Industrious, AvalonBay Launch Flex Space for Residential Properties
By Greg Cornfield September 28, 2022 3:50 pm
reprints
There’s working from home, and now there’s having work at your home.
Flexible workplace company Industrious and multifamily REIT AvalonBay Communities launched in Southern California this week what they call a first-of-a-kind partnership between a coworking operator and a residential developer. The concept, called Second Space, aims to bring “the workplace closer to home” to meet changing work habits accelerated by the pandemic.
The concept’s initial pilots are located in 1,400 square feet at the 154-unit Avalon Monrovia at 821 South Myrtle Avenue in Los Angeles County, and 2,400 square feet at the recently completed 653-unit Avalon Brea at 185 South State College Boulevard in the Orange County city of Brea. The developments feature flexible workspaces and offices on the ground level for residents and outside tenants, and Second Space connects users to Industrious locations around the country.
The strategies stem from the newfound focus on flexibility and the unwillingness to commute of workers who still require professional workspace. And about 58 percent of Americans report having the opportunity to work from home at least one day a week, according to a June survey by McKinsey & Company. Thirty-five percent have been offered the ability to work remotely on a full-time basis.
“The evolution of work is showing that most workers don’t want to commute daily to office spaces, but don’t want to work from home every day either,” Industrious co-founder and CEO Jamie Hodari said. “Solutions like the one offered through this first-of-its-kind partnership with AvalonBay fills that gap — meeting employees where they want to be and empowering the individual with a choice they didn’t have before.”
Gregory Cornfield can be reached at gcornfield@commercialobserver.com.
