limited living expenses.

Following the guidelines of The Lean Startup method – popularized by author and entrepreneur Eric Ries – can be very beneficial for the early phase of a company’s development. This can mean focusing on budget-friendly setups, and creating businesses on the idea of developing products and productizing design services. Being part of an entrepreneurial community can also influence the way owners grow their businesses, as it provides opportunities to establish valuable contacts and partnerships.

We have compiled a list for 6 startup hubs in Europe, which includes established centers for entrepreneurship as well as cities emerging as exciting new places for experimentation at the intersection of digital technology and architecture.

#1 London

London is Europe’s number one start-up hotspot focused mostly on digital creatives and businesses. The UK’s capital is also proving to be a great place for emerging architecture firms. While it has some of the highest real estate prices in the world – something that can be tricky to navigate for start-ups – the soaring house prices and a deepening housing shortage in London is proving to be the right impetus for architects to develop unusual design solutions. Awkwardly shaped sites and infill lots are being eyed as opportunities for innovation.

The emergence of “infill architecture” is allowing less established firms to creatively apply their ideas in real world. We’ve already seen London-based startups like Assemble, who has received a huge amount of attention thanks to their entrepreneurial attitude to architecture. They have won the famous Turner Prize with their Granby Four Streets project, an urban regeneration initiative to preserve and revive a cluster of Victorian-era terraced houses in Toxteth, Liverpool.

Another London-based start-up, the Photon Project, tackles the idea of modular architecture and wellbeing. The firm plans to build what it claims to be the world’s first all-glass, modular residential structure designed to address the benefits of natural light on human health. The proposal is part of the Photon Project, a four-year study on the biological effects of daylight in the built environment and that aims to gather evidence to support improvements in how building occupants live and work.

#2 Berlin

Berlin is an established startup hub, and currently the one of the best cities to launch a new business. Innovators are drawn to Berlin as one of Europe’s most international cities where cheaper living costs allow entrepreneurs to save money and invest it into building better products and hiring great people. Berlin is a relatively affordable city compared to the rest of the country, as well as other European capitals such as London or Stockholm.

It offers co-working spaces and hubs such as the Factory Berlin, a startup campus in Berlin-Mitte that brings the best technology businesses together with early stage startups and talents by providing an outstanding work environment, a curated community of founders, and high-quality events.

#3 Amsterdam

Along with London and Berlin, Amsterdam is one of the largest startup hubs in Europe. Its multicultural population and business-friendly environment, along with ample opportunities for startups to get mentoring make it a great environment for archipreneurs. The city’s budding startup scene is dominated by software development, smart energy and 3D-printing, among others.

One of the most prominent accelerators in the Netherlands is based in Amsterdam. Startupbootcamp, founded by Patrick De Zeeuw, Alex Farcet, Carsten Kolbeck, and Ruud Hendriks in 2010, focuses on “smart city and living space” solutions, smart energy and smart building. The recently launched Sharing City initiative that connects startups with the corporate world through city facilities. Dutch company MX3D plans to 3D-print an entire bridge in Amsterdam in collaboration with Autodesk and construction and civil engineering company Heijmans.

#4 Lisbon

Affordable rent, low-cost living and a growing startup scene are attracting young creatives to Lisbon, where a vibrant entrepreneurial community is exploding. While Portugal’s government is working to recover the country from the last economic crisis, startups and digital nomads are using various tax incentives to set up their offices in Lisbon. According to results from data comparison site Numbeo, rent prices in Lisbon are almost 70% lower than in London and overall cost of living is almost 50% lower in Lisbon by comparison.

The surplus of empty buildings has introduced low rents and living costs. This, coupled with a growing ecosystem of entrepreneurship, is perfect for startups whose businesses often have low or no revenue in initial phases of operation. Here, designers work on revitalizing abandoned buildings, build temporary structures and co-working spaces out of shipping containers. Lisbon has received the name of Europe’s most entrepreneurial region for 2015, with numerous startups, venture capital firms, incubators and accelerators providing great opportunities to creatives.

#5 Dublin

Several up-and-coming architecture firms and an array of startup funding and support programs dominate new Irish architecture. As a gateway to world markets, Dublin is well connected to the rest of Europe, but offers a smaller number of office spaces, which are also more costly, compared to Lisbon. However, the city boosts favorable low-tax regime and a supportive environment for startups.

Ireland has already attracted a huge level of foreign direct investment, particularly from the USA. Several American companies have chosen Ireland because of its pro-business environment, especially in the tech industry. Those working at the intersection between digital technology and architecture will love this emerging startup hub.

For example, FenestraPro is a technology company based in Dublin, Ireland, which provides cloud-based software tools for architects to optimize design of building façades. FenestraPro is an authorized developer with Autodesk Revit and also works closely with some of the leading architectural practices and industry experts. Its co-founder Dave Palmer – architectural technologist by trade and former DIT lecturer in the School of Architecture – started the company in 2012 alongside Simon Whelan after the pair had run their own firm for several years.

#6 Prague

Startup hubs are on the rise in Eastern European countries. Governments are building infrastructure and public VC funds that support startup hubs. This growth is expected to continue through the creation of new accelerators, co-working spaces, mentoring opportunities and reliable funding options. Prague is great place to be an entrepreneur, and an investor. Because of the lack of major competitors, the city is ideal for smaller companies and teams, supported by incubators and accelerators fostering talent.

One of the long-term initiatives that acts as an idea incubator is the Negrelli Viaduct project, organized by CCEA in 2013. It focuses on the new use of the spaces under the famous viaduct, merging urbanism, architecture and art. The CCEA initiated the project in the past few years, together with partners from the public and private sectors. In 2016, the project was supported by the Swiss-Czech Cooperation Programme.

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Do you have first hand experiences working as an archipreneur in any of these cities? What other emerging startup hubs do you think could appeal to archipreneurs?

The post Booming Cities: 6 European Startup Hubs for Architects appeared first on Archipreneur.