Office envy: Some of the most inspirational flexible office spaces in Europe

As workplaces begin to reopen, many of us are looking forward to getting back into the office to see co-workers and be back in a creative, collaborative space.

However, staff expectations have changed during the pandemic and, with more pressure on offices to be designed to fit into the modern workforce, flexible office specialist, Workthere, has curated a list of some of the most inspirational flexible office spaces that it lists in Europe.

Hawley Wharf by LABS, London
Owned by LABS, Hawley Wharf goes beyond just aesthetic design. Inspired by the hospitality industry, the building has been created based on the understanding of human behaviours and social interactions.

Described as a sophisticated, beautiful, calm and warm environment, Hawley Wharf has combined muted colours and natural materials to evoke a sense of timelessness, promoting relaxation in the space. The use of large windows allows natural light to flood the building, helping to make people feel their best and, in turn, more productive, while its location next to Regent’s Canal provides a tranquil outdoor space for people to enjoy. It is also a stone’s throw from vibrant Camden Market.

Hawley Wharf’s considered design with high quality amenities, including an on-site gym, range of meeting rooms and breakout space, provides a perfect space also to facilitate collaboration.

Grosvenor Street by The Space, London
Stylish meeting rooms are combined with a number of thoughtfully placed break out areas, designed to encourage relaxation to break up the working day. The interior design of this space has deliberately married up new and sleek architecture with the building’s core original features.

The design process during the refurbishment was mindful of the building’s original features, maintaining the sweeping staircase through the middle of the building and many period features throughout. It is situated close to Mayfair, providing great public transport links.

The Lennox Building by Iconic Offices, Dublin (pictured)
The Lennox Building is a unique Grade A property, one of a few of its kind in Dublin. Awarded WELL v2 GOLD Certified, The Lennox Building is the first WELL v2 certified project in Ireland and the first certified flexible workspace in Europe.

Unsurprisingly, the office space was designed with well-being and productivity of its users in mind. With live planting throughout, high-quality heating and ventilation systems, a rooftop garden terrace, sit-stand desks, healthy snacks, on-site bike parking and a wellness events programme, it is clear that all elements of this space have been considered and contribute to a sustainable working environment. Furthermore, with excellent transport links and cycle lanes, the office space promotes eco-friendly travel for all its users.

Tara Street by The Tara Building, Dublin
This bright and airy space provides an environment for workers to display their creative energy. The décor features an abundance of plants and salvaged timber and combines areas for privacy in the way of meeting rooms with collaborative communal breakout space. There’s also an eye-catching bamboo roof-top garden within the office, which provides spectacular views of the city.

Teleport Boulevard 130 by ScaleHub, Amsterdam
This office space in Amsterdam was created to allow optimal use of light in the offices. The boutique atmosphere has been specifically crafted by combining design classics with standard furniture. Boasting a roof top garden and separate meeting rooms, public function rooms have been centralised around the lifts, to ensure they are accessible for the entire building.

The office building has a beautiful inner garden. The lighting in the building is screen-friendly, so that the office is always well lit, but your screen remains clearly visible.

The Cloud by Regus, Amsterdam
The Cloud is an innovative building that provides workers with the very best cutting-edge designs, located in the heart of the capital city. The huge glass windows maximise the benefits of natural light, whilst an extensive atrium area gives access to various types of offices, including standing desks.

The open layout provides the perfect space for social interaction amongst colleagues, while the building also boasts a roof top garden and terrace with picturesque views of the Amsterdam river.

22 Boulevard Malesherbes by Kwerk Madeleine, Paris
Designed by architect Albert Angel, this office design is completely unique in its interior. Making full use of the natural stone of the original building, the walls and pillars are carved with numerous designs, which surround the user and evoke feelings of pure creativity.

The open plan office also blends standard desks and chairs with more comfortable sofas and armchairs, combining the more formal and social aspects of the working day together. This provides an overall feeling of peace and calm within the workspace.

Grand Hôtel-Dieu by Wojo, Lyon
The office is a brand-new design placed within a historic site in the French city of Lyon. The listed building received World Heritage status in 1998 and was classified as a French historical monument in 2011. Once the oldest hospital in Lyon, the space has been recently renovated and the breathtakingly spacious area combines a blend of meeting rooms of various sizes with open plan relaxation areas.

All workspaces are equipped with contemporary furniture, finishing and lighting to provide a feeling of modernisation within a snapshot of French history. The site is also a stone’s throw away from local cafes and has great transport links in the city centre.

Carrer dels Pinzón by Utopicus, Barcelona
Located in the modern neighbourhood of Barceloneta, the building is one of the best examples of cutting-edge technology in Barcelona. Its innovative design combines a tower and a transversal building, which generates a vertical growth volume that is divided into different bodies at different scales.

Inside, the space serves as a link between the city and the sea, which can be seen throughout the building’s chosen colour palette and textures.

Caracas 6 by Sharing CO, Madrid
The two-floor layout incorporates a workspace with an extensive outdoor area and large open plan kitchen to allow people to socialise. With windows across every side of the premises, there is a lot of natural light that maximises the spacious feel, whilst the interior décor is laced with plants and exposed pillars to provide a feeling of warmth to the environment. The use of neutral colours within the office also ensures a peaceful working atmosphere.

Köpenicker Straße 40 – 41 by Techspace, Berlin
The brief for this office space was to retain as much of the character of this historically significant 19th century ice storage warehouse as possible, whilst also making it work as a modern and flexible office space, and they achieved this by exposing original features in the building and letting them shine.

To achieve this, Paul Alexander, Director of Design at Techspace says: “Techspace believes that every building has a story to tell.  From exposing the structure of floors, walls, columns and beams to stripping away unnecessary finishes to reveal the textures beneath, we believe displaying the story of a building creates an environment for people, and businesses to write their own.”

The office space also boasts excellent transportation links and technological infrastructures to ensure people can be connected, whether that is physically or virtually.

Kurfürstendamm 11 by WeWork, Berlin
This building has an interior design inspired by the seaside in order to create a relaxed and refreshing atmosphere. The combination of shades of blue, stainless steel and light wood with reflective tiles really captures the essence of the beach. Floor to ceiling windows flood the office with light whilst providing views of the German capital, and a large open kitchen area gives off an almost café like communal vibe to promote social interaction in the workplace.

“Some of the most inspirational flexible office spaces in Europe are the ones that are really putting their customers at the heart of their designs, ensuring the spaces work for the end user, while also promoting productivity and well-being in the workplace,” said Workthere’s Global Head Cal Lee.

“The importance put on the use of colours, textures and materials within these buildings, and how they can have an impact on the end user’s wellbeing and emotions, is especially fascinating and goes to show that every single aspect of the space has a reasoning behind it.

“Furthermore, it’s great to see companies prioritising good transportation links to encourage employees to commute to work in a more eco-friendly manner and incorporating features like roof top gardens and live planting to encourage wildlife in urban areas – all trends we can expect to see growing over the next year.”