With hybrid working booming, Spaces has been in a powerful position to help freelancers, entrepreneurs and SMEs build flexibility into their operations from the ground up – wherever they happen to be located.
Looking back on the last 12 months it’s clear to see that there has been a massive global shift in the way people work, moving from exclusively being based at home during lockdowns to a “hybrid” way of operating, whereby professionals base themselves at a combination of a city centre office, their house or apartment, and a coworking space close to where they live.
That shift is reflected in the record number of client sign-ups to Spaces in the last year. By the end of Q3 2021, IWG (Spaces’ parent company) had signed deals with more than 1,100 enterprises, bringing the likes of Japanese tech giant NTT onboard with its 300,000 strong global workforce.
To meet the explosion in demand for flexspace worldwide, Mark Dixon, Founder and CEO of IWG, says that the company’s ultimate aim is “to provide a flexible workspace in every village, town and city”. And if the success of 2021 is anything to go by, the company is well on its way to achieving this…
New suburban Spaces
New Spaces locations popped up all around the world in 2021. And with 2022 around the corner, the brand has plans to expand even further to meet the growing demand for hybrid work, particularly in suburban and rural areas close to where people live.
This supports the concept of the 15-Minute City for quality of living, whereby people have everything they need within 15-minutes of their home without the use of polluting transport, including communal workspace.
In Europe, London welcomed Spaces Kensington Village, which sports floor-to-ceiling warehouse-style windows, herringbone floorboards and industrial lighting to create a characterful and inspiring hub. It also means thousands of modern professionals living in west London have a modern coworking space within walking distance, or a bike ride, from their home.
Over the water in the Netherlands, Spaces House Modernes in the Dutch city of Utrecht opened in November in a mixed-use development with coworking/office space, retail, dining and the city’s largest bicycle sheds.
The US welcomed Spaces West Ohio Street, which is set in a converted 1950s timber-loft building. Known as the Adlake Building, this heritage workplace was once home to the Adams & Westlake railroad lantern factory.
A new concept
Spaces Napa Valley in California, which opened in early 2021, is the first of a new wave of Spaces flexible working venues that are located in retail complexes and lifestyle-focused locations. (It also debuted Spaces’ new “OpenDesk” concept.) In this case, rather than occupying a traditional office or commercial building, Spaces Napa Valley is surrounded by concept stores, restaurants and the Archer boutique hotel.
The project has been spearheaded by local realtor Todd Zapolski, who explains why it’s proved such a popular addition to the local community. He says: “A lot of folk have weekend or summer homes here, so it’s allowing them to now spend more time here,” says Zapolski. “They can come in on a Thursday, work from Spaces for the Friday, and then spend weekends at their place out here.” (The majority of people with homes in the Napa area are employed by companies based in San Francisco or Silicon Valley.)
Meanwhile, Spaces Westerpark in Amsterdam became available to all customers in 2021. This particular location is a highlight for the brand because it is the first Spaces in Europe to feature the OpenDesk concept that debuted at Spaces Napa Valley.
New territories
Over the last year, there have been numerous debuts for the Spaces brand. For example, Spaces Anfa Place in Casablanca was unveiled in September and was the first Spaces to arrive in Morocco. Located in a waterfront complex designed by world-renowned architects Foster + Partners, Anfa Place is a mixed-use development on the Atlantic coast to the west of the city.
Another country first is Spaces Rotermann in the Estonian capital of Tallinn. The Rotermann Quarter sees striking modern architecture sitting side by side with 19th century industrial buildings in the heart of Tallinn and an area that has been pedestrianised to reduce pollution.
These are just a few examples of how Spaces has been supporting hybrid working around the world in 2021 and will continue to through 2022, giving professionals greater choice of flexspaces in both cities and, increasingly, rural and suburban locations.
With coworking locations around the world, find out how Spaces can help your team embrace the digital nomad lifestyle.
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