“There’s a wide range of fit and finish in quality co-working sites out there,” Pool says. “Some are really designed to be sort of open and flexible and casual, and they’re really about folks coming together to maybe work on a similar type of industry, like startups and software. It’s really about connecting with individuals in a very collaborative way, and so those co-working sites are a little bit more hackable and gritty, if you will, and are a lot more open in terms of lots of open desks, whiteboard walls and not a lot of individual focus space to go work in.”
On the other hand, another co-working facility might cater to people with a greater need for privacy, Pool notes, where there is access to enclosed, private offices, phone rooms, or two- to three-person meeting rooms.
Silber says Coworkrs has offices that range from single occupant up to 20 people and will make accommodations depending on the need. “We really try to cater to everybody,” he says. “Sometimes we’ll need to open up an office or close an office out and make it smaller. But we find that we really want to try and get a mix of all different types of companies and different sizes, whether they want to be in a more open space while they’re working or they want to be in a more closed space.”
In terms of making the environment appealing to occupants, Silber suggests opening up the space to allow as much daylight in as possible to give it an airiness that is common to well-designed corporate environments. Pool adds that acoustics are another important factor for building owners and facility managers to address to ensure that productivity and comfort are not lost in all the collaborative buzz of open spaces.
Community: The Secret to Successful Co-working
While many co-working facilities attract customers with great amenities, such as coffee bars and cafés, high-speed WiFi connections and even game rooms, what will ultimately keep customers coming back is a sense of connection to their peers and to their working environment.
“I think it’s really about the community that you’re in,” Silber says. “I think the real importance there is to focus on making it a wholly comfortable space where [customers] feel comfortable to come to [the facility manager] and say, ‘We need this,’ or ‘Could you help me out with that?’ or ‘Do you know any programmers or engineers that could help me out with this product?’
“I think that’s really what it’s about … the community managers that are really working on helping people interact together and helping them be a part of a community. I think that’s the secret sauce to co-working,” Silber concludes.
PHOTOS: Courtesy of Perkins+Will/©Paul Crosby