How coworking is fuelling the evolution of innovation centres and districts

In recent years, coworking has helped organisations worldwide accommodate the changing nature of work while disrupting more traditional corporate real estate (CRE) and facilities strategies. This on-demand, technology-enabled access to workspace solves a variety of business needs for companies, which can remain agile without overcommitting on leased or owned space, while also benefitting employees who crave flexibility in how and where they work. Looking ahead, CRE groups will increasingly deploy coworking as a tool in their arsenal for providing flexible space for an agile workforce. The coworking trend has collided head-on with the dire need for companies to innovate in order to survive. This paper describes how some mature companies are attempting to spark this vital innovation by importing elements of coworking space that people value — convenience, curated experiences and concierge — into their own flexible, customised office spaces and dedicated innovation labs. It also explains how others are sending their people to coworking and business accelerator outposts in ‘innovation districts’, where, immersed in a community of creative thinkers and entrepreneurs, they can catalyse the collaboration and innovative thinking that are the lifeblood of every company. These districts can become even more effective innovation incubators by incorporating seamless connections to neighbourhood amenities and resources, and the authors postulate that the strategies that lead to the creation of successful coworking centres and innovation districts are scalable. This means designers can use lessons learned about providing optimal mixtures of physical space and community programming that encourage people to meet, connect and feed off each others’ energy to create more effective workplaces of all sizes.