Coworking in Colorado.

• Author: Sukin, Gigi
• Position: WORKPLACE SOLUTIONS

FLEXIBLE OFFICE ENVIRONMENTS DIFFER FROM SPACE TO SPACE BUT OFFER A NEW WAY TO WORK

The office of the future has arrived.

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Thanks in part to rapid, overwhelming cultural and technological change, the 9-to-5, cube-confined traditional paradigm has been shattered, and the workplace has taken a new shape: coworking.

About three years ago, ColoradoBiz explored the trend of shared space in the commercial real estate landscape, including Zeppelin development's TAXI in River North, Jennie Nevin's Green Spaces by the Ballpark neighborhood and Fort Collins' Cohere, among others. It remained to be seen if this experiment would work and whether the initial buzz about toiling alongside others--people with dissimilar skills, different employers and entirely unrelated industries--would last.

The answer: a resounding "Yes." Today, an estimated 90,000 people cowork worldwide, nearly half in the U.S. Since 2005, the number of spaces has nearly doubled each year, suggesting coworking is more than merely a fad.

But the definition has blurred, even as visionaries have developed space specifications and amenities designed to woo the 21st Century workforce. Many misconceptions exist about what coworking actually encompasses and how to distinguish it from business accelerators, incubators and executive suites.

On one end of the spectrum: Regus plc provides private-office accommodations for countless companies in business centers around the globe. As of last December, Regus had 1,411 operations in 99 countries--17 in Colorado alone. On the flip side are informal, shared offices with open floor plans and desks squashed together, such as CoLab Boulder, Denver-based Prism Workshop or The Armory in Fort Collins.

Regardless of their configuration or formality, these new office options provide flexibility, freedom and fluidity that conventional workplaces (and the long-term leases that accompany them) cannot. Check out our directory to the plethora of newly established professional environments statewide. There might be a space there for you.

More Online

The Creative Farm, Green Spaces, Innovation Pavilion, Converge Denver, The Hive Cooperative, Thrive, SmartSpace, TAXI, The Fuel Building, Deep Space Workplace Er Event Center, Office Evolution

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(Boulder) Candy Shop Creative Offices, Scrib, Co-Motion Boulder, Fuse (Fort Collins/Loveland) The Hive, The Armory

CONCEPT DENVER Laundry on Brian Smith doesn't Lawrence subscribe to the 2701 Lawrence classic concept of St. coworking in big open spaces He fears flow and consistency of work are disrupted and trust is lost. $350-$2,500/mo. The Desk "We see the desk as 230 E 13th an urban catalyst." Ave. said Kristian Barowsky of his cafe-meets-ccworking shop. He believes Denver--which prides itself on its work-life balance--presents the prime place to prove you can bring work to you, rather than the reverse $5-$40/hr. $50-$250 extended contracts. Prism In 2011 Dan Workshops Strammiello decided 999 Vallejo to spread his wealth St of studio space at the 1-25 and 8th Avenue interchange, inviting a diverse group of independent professionals and small businesses...