Detail, the West Midlands’ based property developer, has responded to the Covid-19 pandemic by designing residential and flexible workspace in the same development for the first time in the Black Country.
Metro Lofts, in West Bromwich town centre, is currently being refurbished to deliver 47 new apartments. Now, the development is set to be the first residential building in the Black Country to include bespoke co-working space for residents – as part of its enhanced amenity.
The change in approach reflects an increasing desire for office-based workers to work from home, whilst still demanding quiet space and quality IT infrastructure. Meanwhile, Government advice still urges to staff to work from home if they can.
The new workspace will provide all the things expected from a modern office including flexible desk space (including pods for individuals), high-speed internet, storage, facilities for tea and coffee, and meeting rooms.
Co-working space is already a popular concept in city centres such as Birmingham, reflecting the growth in small businesses and freelancers needing office space on flexible terms. However, according to Detail, Metro Lofts will be a first for the West Midlands market, with residents able to access a separate working and living space all under the same roof.
The design of the co-working space has been engineered by Detail Director, Erik Purchase where full use of the expansive floor to ceiling height of the existing building has been utilised to help create a mezzanine level. The co-working space will be offered on floors two and three of the building.
Sunny Johal, Director at Detail, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the traditional office environment on its head. Across the country, large businesses and landlords are re-thinking the function and value of an office.
“Given that more workers than ever before are set to be home-based, we felt we also needed to re-invent our residential spaces. Our new co-working concept means residents who are office workers can avoid the commute, protect their work/life balance, continue to enjoy a high-quality workspace, and most importantly stay safe. We are not saying the office is no-longer, but giving workers and employers an extra choice to create stability and a more localised networking community”
“We have found that over the last several months, those who are apartment based have really struggled to be able to differentiate between working from home and personal life due to the uniform environment of one space. Introducing a co-working space in these sorts of tenured buildings will help this differentiation to be created.”
According to recent research from JLL, a leading property consultancy, 82% of employees now intend to work from home more than once a week – up from 21% before the pandemic. Nearly a quarter of employees would prefer to work from home for most of the week. More than 40% of people think they are more productive at home.
Raj Lal, Managing Director at Detail, said: “The pandemic has forced businesses across sectors to innovate and try new things. There have been huge structural changes in the way in which we live and work, and we had to respond.
“Given the way in which we now work, we think people in the Black Country will value the space and infrastructure to work from home, in a well-designed and thought out environment. Liberated from the commute and office politics, residents of Metro Lofts can enjoy greater flexibility and ensure they are more productive than working in the office over the long term.”
