Coworking spaces have become popular not only among freelancers, but also among top managers. Some Russian projects receive awards, including for design. But how important is design in general for such a space and are there really problems that it helps to solve?

Recently, in connection with the spread of the remote format of work, coworking spaces have begun to be used not only by freelancers and startups, but also by top managers and company owners, comments Nikolay Milovidov, Managing Partner of UNK corporate interiors. “They can use the coworking space for regular work or meetings. Accordingly, now business and premium class coworking spaces can develop, in which a high level of interior design and high-quality designer furniture is already becoming an obligatory attribute, "the expert believes.

General Director of Ruslan Kubrava, KUBRAVA PROJECT MANAGEMENT ™ agrees with his colleague and continues to draw a clear line between the service center and classic coworking.

Naturally, the finances spent on the development of interiors and space design, the purchase of furniture will ultimately be taken into account in the rental price, emphasizes Ruslan Kubrava. And he advises the owners of spaces to be very attentive to the definition of the target audience of their coworking space, to take into account its needs, preferences and financial capabilities when developing business plans and, depending on this, decide how much in demand and necessary individual interior solutions will be in a particular project.

Actually, the owners do not mind being very careful - such a conclusion can be drawn from the words of Kristina Zarubina, Development Director of Kalibr, by the way, the coworking of Kalibr Technopark is included in the shortlist of this year's Best Office Awards.

“In the current paradigm of attitudes towards coworking, design - in terms of space design and workplace design - has come to occupy a key position. The fact is that, depending on the orientation of the coworking space, its “owners” create this or that atmosphere and strive to solve problems. Residents of creative professions need one space and one specificity of the organization of workplaces, for engineers - another, for IT - a third. Somewhere the maximum number of small soundproofed cabinets is required, somewhere - rather large open spaces. Someone is more important to be on the cutting edge of progress and surround themselves with the latest generation technology, while someone wants to create pictures in silence. In the coworking space of Kalibr Technopark, for example, the main focus is on the work of startups. Accordingly, our residents are interested in both well-prepared technical equipment and modern and laconic interior design. Our task is to provide young specialists with the most comfortable working conditions".

The coworking space itself, as well as its design, create a working environment that ultimately affects the productivity of employees, continues the head of the GrowUp federal coworking network Alexei Matskevich. He also believes that the matter is not so much in the high cost of decoration and furnishings, but in the convenience and practicality of design for work.

The question of whether expensive coworking design pays off cannot be answered unequivocally, the expert says. In general, the consumer does not care how much the furniture costs, but if the design is made at a really high level and the user is comfortable in it, then, of course, he will appreciate it and understand what he pays more for. “Globally, in architecture, Vitruvius’s law is always decisive -“benefit, strength, beauty”. It does not always make sense to invest in expensive walls or ceilings, but noise protection screens or furniture is a completely different matter: adding some lighting scenarios and furniture elements to make work more convenient is a cool trend, Alexey Matskevich sums up.

Resourse: https://www.bfm.ru/news/480294