5 Popular New LA Office Space Solutions That Came Out Of The Pandemic

With Los Angeles, CA office space shuttered and stay-at-home advisories in place, Los Angeles companies were advised to work from home for a number of months. As restrictions eased, LA-based companies realized that working from home was no longer a sustainable solution, instead seeking ways to return to office space without compromising on safety.

As a result, a number of innovative Los Angeles office space solutions have gained traction for those in all sectors – tech, media, financial, and entertainment, to name just a few. For those in search of novel office solutions in Los Angeles that help maximize employee safety, cost-efficiency, and flexibility, check out these 5 types of alternative Los Angeles office space solutions that have gained traction during the pandemic.

Outdoor Office Space

With concerns around airflow and ventilation in offices as it relates to the spread of COVID-19, companies had to find new commercial real estate solutions to minimize risk. One coworking provider, Second Home, came up with an innovative way to do just that in their Los Angeles office location. The company leased 50,000 square feet of parking lot space and converted it into “garden office space”. They replaced the parking lot blacktop with soil and greenery to build 60 separate garden offices for its members to use. With clear walls and a ventilation system that uses fresh air, these spaces offer employees access to a dedicated workspace in which they can not only feel safer, but can also enjoy the myriad benefits of a green work environment — such as Vitamin D and improved mental health, to name a few. Additionally, because of Los Angeles’s temperate climate, Los Angeles-based workers can enjoy outdoor office space year-round.

Hotel Workspace

With the travel industry negatively impacted by the pandemic, players in the Los Angeles hospitality space have had to come up with a new business strategy. One way in which many Los Angeles hotel owners have done so is by converting available rooms into workspace, available for rental on a daily basis. This is the perfect solution for employees with chaotic home environments, and need a respite from distractions such as rowdy children or building construction. For example, boutique hotel brand Proper Hospitality, with California locations in Los Angeles, Palm Springs, and San Francisco, recently teamed up with coworking provider Industrious in order to transform their available rooms into temporary workspace. Besides workspaces, hotel “office” options generally include:

• Tea and coffee
• High-speed WiFi
• Printing services
• Televisions
• Private bathrooms
• Snacks
• Thorough cleaning services between uses of space

There may also be options for contactless check-in, as well as discounts for longer rental periods. This creative solution has been a boon for both workers in the Los Angeles area who have become disillusioned with a total work-from-home lifestyle, seeking a safe location outside of the home in which to work, and Los Angeles-based companies looking to find an easy, comprehensive solution to meet their employees’ needs for flexible office space.

All-Inclusive Live-Work Space

With work-from-home mandates, one of the main issues has been employees trying to figure out how to reconfigure their spaces so that they have a suitable office setup. This conundrum has highlighted a need in the market for live/work space. Los Angeles real estate investment banking firm George Smith Partners was able to secure a $14 million loan in order to start construction on a micro-unit development whose suites will contain both living and working space. When the units are available for rent, tenants will benefit from all-inclusive space options as well as flexible leases.

This isn’t the only available live-work solution in the Los Angeles area. Downtown Los Angeles’ 1010 Wilshire also provides a live-work solution to its tenants, with access to a number of workspace amenities including but not limited to: fully-furnished live-work spaces; included utilities; conference rooms equipped with high-tech solutions; networking and entertainment events; mail services; business center services; and more. However, the emergence of more live-work space construction is indicative of a rising need for new, comprehensive residences that accommodate tenants in a multitude of ways.

Part-Time Meeting Space

While the pandemic has prompted some companies to close their offices until further notice, many businesses are recognizing that there is no substitute for the value of in-person collaboration. One flexible solution to this problem is part-time meeting space rentals. Part-time shared office space providers have conference rooms and other workspace available for rent by the hour or day; they’re also fully-managed, cleaned, and sanitized, providing your team a worry-free environment. Teams in the Los Angeles area can find and rent this type of flexible space in order to conduct certain meetings that are best held in person, such as strategy and planning meetings or training sessions, ensuring safety by limiting the number of people present and requiring mask usage.

Office Sharing

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a serious need for office lease flexibility. Historically, landlords have held tenants to a 3-to-10 year lease term and have refused to budge on this point. But when the pandemic hit and employees were forced to work from home, many Los Angeles-based companies looked to terminate or renegotiate their leases due to general uncertainty. This turn of events has evened the playing field between landlords and tenants — whereas landlords once had the power to demand longer-term leases, the pandemic has given today’s tenants much more leverage.

For tenants who now realize they don’t want to (or aren’t in a place to) sign a long-term lease, one flexible option in particular has been popular — office-sharing. Office sharing marketplace sites like PivotDesk allow Los Angeles-based companies to find listings online and rent a portion of an office space on a month-to-month basis, allowing them to make agile decisions about their commercial real estate needs. Office sharing offers more of a private atmosphere than coworking, since you’re typically only sharing space with one company. Shared space also comes in any size, whether you are looking for space for 2 people or 20.

The flexibility of these innovative office space options has greatly appealed to businesses in the Los Angeles area, and we can expect that more diverse, flexible office space solutions will continue to gain traction as companies look to optimize their commercial real estate.

If you’re looking to start your search for office space in any Los Angeles neighborhoods, we can help. Contact us today to get started.