• fr
  • en

Coworking spaces in the Swiss mountains: boosting creativity and attractiveness

Lower Engadine, Switzerland, is a peripheral area facing different issues common to other mountain areas such as depopulation, especially youth leaving for cities, loss of jobs and dependency to tourism. To address the challenge of attractiveness, the “MiaEngiadina” initiative decided to create different co-working places in the area, offering all necessary options for businesses development.

Jon Erni, founder of “MiaEngiadina”, launched the initiative in 2017 to propose inspiring working spaces in mountain areas, as a possible solution to the challenges faced by this territory. Beyond offering quiet areas to work in, these places are aimed at fostering innovation and teamwork in the region and can also boost the attractiveness of Lower Engadine. MiaEngiadina is a Swiss Foundation as well as a business involved in the development and maintenance of broadband in the region with the wish to bring different services together, to create synergies between workers and to generate economic activity in the region.

 

1.      How did MiaEngiadina create co-working sites in the mountains?

 

4 co-working areas were already created by MiaEngiadina in different villages of Lower Engadine:

  • In Scuol, the “Mountain Hub” was the primary area opened to workers and also offers a meeting room and a conference room for rent;
  • In Ardez, a small co-working area proposes 2 co-working rooms;
  • In Ftan, thanks to a specific collaboration with the Alpine Institute, a co-working area is hosted within the premises of the school;
  • In Motta Naluns, the newest co-working place of MiaEngiadina was opened in this ski region. The idea behind, apart from stunning landscape, is to combine leisure activities and work.

 

All 4 co-working places are equipped with a very fast Internet connection of 100Mbits/s. Workers can also use some equipment such as printers and photocopiers and even sometimes computers and flipcharts. Moreover, their localisation and structure reflect the different possible options and values collaboration with existing institutions.

 

A new site will also open in 2021. With 7.000 square metres, the InnHub La Punt will include working spaces and seminar rooms, shops with local products, a guest information centre and different other businesses targeting both local populations and tourists. Conceived as a modern interpretation of Engadine’s traditional architecture, the project involved regional architects and created jobs in the construction sector.

 

2.      How to finance coworking areas in rural and mountainous regions?

 

The functioning of each coworking space is different. While some need to be booked in advance, the “Mountain Hub” in Scuol is opened on a daily basis during working hours. Because of its large opening hours and its wide range of equipment, this coworking area proposes different prices. For instance, using the space for only one hour is free while staying for the day costs 24 CHF. Monthly subscriptions are also available and can be a convenient option for new businesses. The other co-working sites are free of charge for anyone willing to use them.

Each site also received different types of support for their creation. The co-working space in Ftan, located in the Alpine Institute, was for instance supported by L’Aide Suisse aux Montagnards, a Swiss Foundation promoting the development of mountain areas since 1943. The association supported the initiative by donating IT equipment and by offering their expertise to shape an open learning environment. In the villages of Ardez and Motta Naluns, municipalities are involved in the projects as they own the buildings used as coworking areas and make them available for MiaEngiadina for free.

The new innovation and meeting centre InnHub La Punt was also financially supported by the canton, the region and the municipality which will benefit from the attractiveness of this new public place.

 

3.      What are the benefits of developing coworking areas in mountainous territories?

 

As simple as it looks like, the creation of coworking places in mountain areas has many advantages for local populations. The initial idea of MiaEngiadina was to encourage teamwork, trigger creativity and boost innovation in the region. It also encourages social interactions between entrepreneurs and collective thinking that can bring forward new ideas for mountain areas.

If coworking sites are indeed efficient to reach such targets, they also constitute places with good internet connection. This is a critical aspect in a territory where connectivity barely exceed 30 Mbit/s according to the OECD mapping of broadband. Providing a good quality Internet connection in the region offers possibilities for new businesses to settle in the area and for local workers to telework if they need to. Coworking places thus contribute to increase the attractiveness of the region.

For more information on the different coworking areas created by MiaEngiadina, their location and pricing, please visit their Website. You can also learn more on telework and coworking sites in rural areas in the presentation of Jean-Dimas Malot from Nièvre Numérique during the X European Mountain Convention in 2016 in Bragança.

Download the good practice in PDF.

Share
8 November 2019

Euromontana sur Facebook

5 days ago

Euromontana
Today, members of the Rural Pact Coordination Group (RPCG) meet online to discuss: • The forthcoming RPCG Declaration on the future of EU rural policy, which addresses the open questions in the @European Commission’s ‘key achievements and ways forward’ report;• RPCG members’ position papers on the future of Europe’s rural areas;• RPCG members’ role in the Rural Pact Conference of April 2025;• Members’ actions to date & the Rural Pact Support Office 2025 work programme.More information at: bit.ly/4fwtjnS#RuralPact #RuralVisionEU ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

6 days ago

Euromontana
📢 #CallForProposals: you can now submit proposals for the #InternationalMountainConference!The international conference dedicated to #MountainResearch is taking place from 14-18 September 2025 in #Innsbruck. It is being organised by the Research Area “Mountain Regions” at the Universität Innsbruck ⛰️🇦🇹📝 The #IMC is currently looking for proposals focusing on scientific research in #MountainRegions around the world. There are six formats to choose from, including plenary sessions and workshops - find out more and submit your proposal by 28 November: loom.ly/ntncy_M ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

2 weeks ago

Euromontana
We're at the #Gismart project Kick Off meeting in Paris today to share guidelines on communication, dissemination and exploitation of results 💡For the next two days, we will discuss the following steps to assess the sustainability of geographical indications all over Europe, including in the mountains ⛰️🌱🚜👩‍🌾 How to transition to more sustainable diet systems ? 🌱 How to implement the Farm to Fork Strategy?🥩🧀 how to develop a methodology to assess economic, social, environnemental dimensions of GIs sustainability?Pleased to be working on this key topic with INRAE and to continue collaboration with AREPO! More info on GI-SMART 🔗 www.euromontana.org/gi-smart/ ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

3 weeks ago

Euromontana
🌄 A week ago, we were opening the #MountainConvention2024 in the stunning Catalan Pyrenees! 🏔️✨ 250 mountain stakeholders came together in Puigcerdà to shape the #MountainEconomies of tomorrow! 💬 In the face of socio-economic, environmental, and demographic transitions, our economies must become 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬, 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 than ever! 💪🌱From fair remuneration of farmers & ecosystem services, to funding for the transition of mountain resorts, circular economy development for wool and wood products, support for entrepreneurship and interesting public procurement or taxes systems ... all a huge thank you to everyone for your energy and ideas! 🙌 These will be captured in the 𝐏𝐮𝐢𝐠𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐝𝐚̀ 𝐃𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, which will be presented on 11 December on International Mountain Day 📜🏔️🔜 Presentations and materials will soon be available! A special thank you to our co-organisers Territori. Generalitat de Catalunya. and CREAF, as well as our supporters Ajuntament de Puigcerdà , #NEMOR Network for European Mountain Research, European Rural Pact 🙏 ... See MoreSee Less
View on Facebook

Euromontana sur Twitter