FOCUS INTERVIEW
SPACE FOR
SHARING
32 SEPTEMBER 2019
The past 10 years has seen a surge in the
number of flexible and coworking spaces
within the commercial o ice sector. According
to a report from Knight Frank, (Y)our Space, it
has grown from approximately 600 coworking
spaces around the world in 2010 to an estimated
19,000 spaces globally. Meanwhile, a report
by construction consultancy Bruceshaw
notes that “coworking continues to impact
investors, developers and end users as the
concept appears to be the dominant force in the
commercial sector.”
Flexible or serviced o ices have in fact been
around a long time. They were first popularised in
the 1980s when the founder of Regus, Mark Dixon,
commoditised the serviced o ice concept of taking
whole o ice buildings, subdividing them and
leasing the spaces out to small businesses, fully
furnished and ready to rent.
What has changed in recent years is that
serviced, flexible and coworking spaces are now
considered viable alternatives to traditional
corporate real estate. The Knight Frank report
reveals that two-thirds of global corporates plan
to increase their utilisation of coworking spaces,
while 80 per cent expect to grow the amount of
collaborative space they use over the next three
Flexible workspaces are evolving, with the established
serviced offi ce model giving way to new co-working
options. Kurt Mroncz, Managing Director at Offi ces iQ,
explains the changing trends to Sara Bean