Companies' requirements for office rentals are changing. WOOD Real Estate brings a new concept for small companies and professionals.

WOOD & Company manages, within the portfolio of WOOD & Co. Office sub-fund, a total of 11 office buildings, seven of which are located in Bratislava. According to Miroslav Hilčík, WOOD & Company Senior Investment Manager, the commercial real estate leasing market has undergone several changes in the world and in Slovakia in recent years.

"Working conditions are increasingly flexible in companies, and the hybrid method has become a standard. A more innovative and flexible approach is therefore naturally required by companies in the case of leases," says M. Hilčík and continues, "Coworking spaces, which can be used by companies according to their current needs, are becoming more prominent."

At the same time, employees do not want to spend a long time travelling to their company's headquarters, which may be far from their home. They prefer to work in flexible spaces that are closer to them. Coworking spaces and small offices are therefore springing up in city centres as well as in the more peripheral parts of cities.

We don't want to work "like at home" anymore

The requirements for the quality of the premises are also changing. Employees want to use their time in the office efficiently and work in a professional environment, and the availability and quality of services close to the workplace is also important to them. "In terms of design, we are clearly seeing a shift away from casual "living room" spaces towards high-quality, representative offices and shared workplaces," adds M. Hilčík.

WOOD Real Estate also takes into account the new requirements of tenants. It has created its own concept of furnished offices called ZONE, which offers renting of private offices or coworking spaces with an emphasis on comfort and efficiency at work. The implementation of the concept in one of the central business centres in Bratislava meets the requirements of tenants and the quality of the location.

"Tenants can choose the space in ZONE that best suits their current needs. If a company is doing well and needs larger premises, we can accommodate this request. For example, if an entrepreneur has completed a larger project and their workplace requirements have decreased, we can respond flexibly," says Katarína Cihová, Leasing & Business Development Director, WOOD Real Estate.

"Thanks to its flexibility, ZONE brings the concept of shared workspaces closer to smaller companies or independent professionals who have not considered such a form before. For larger companies, it allows them to locate complete teams outside of their headquarters," adds K. Cihová.

What is available in ZONE on Plynárenska Street in Bratislava

Private office zone - offers a sufficient number of individual office spaces ranging in size from three-seater to a team office for 12 people

Coworking zone - stable workplaces (fix desks) as well as flexible workplaces (hot desks)

Meeting room zone - several meeting rooms with a capacity of 4-12 people

Community zone - community kitchen with freely available refreshments and business lounge relaxation areas.

Focus rooms - private space for calls or short focused work

Podcast studio - also available for external clients

Community Manager - is available to clients and handles daily operations at the ZONE office

Right at the entrance, everyone is personally greeted by a virtual reception in the form of a communication panel, which also serves as a navigation for visitors. Clients will find important contacts here, as well as information about events in the ZONE and in the BBC5 business centre. A virtual electronic card in the mobile phone is used to enter the ZONE.

Contact between the client and the space is provided by the ZONE application. Through it, it is possible to book coworking spaces or meeting rooms, and at the same time communicate with the community manager. Clients can report their requests or complaints to him in the app.

"When designing the space, we emphasized the use of technology towards maximum comfort and autonomy in movement and work. At the same time, we tried to make the space personal and interact with the client. We want the tenants to get the feeling that they belong here," explains K. Cihová.

Social contact and community building will also be promoted through events. "ZONE is however primarily meant to be a space for professionals to work undisturbed, so our events will be more of a complement than a central activity”, adds K. Cihová.

Greenery as central element

The ZONE design concept is based on the principles of biophilia, which uses greenery to heal and make interior spaces more attractive. All corridors are lined with planted plants, which creates a pleasant unifying element and an unconventional articulation. Thanks to glazing and artificial light imitating natural lighting, an interesting play of light and shadows is created in the corridors.

"We decided to bring greenery into the space as a focal point. Here you can experience the interplay of nature and modern technology, which works perfectly in ZONE despite the apparent contradiction," says Ing. arch. Adam Kubica, founder of adba and author of the ZONE design concept.

The idea of ecology and sustainability is also supported by the maximum use of natural and recyclable materials. Wood is the predominant element, acoustic tiles are made of wood fibre and the service providers are mainly local companies.

Ergonomics played an important role in the design of the spaces. "In coworking spaces, there is often a tendency to shrink the workspaces, as we mostly use laptops. However, at ZONE, we decided to provide a really generous space for each workstation, above and beyond the standards," adds K. Cihová.

Good address and favourable conditions

In ZONE, tenants will get quality office or coworking space in Bratislava's central business zone at very affordable prices. They start from EUR 150 per month for a hot desk rental for an independent professional and the rent includes the use of all community spaces, internet connection, community manager services and even refreshments in the kitchenette.

Furthermore, the terms of the lease allow a high degree of flexibility. In the case of private offices, the minimum lease term is 3 months, in the case of coworking space it is 1 month. Hot desk workplaces can also be used as a one-time access (day pass).

The ZONE concept is also part of the functionality of the building in which it is located. "The ZONE space can also be used by all tenants in the business centre. They can book meeting rooms, place their temporary project teams here, rent a podcast studio. After normal working hours, i.e. after 5 p.m., our community spaces are also available for them to organise events. Thus, ZONE is not just an area for rent, but provides added value to the entire business centre," concludes Katarína Cihová.

Tenants can use the premises 24 hours a day and 7 days a week. ZONE is located in the building of the BBC5 business centre on Plynárenska Street in Bratislava. WOOD Real Estate is also ready to expand it to its other locations.