Flexible workspaces expected to rise to about 10 million sq ft by 2020

India has emerged as the second largest market for co-working in the APAC region, after China. Reports indicate that co-working was the fastest growing sector in commercial real estate last year and will continue to grow exponentially this year as well.

In 2018, flexible office space crossed 6 million sq ft, according to CBRE—over 50 per cent higher than the previous year. This was also the year several players entered the country and set up operations. And in the first three months of 2019 alone, flexible working spaces have leased nearly 3 million sq ft commercial realty, a 70 per cent increase on a quarterly basis. 

Today, there are close to 200 co-working operators running an estimated 400+ facilities across the country. Notably, the five major co-working players in India—Regus, WeWork, CoWrks, Awfis, Smartworks—have 0.79 million sq m (8.5 million sq ft) operational space, as per Knight Frank. Private equity players have also been looking to invest in co-working startups. One prominent example is that of Sequoia Capital, which invested $ 20 million in mid-2017 in Awfis.

Cities on the high 

Bengaluru, Mumbai and Delhi house the biggest concentration of co-working spaces in the country, with about 70 per cent of India’s start-ups. Data suggests Bengaluru was at the top, garnering maximum activity. However, in Q12019, a visible shift occurred with Hyderabad emerging as the leading city for co-working space taken up.

“From the second half of 2018 onwards, we began seeing demand for flexible workspaces go up in Tier-II cities,” says Harsh Lambah, Country Manager-India, IWG Plc. Adds Sidharth Menda, Founder & Vice Chairman, CoWrks, “Multinational companies, SMEs and start-ups are increasingly setting up their base in cities like Hyderabad and Chennai.”

SERAPHINA D’SOUZA

Skyview by Empyrean is Making Benchmarks in the Indian Ropeway Industry

FIL Industries Private Limited, the parent company of Empyrean Skyview Projects that pioneered ropeway mobility solutions in India with Jammu’s Skyview Gondola, is currently developing the Dehradun-Mussoorie ropeway and is on track to complete Phase I by September 2026. The ropeway is set to be India’s longest passenger aerial monocable covering 5.8 km between the foothills of Dehradun in Purkulgam and MDDA taxi stand in the hills of Mussoorie in just under 20 minutes. The firm pioneered green mobility solutions in India with the development of the flagship Skyview Gondola in Jam..

Creativity is for Humans, Productivity is for Robots!

On most construction sites, the rhythm of progress is measured by the clang of steel, the hum of machinery and the sweat of thousands. But increasingly, new sounds are entering the mix: the quiet efficiency of algorithms, the hum of drones overhead, and the precision of robotic arms at work. Behind the concrete and cables, an invisible force is taking hold: data. It is turning blueprints into living simulations, managing fleets of machines, and helping engineers make decisions before a single brick is laid. This is not the construction of tomorrow; it is the architecture of today – built on ..

Bhartiya Urban Unveils ‘Bhartiya Converge’ GCC Enablement Platform

Bhartiya Urban has launched Bhartiya Converge, its latest business venture designed to become India’s premier platform for enabling Global Capability Centres (GCCs). The initiative offers an integrated ecosystem aimed at helping global clients gain a competitive edge in today’s rapidly evolving business environment. Focused on enhancing turnaround time and operational efficiencies, the company seeks to deliver better business outcomes powered by top-tier talent. Bhartiya Converge presents a customised and integrated suite of microservices that addresses the nuanced and evolving operational..