In recent years, there’s been a revolutionary movement of workers from the confines of an office setup to a well-designed coworking space. Undoubtedly, coworking spaces are the perfect setup for startups and small businesses, as well as for home-based workers. Even large companies have started to allow their employees to work in a coworking space. As long as the workers will be more productive with this kind of setup, who’s to say that it’s not going to work?
If you’re in Downtown Orlando, an office space that will encourage productivity, creativity, and networking is a great investment. Studies have shown that employees are less productive in office settings because of coworker chitchat, highly pressurized environment, and constant background noise. While offices are initially designed to boost collaboration among employees, the opposite happens. More than 70% of those working in an office setup admitted to experiencing a high level of stress and mental exhaustion.
The layout and design of a coworking space have a big impact on the productivity of the people there. If you plan to get into this business, here are the things that you must remember about the overall design of your space:
Space
How much space you need will depend on how big the market is in your city. Traditionally, workers need about 75 to 95 square feet per person. With a pantry or kitchenette measuring approximately 100 square feet and a couple of conference rooms at 120 square feet each, you’re looking at about 7,000 square feet of a coworking space.
Of course, you don’t want to rent more than you need to, so it’s important to identify first the need for a coworking space in the area. Once you know how much space you need, you can begin thinking about the overall design and layout of the space.
Amenities
A coworking space is not a barren room with desks, chairs, and a stable Internet connection. The whole idea for a coworking space is to create an area where workers can be productive. Think of a café setting instead that all your members are typing away on their laptops or drawing storyboards instead of chatting with their mates.
You should consider adding a pantry or kitchenette, a couple of private conference rooms, video conference booths, lounge areas, printing areas, a bathroom, a nap room, and a reception desk. You need a stable Internet connection that can accommodate many devices at once. Remember that your members will most likely connect using their laptops and smartphones.
Privacy
You should not build cubicles in your coworking space. That is not how this is conceptualized. However, you need to put ample space between tables and chairs. This will make sure that the members can work privately, with no one looking over their shoulders. While you can have private workstations, nothing should stop you from having collaborative areas, too. These are the areas where a group of people can gather and collaborate on a project.
Right now, the demand for coworking spaces is increasing. More people and businesses realize the benefits of tapping into this potentially massive market. If you’re currently in the business of renting out a coworking space, prepare to innovate and upgrade. The demand’s just starting.
