Coworking

If you follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn, then you might have come across our post announcing a new feature we are a part of which we’re particularly proud of. This is the brand new coffee table book project: ‘Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces’ by Coworkies.

What makes it special? The unique book project about coworking, community & design, represents Coworking in all its capacity on a global scale; showcasing a personal journey around the world of modern workspaces. With a purpose to “inspire the curious, give knowledge to the seekers and encourage the indecisive”, the book is carefully curated with stories of people, spaces and products that are actively transforming the workspaces of today.

Our readers know of our admiration for Coworking and the community who stands for its values. 'Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces’ offers a comprehensive understanding of the diverse coworking world. A guide of how people build new work environments through collaboration, interior design and community activities.

Read on to find out more about the book, its conception and makers, and our involvement in the project.

Why make a book about coworking spaces

For Dimitar Inchev and Pauline Roussel, Co-founders of Coworkies, travelling and visiting coworking spaces has become a way of life. A journey sparked from pure curiosity in 2015, led to a movement and collective that would redefine the significance of coworking and all it has to offer.

From Milan to Barcelona, London and then onto the next (eventually reaching a total of 82 cities), it became clear that Coworking looked different across the map, each with its own culture and reasoning in the respective city. This led to a saying they often use now to describe this:

“Coworking is the same dish that everyone cooks differently”

As of today Dimitar and Pauline have visited more than 250 coworking spaces in 82 cities around the globe.

After accumulating in-depth findings, statistics and surveys of their experiences, and contributing to a variety of leading publications, the pair were often told the phrase: “You should write a book!”.

The rest is history and has resulted in the book project which we crossed paths with.

“The main reason was to welcome people to join us in the journey of meeting the coworking people of the world and hear the stories of their spaces.” - Dimitar Inchev and Pauline Roussel

Ultimately, the purpose is to inspire the general public to learn more about these innovative spaces, for coworking professionals to inspire each other, and to offer readers a valuable, collectable book with information that cannot just be googled.

Where SALTO and our technology comes in

'Around The World in 250 Coworking Spaces’ has 350 pages of inspiration, interiors and stories of people who started and grew coworking, coliving, makerspaces and flexible workspaces, allowing communities to thrive at work in different corners of the world.

Among these pages, was a platform offered to us to contribute our findings as a technology provider and thought leader: Designing an experience around access control systems in Coworking spaces.

This can be done by simplifying operations, connecting to existing management tools and growing coworking communities together, thereby creating a unique journey for a visitor, owner, or manager of a coworking space.

Access control systems are not typically the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about Coworking, yet they are also a constant variable when it comes to these spaces.

In the book, we unravel our motto: “Old ways won’t open new doors”. Put simply, access can be smartly managed and controlled. This is explained by Sales & Business Development Manager of Coworking at SALTO Systems, Christian Schmitz who says in a small excerpt taken from the book:

“The new way of living and working has changed based on the decision-making level and has turned into rethinking concepts. Coworking spaces are based on a really customer-centric approach. What does it mean for us and for access control systems? Being able to provide data which allows applications to improve the customer experience.” - Christian Schmitz, Sales & Business Development Manager of Coworking at SALTO Systems

Where you can find the book and bring it to your coffee table

As of a week ago, the book was launched by Coworkies and is available for pre-order via a Kickstarter campaign that has nearly reached its goal!

Have a look at the campaign to discover how you can back the project and get involved!

For more information, don’t miss the Instagram Live interview below hosted by Pauline, interviewing Christian on SALTO to learn more about access control systems and how they can transform the overall experience in a coworking space for operators and for members.

Thank you, Pauline and Dimitar for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us in this passion project which reflects the world of Coworking in all its forms. We are honoured to play a small part in this project with huge significance.

Looking for more on Coworking? Click here to find out if your skills are up to date for the future of work and click here to learn more about how 2020 has changed remote working forever, and finally stop by here for our top 5 picks for new trends in Coworking.

Don’t want to miss a thing? Sign up for our monthly newsletter on our homepage (look out for the blue banner on top), or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. We love to welcome you there.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Spaceflow: making smarter buildings

Seamless access and movement between buildings where you may live or work are key in curating the best possible tenant experience. Spaceflow, is the integral puzzle piece who can make this happen, delivering software and community engagement services to landlords and building operators across the globe.

How do they achieve this? By combining the physical and digital in order to elevate the experience for occupants; connecting local services, smart building features, and community life in offices and residential buildings, all in a single app. This includes offerings from any local service, like restaurants or wellness providers, booking meeting rooms, receiving news about the building and local events, and of course using the right access control system. This is where SALTO KS steps in.

We spoke with Head of Marketing at Spaceflow, Petr Boruta who has been with the company for more than 3 years. He says, “It has truly been great to see the progress from the very beginning and our first implementation to where we are now with 100+ buildings launched. Our product, the team and the company as a whole have since developed tremendously.” In this blog post, Petr discusses all things Spaceflow and gives us insight into the integration with SALTO KS.

The team behind Spaceflow

Spaceflow app: how it works

Read on to find out everything you need to know about Spaceflow:

Could you please introduce your company to our readers?

Spaceflow’s mission is to empower landlords to create the best tenant experience possible across their portfolios on a global scale.

Spaceflow was created to make buildings smarter and more community-oriented. Through our mobile app and community engagement program, we offer a single link connecting building services, amenities, smart building features, and community, all in one place.

Today, landlords‘ top priority is to minimize vacant space whilst increasing asset value. We solve this problem by boosting tenant loyalty with customized programming and enhanced tenant experiences, effectively increasing tenant satisfaction and retention.

Spaceflow can be summed up as “Your building in one app”. How does the app achieve this?

Spaceflow connects local services, smart building features, and community life in offices and residential buildings which improves integration, collaboration and simplifies daily life.

The app itself has four core modules: smart technology, such as touchless access systems that we integrate from partners like SALTO KS, communication from the landlord and building management via the newsfeed, ticketing and messaging, access to services, amenities and bookings, and finally the possibility to get to know your community better– via events (even virtual!), news from other occupants and neighbours and community sharing.

Simply put, Spaceflow fills that missing gap between you and the building you work or live in.

The Spaceflow engagement program

Community engagement seems to be a vital component of Spaceflow’s offering. Could you share more about the Spaceflow Engagement Program and efforts to drive tenant experience?

We always strive to build communities in which tenants can thrive, by integrating an effective engagement program with the help of our experienced community team. In order for landlords to meet the surging demand for smart solutions and community, we craft experiences for tenants in various shapes and sizes, both on and offline. This means working side by side with clients during the adoption process, organizing regular success meetings, and in-depth training, followed by a tailored marketing strategy and campaign to raise awareness, engagement, and adoption prior to launch.

Once Spaceflow is live, our community team can help with anything from organizing launch events, pop/ups, finding local offers and perks, and tailoring timely, relevant, and engaging content for your community.

The Spaceflow mobile and web app

“We recognize that in a time of increased disconnectedness and loneliness in society at large, it is now more important than ever before to utilize technology as a way to build bridges between people, emphasizing the great need for a community-oriented approach to life in order to motivate optimal tenant health and well-being.” - Petr Boruta, Head of Marketing at Spaceflow

Buildings' digital layer

What is the role of Spaceflow with respect to building management and tenants respectively?

Spaceflow is here to help the building operator or owner with managing the whole building-tenant and building-occupier relation. Today, buildings need to have a digital layer as well as a community engagement strategy in place in order to differentiate from the competition and appeal to tenants.

We also help our clients manage the value of their space by providing data for more precise decision making and enable additional revenue from all transactions by providing their building as-a-service for tenants to enjoy.

Integration of Spaceflow and Salto KS

How does the integration of Spaceflow with SALTO KS benefit the end-users?

Seamless building-access and movement are one of the key cornerstones in creating the best possible tenant experience. The integration of SALTO KS as a provider of digital access control, and Spaceflow as a tenant experience platform, enables just that. Building occupiers can now use the tenant experience app in their mobile phones to unlock doors throughout the building they live or work in.

What would you like to see for the future of this integration with Salto KS?

The next step for our integration is to allow administrators to manage Salto KS users through the Spaceflow admin console and thus reduce the number of apps they have to use on a daily basis.

Thank you, Petr and the rest of the team at Spaceflow, for giving our readers an in-depth understanding of your solutions, products, and services, as well as your view on the future of technology in optimizing tenant experience. We look forward to seeing this unfold, and are equally excited for the future of our partnership.

For more on Spaceflow, you can visit their website here, request a demo, or have a look at their official blog.

If you want to learn more about our KS Connect partners, explore our integration page. To read more about SALTO KS, click here or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest product features, team updates and news from the industry.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control systems are easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

Despite the pandemic which put tourism and coworking on hold for most of 2020, there is hope on the horizon. Remote working and remote culture have since exploded where a majority of the global professional workforce has been urged to stay away from the office. With this, we see a wave of innovation in remote software that will make coworking even more productive and dynamic. This leads us down a path where more people are identifying as digital nomads and the flexible office space industry will only continue in its growth.

In a recent blog post, we introduced the concept of ‘Digital Nomads’; location-independent people who use information and communications technology in the facilitation and practice of their work. You might have seen them in coffee shops or the tech hubs with their Macbook and portable hard drives.

To investigate this subject, we offered up our platform to Andrew Williams, Founder of Remote Tribelife, an online magazine for Digital Nomads and remote working. Andrew shared his insights in the article ‘How Coworking enables Digital Nomads to work from anywhere’ and in this continuation of the subject, he dives further into the subject of how coworking spaces can facilitate the lifestyle and professional needs of Digital Nomads. Read on to find out ‘How Digital Nomads can benefit from Coworking Spaces’.

Digital Nomads hotspots and their need for community belonging

Being on the road all the time is not easy. Seriously, it’s not. Digital Nomads confirm that travelling too often can lead to burnout and seriously disrupt productivity. A “professional” digital nomad will always recommend having a few bases all over the world and stay there a few months at a time. This will allow the remote entrepreneur to settle down, get accustomed to the local culture and start working and exploring.

Access to a good coworking office with an established community is one of the support anchors digital nomads are on the lookout for. It makes a big difference to establish a network of support wherever they are and coworking spaces are just the right place for it.

Coworking, not the beach, yet still the number one choice for Digital Nomads

Working from a beach all day might be the dream of any employee or a business owner. Unfortunately, a lot of digital nomads report that this lifestyle is not productive at all for several reasons: the powerful sunlight obstructs the view of the monitor, you often get sand in the keyboard and you can be easily distracted by loud tourists.

More affordable coworking spaces and great communities are preferred now to beach working. Also, there are more and more flexible office spaces being opened up in popular destinations including Phuket, Bali and Costa Rica.

The benefits of coworking spaces for Digital Nomads

1. Flexibility of choice

Digital Nomads don’t like to be tied down to one place and especially not on long term contracts or commitments. Renting a coworking desk by the day is always a great option allowing the person to pack and go whenever they’re done or if he or she wants to experience another space.

The big brands like IWG and WeWork offer global passes too which enable remote workers to access them wherever they are in the world.

1. Community and network

Even if they travel a lot, remote entrepreneurs and freelancers still want to feel at home wherever they go. Therefore, they will be looking for a familiar coworking space or network that will fulfil their personality and needs. Coworking businesses must understand that if they want to attract digital nomads, It’s not so much about the cool furniture anymore, but about the community and the spirit of the place.

Millennials now view amenities such as foosball tables, free coffee and other freebies as standard, so flexible office owners should work on and emphasise other features if they want to attract this mobile workforce.

1. Exciting destinations all over the world

We’ve all seen the awesome pictures with people and their laptops working from the beach and sipping on a cocktail. Even if it’s almost impossible to work like that, it was proven that open-air coworking spaces and sunlight induce less stress than in a traditional one.

Companies like Dojo in Bali offer digital nomads desks with pool and jungle views for as little as 16$ per day and are open almost non-stop. So yes, if the future is mobile and not city-based, this model will be working just fine.

1. Providing structure and productivity

A workday at home can pass quickly without a commute to separate private life from work responsibilities. As a result, this schedule can make you work extra hours easily every day. After all, not everyone has an iron discipline. You can end up checking your emails from bed or even do a bit of work before your morning coffee.

Coworking spaces offer structure to your day, providing a place to arrive every morning and leave once the work is done.

Whenever you choose to start work each day, you’ll find that using a coworking space will draw a necessary separation line between your private life and professional life, even as a digital nomad. Don’t hesitate to experiment with it.

Thank you, Andrew, for taking the time to give us your insights into the life of a Digital Nomad and walking us through the significance of modern Coworking, for not one, but two insightful articles.

Looking for more? Click here to find out if your skills are up to date for the future of work and click here to learn more about how 2020 has changed remote working forever, and finally stop by here for our top 5 picks for new trends in Coworking.

Don’t want to miss a thing? Sign up for our monthly newsletter on our homepage (look out for the blue banner on top), or follow us on Instagram and LinkedIn. We love to welcome you there.

SALTO KS provides a flexible access control management system that requires no software installation or the added expense of a fully-wired electronic product. Modern cloud-based, wireless access control system is easy and simple to use for businesses including Coworking Spaces, Coliving Buildings, Purpose Built Student Accommodation, Retail, Multi-Tenant Housing, Gyms and many more. Our best in class wireless access control solution and smart locks guarantee the efficiency for your business. Integrate smart locks, start easily managing wireless access control now!

From the experts' point of view, the clear design and intuitive user experience were the main reasons for voting to award the SALTO MyLock Configurator a 2020 ARCHITECTS’ DARLING AWARD. In addition, they positively highlighted the immediate display of configuration changes and the user navigation. SALTO MyLock was clearly above the average of all participants in most evaluation categories.

The award was judged by a jury of communication experts and renowned representatives of top international architecture companies and specifiers. In the course of the evaluation, the jury members answered questions about the brand, the "look & feel," "search results," and open questions about "difficulties," "time required," and "personal impressions." An overall mark was derived from this, which formed the basis for the final ranking.

SALTO MyLock enables specifiers, architects, partners, and end users to individually configure SALTO‘s wire-free electronic door lock components and visualise them on different door types or styles. In addition to the electronic hardware, they can choose from several door models and a wide range of colours, finishes, handles and functions.

The renowned ARCHITECTS' DARLING AWARDS have been awarded by Heinze GmbH for ten years. This year, the awards were judged in 25 product areas, from flooring to technical products. In addition, 12 theme awards were evaluated by a jury. Categories here included "Best Website," "Best Product Innovation," and, new this year, "Best Product Configurator." The Cradle to Cradle Challenge Award, the award for sustainability and corporate responsibility, was also presented again.

MyLock online configurator: https://mylock.saltosystems.com/