0 Is WeWork’s $5 Billion Valuation Justified?

Posted on June 9, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bloomberg

Is WeWork onto something here or will this be a passing fad? Time will tell, but if the 90,000 glasses served last month are a litmus test of the future, WeWork is onto something that could transform how “Justin in time” office space is used.

From Bloomberg:

At a basic level, WeWork is a company that sublets office space, taking care of many of the time-consuming hassles involved in self-employment. That’s not the factor, though, that has captured the fancy of venture capital investors, who have pushed the five-year-old company’s valuation to a giddy $5 billion…WeWork has cast itself as a new kind of workplace for the post-recession labor force and a generation that has never known a cubicle. It aspires to make your job a place you never want to quit.

0 Shared Office and Lab Space in Cambridge for Life Science Ventures

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Shared space for life sciences is a has a new host, Mass Innovations Labs, in Kendall Square. The program offers everything from office and bench layouts to EH&S Programs.

From the Boston Globe:

Mass Innovation Labs said Monday that it was opening an “accelerated commercialization space” for companies trying to bring their drugs and devices to market. There also are specialized services available in-house, such as help setting up research contracts and an animal testing and scientific support area run by Charles River Laboratories…The three-story space hosts 10 suites containing a mix of lab and office space ranging from 2,900 to 18,000 square feet. It is backed by Breed’s Hill Capital, a Charlestown firm.

0 On-demand Meeting Rooms in Boston

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Wil Catlin

So, it is best described as office space between Starbucks and any number of the temporary groups that provide contractual services for office space. Breather is space for only when you need it. Imagine that you are interviewing a person that will be replacing a person on your team. The last thing you would want to do is have that meeting internally, you could go to Starbucks, but you might get seen by a coworker. Now come breather, have a meeting in a private space within close proximately to your office and schedule the space for 30 minutes. Best of all, its done from your phone. Boston Realty Advisors has been assisting Breather find new spots in the city.

Credit: bizjournals.com

From the Boston Business Journal:

Bostonians will now have access to five private spaces in the Back Bay and Cambridge area with a tap of their phones, with [Breather] locations that include: 715 Boylston St., two spaces at 36 Gloucester Street, and two spaces at 1158 Mass. Ave. in Harvard Square.

0 Boston Commercial Real Estate Retrospective

Posted on April 13, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Boston office buildings line the skyline

Credit: The Boston Globe

The city of Boston that is home to a wide variety of college, universities, professional sports team, hospitals and companies is changing. We have created the Back Bay, built office tower and now adding more buildings to our skyline. No longer are the tower views home to companies, but residences.

The Boston Globe has put together a retrospective, “A new age for an old town”, tracing the Hub’s commercial transformation. The article notes the following:

Today, Boston Properties, one of the city’s most prolific builders, is developing a 17-story office building on the final parcel within the Prudential complex. Meanwhile, the area around the Pru is exploding with new projects and proposals for hotels and towering residential buildings.

“It’s absolutely extraordinary,” said Bob Richards, a partner at Transwestern RBJ. “What’s driving it is the top-tier labor talent in industries like technology and life sciences. The young people who work for those companies want to live in an urban environment.”

Not coincidentally, the city’s population is rising more rapidly than it has in decades. The total head count rose by nearly 30,000 people, to about 646,000, between 2010 and 2013, according to the US Census Bureau. That’s more population growth in three years than Boston experienced in the 1980s and ’90s combined.

0 New Boston Design Center Showrooms Open

Posted on February 12, 2015 by Wil Catlin

Credit: B&T

After completing $13 million in renovations, Jamestown is proud to announce some new tenants in the Design Center.

From Banker & Tradesman:

Jamestown, a real estate investment and development company headquartered in Atlanta, leases the 550,000-square-foot complex in the 1.4-million-square-foot Innovation and Design Building complex from the city of Boston. The complex contains 550,000 square feet dedicated to luxury home furnishing showrooms along with office and innovation space...Jamestown recently completed more than $13 million in interior renovations at the center, the first major physical updates since it opened in 1985. The project included renovations of the lobby, common spaces and seminar room and new finishes and furniture from design center tenants.

0 Co-Working Office Space Coalition Opens in Downtown Crossing

Posted on December 30, 2014 by Wil Catlin

co-working coalition in downtown crossing Boston

Credit: Bostinno.Streetwise.co

Coalition is the latest to enter the shared workspace environment, opening in Downtown Crossing at 101 Arch Street.

Coalition opened in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood in February. “The setting is no doubt part of Coalition’s charm. At 101 Arch St., the 7,060-square-foot office boasts a fantastic view over The Hub and no shortage of restaurants and bars nearby for post-work winding down. (The area has also attracted collaborative working spaces in the area including WeWork, Techstars and even CIC Boston/Space with a Soul.),” according to an article on Bostinno.Streetwise.co. “Coalition aims to differentiate by partnering with MIT Enterprise Forum of Cambridge and other similar organizations to give young entrepreneurs the chance to work with seasoned local professionals. It’s a pretty impressive community, too, with venture capital and private equity investors and veteran entrepreneurs (with two to four founded firms under their belts) alike.”

Follow the link to read the complete Bostinno.Streetwise.co article.