Officespotter

 After stepping out of Kitchen Budapest, I asked David whether he can summarize just what it is the people there do. It wasn’t an easy question, and finally we decided that KIBU is a modern creator’s workshop, or as they like to put it: an innovation laboratory.

It works pretty simply: they await applicant who have technological, graphic arts and other ideas which they’d like to realize. The focus is less on the given idea, rather on how much of a team player the applicant is, because as we were told it is highly important here to participate in multiple projects simultaneously. Due to this, no new project can even begin in ‘solo’.

Thanks to the things mentioned above, the people here come from all sorts of backgrounds. There are architects, artists, IT experts and lots of other crafts. Initially, participants are signed for three months, and the better ones get the chance to lengthen their scholarships.

KIBU is funded by Magyar Telekom, which covers most expenses attributed to the workshop. An 8 person team is responsible for the smooth running of the place, and they act as the management as well. We are show around by Attila Bujdosó project manager, as well as Barnabás Málnay exterior contacts manager. They share with us lots of information, such as that there are currently about 30 people on scholarships working there, and that one of KIBU’s founders used to work in a similar team under the Budapest Technological University.

While previously the people working here basically had total freedom in what they created, they are now under a bit of pressure to create marketable products, thus allowing for an additional income flow other than their main sponsor. This tendency is understandable, as the KIBU team is comprised of people who no doubt can create good, sellable products.

During our visit, there are about 8-10 people present in the office. We asked whether we came at a quieter time than usual, but were told that this is normal; this is how many people are generally working at the same time. The workshop is located on the corner of Ráday utca and Biblia köz, and occupies a ground floor retail space.

To someone visiting for the first time, the mood is sort of like a child care center. There is no sign of any stress, maximum among the management team, but all the others quietly worked, probably discussing the current projects. This is how it should be – you can’t very well realize big ideas in a stressful environment.

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