More businesses will choose local offices to adapt their work environments to a post-pandemic world, suggests flexible workspace firm Mindspace.
Itay Banayan, vice-president of real estate and projects at Mindspace, believes that in a post-pandemic world more businesses will have questions about what a safe office environment is and how their company can meet that criteria whether they are small or medium or large. Therefore they are more likely to go professional workspace operators who are already meeting safety regulations.
Banayan told Facilitate: “In an uncertain environment, most companies tend not to spend or not to take long-term decisions, so flexibility will be a major decision-maker in what kind of an office space companies should take. Secondly, the headache of running an office environment that is complying with all of the new regulations – and it’s changing every day in many markets and many companies don’t understand it completely. So that will be something that will be in demand… many companies may be more likely to come to an operator that is providing a high-quality office design with flexibility and which is meeting all the regulations.
“This will create a larger share of demand out of the overall demand for office space.”
Mindspace is opening a new site in Hammersmith, West London, next month and the company said it would be a way for companies to have an extra office space to help some workers minimise their commute in the long term. The company is planning to enact new health and safety procedures across all 31 of its locations, according to each country’s regulations.
In a webinar last week, Giulia Robba, architect and urban designer at Farrells, said that she sees opportunity in more geographically dispersed and localised working combining with residential requirements.
She said: “That's where the workplace/home model could work. We have a lot of empty spaces along the high street and probably after the pandemic the number will increase. Bringing workplace and homes to the high street would be an exciting way to activate them and keep communities close.”