Reimagining office space

Reimagining office space

Co-working areas are reinventing themselves to not only meet virus safety measures but also to adopt a business model for the future

SOCIAL & LIFESTYLE
Reimagining office space
Open House in Central Embassy. (Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb)

As the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to work remotely, many companies are now rethinking the concept of office space and methods of working. Despite the fact that most employees have now returned to their workplaces, some are still enjoying the freedom of choosing where they can punch in from.

At the moment, co-working spaces seem to be the best option for those wanting to change their working environment and boost productivity. However, the concern is how these co-working environments -- full of strangers and people from different backgrounds -- can ensure they operate with proper Covid-19 safety and prevention standards.

Open House in Central Embassy.

Adapting to new norms, co-working spaces are now providing more flexible deals to meet urban lifestyles as well as ensuring preventive measures to provide standards of hygiene and safety in their communities.

Apart from providing modern office supplies, shared working spaces have been rearranged in different layouts to ensure social distancing and provide privacy. Moreover, visitors are required to wear a face mask, wash their hands with sanitiser, and pass the temperature checkpoint at the entrance.

Open House in Central Embassy.

In 2017, Central Embassy turned retail space on the 6th floor into "Open House" by promoting it as a co-living space that combines a shared working space, bookshop, kid's playground, restaurant, design shop and cinema under one roof. After being closed for three months, Open House came back to life and is now welcoming around 2,000 to 3,000 visitors a day -- mostly local families, foreign expats, freelancers, office workers and students.

"A key to drawing people back is communication to boost customer confidence. They should feel safe when coming here. As a result, we have to observe social distancing and other preventive measures," said Barom Bhicharnchitr, a managing director of Central Embassy.

"About 50%-60% of customers have returned. The situation looks promising. I believe that people will eventually return to their normal routines before the Covid-19 pandemic hit. People want to meet their friends and keep connecting with society at large. While our mall offers an online shopping platform, I believe customers prefer to view and touch products."

Co-working space Hubba Sathorn. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

Spread over 70,000m², Open House is the work of Japanese design studio Klein Dytham Architecture, which has worked for Google Japan, Nike and Uniqlo. Designed to resemble a living room, Open House is divided into seven zones, where visitors can come to hang out, work, eat or study in a homey atmosphere. Overlooking skyscrapers, the Co-Thinking Space is designed to resemble a shady garden complete with a shared working space, two meeting rooms, a coffee corner and high-speed Wi-Fi. Visitors can enjoy the space for 200 baht for three hours or 350 baht for the entire day.

"Before Covid-19, many corporate companies already used our facilities as people in the creative industry have always worked remotely. I think that since many big companies need to maintain their office spaces, a transformation may take place in the next three or five years," Barom said.

"Open House has changed the perception of customers that Central Embassy isn't a luxury mall but a living mall as it attracts a diverse group of customer demographics. We've arranged multiple workshops so that families can spend time together while businessmen, who stay at Park Hyatt, are able to get easy access to Open House. It's very convenient if they are seeking a place to work or relax."

In recent years, Thailand has become one of the hottest markets in the co-working world with once-leading international players like WeWork and JustCo making their way to Bangkok by opening branches in several central business districts.

Co-working space Hubba Sathorn. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

Hubba, another co-working space, is one of the pioneers of Thailand's co-working industry. The project is the brainchild of Charle Charoenphan, who has worked as a business consultant for many years. In 2012, Hubba was launched in the bustling residential area of Ekamai before relocating to Sathon in the middle of last year.

"Fortunately, Thailand has been able to contain the spread of Covid-19, resulting in life returning to normal. We just resumed operations last month and customers are already coming back. If there's a second outbreak, I believe we can still survive because we have anticipated the situation and already prepared several plans," Charle said.

"The co-working business has also been affected by Covid-19. Some operators are facing a financial crisis after businesses were closed for several months.

"Many co-working spaces are now trying to survive by offering furniture rental services to generate income. In China, some brands have cut the number of branches from 150 to 15 as a result of the economic downturn."

With the idea to provide alternatives for those fed up with working in cafes, Charle has turned an old Thai house into a cosy co-working space in which visitors feel like being at home but also network with others.

Just a five-minute walk from BTS Chong Nonsi, Hubba Sathorn occupies 520m² on the 2nd floor of the Siamnara Food Work project and houses a fitted pantry, private offices with 24-hour access, a private corner for online meetings and spacious shared working areas in different designs. Also on offer are five fully-equipped meeting rooms, ranging in size from 9m² to 22m², perfect for three to 12 people.

Open House in Central Embassy.

"Almost 50% of customers are expats while the other 50% are locals. Hubba Sathorn is a joint venture between us and a landlord. This new space is the result of a business remodelling of our co-working space two years ago to solve the problem of increasing rental rates," Charle said.

"The idea was to work with landlords rather than hiring their estate. Our team is only responsible for design and business management. Actually, the business model is similar to that of hotel chains or franchising."

Focusing on the convenience and flexibility of remote work, Hubba offers various plans such as a choice of customised Hot Desk programmes, starting at 80 baht per hour, 290 baht for a day pass and 3,900 baht for a monthly membership, which includes snacks, beverages and a high-speed internet connection.

Co-working space Hubba Sathorn. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

"Co-working spaces have long been popular with SMEs, tech-savvy experts, designers, creative freelancers and marketers while start-ups, who mostly work with big companies, are provided with space as well.

"A fractional office and anti-cafe work style are the upcoming trends in Thailand. Customers can use our facilities, enjoy food and drink and only pay for the amount of time they spend," Charle said.

"Based on people's lifestyle, co-working spaces were originally designed to be an option for those working remotely but still wanting to keep in touch with society. However, now, customers are also paying attention to extra functions and services to support the expansion of their businesses."

Co-working space Hubba Sathorn. (Photo by Somchai Poomlard)

Charle indicated that Covid-19 is similar to a chief digital officer in driving companies towards digital transformation.

"Next year, the co-working business will be booming again as many companies seek shared offices to cut costs. Office complexes may face a crisis in the near future and drive many companies out of their traditional office and towards a co-working space as they can pay less for a three-to-five-year leasing agreement as well as take advantage of more flexible conditions."

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