Boasting views of the historic City Hall and the Old South Meeting House, Workbar’s Downtown coworking space combines the modern with the classic.
The 17K sq. ft. space opened in September, and offers a combination of open work space, quiet work space, and private call rooms and offices.
“I would say our physical layout is 80 percent open space and 20 percent private space,” said Sarah Travers, CEO of Workbar.
With interior design by Vince Pan at Analogue Studio, the 24 School Street location is structured into “neighborhoods”, various types of small workspaces that each cater to a different style of working. There’s the cafe neighborhood if members prefer a more social coffee shop atmosphere, the study neighborhood if members need to hunker down and get work done in a library setting, as well as private office spaces that are available at a higher level of membership for companies.
“I think that everybody works productively in a different manner and it’s really short-sighted to think that you can call a coworking space one big open room and expect everyone to be productive at the same time,” said Travers. “Workbar has evolved this layout over the past ten years, and I feel like we finally found our winning formula.”
Workbar offers three different levels of membership: Its general membership includes access to all of the neighborhoods within a space as well as entry to Workbar’s numerous locations. The next step up is its private offices, which accommodate one to eight people, then its Enterprise Suites, which can accommodate up to 30 people and can be branded to reflect a company.
The structure of Workbar’s coworking space is made to promote a balance between work and life: Travers’ goal is that members get more out of their day than just productivity. She aims to make Workbar a place where people can get work done, but also where they can enjoy spending time.
“The greenery, the air filtration, the sound masking, the lighting; all of that is thoughtfully and meticulously designed to enhance the well-being of the people who work in our space,” said Travers.
By providing social areas within the downtown Workbar location as well as by holding events in the space, Workbar aims to promote connection. At the front desk, a member board announces the members who are working there that day, as well as any upcoming events.
In the future, Workbar plans to continue its expansion into suburban areas. With locations in Cambridge, Burlington, Salem, and more, Workbar aims to continue focusing on creating more locations in underserved areas. That way, members can hop from location to location, depending on their needs that day.
“There’s a real need for this type of community, this innovative community in the suburbs and that’s where we're looking to continue to grow going forward,” said Travers.
