WeWork

WeWork

The first ever WeWork was launched in 2010 in Soho, Manhattan, New York City. In a world where work had been driven by a sense of formality and rigidity for eons, two entrepreneurial minds came together to challenge this notion. Adam Neumann was running a clothing company called Krawlers which made clothes with padded knees for infants and Miguel Mckelvey, his now business partner, was a lead architect at a small firm. Working in the same building, they saw immense potential in an unoccupied space within the building where Green Desk was launched in 2008. It was the first coworking space that the two founded. Recycled furniture and electricity from wind power were its main elements with a focus on sustainability. Soon, they stumbled upon the realisation that while sustainability could be a part of any venture they started, the future of work lay in something else entirely. With this in mind they sold Green Desk to their landlord, Joshua Guttman and two years later, WeWork was born.

An excerpt from a note from the founders reads, ‘When we started this journey, we were searching for the right way to understand and describe the way we were feeling about the world and the impact we knew we could have on it. We were certain that the premise of being better together, of being connected to real people in real life, of being part of a community, would be a part of everything we did going forward. But we didn’t have a simple way of describing it. After months of discussion, it suddenly came to one of our good friends in the middle of the night: We. We work, we live, we sleep, we eat, we play, we learn, we grow, we give…And thus we started — first with WeWork — creating a world where people make a life and not just a living by leveraging space, technology, design and most importantly community’ and community became one of the most solidifying values for WeWork.'

WeWork

Come 2018, WeWork already has locations in 22 countries of the world, each embodying it’s core principles with utmost pride. And this year it came to our city, Gurugram. As one enters, the sense of ease, freedom and frolic that the space emanates instantly sinks in. An expansive atrium on the ground floor has a spiral staircase leading up to intelligently designed conference rooms, private offices, and lounges. I see pet dogs casually walking around with their owners, a Blue Tokai counter at the center of the courtyard serving delicious coffee, banners for events such as pub crawls exclusive to WeWork members, some pop ups which would strike the fancy of the ambitious and driven crowd pouring in--that of Doodlage and a brand selling organic health products. The pop ups and events change every few days, successfully synthesizing work and leisure. ‘As part of WeWork’s increasing footprint in India, WeWork Bristol Chowk is the first location in NCR after successfully launching three locations in Bengaluru and two in Mumbai. The space accommodates 1,400 desks. Besides WeWork’s signature elements, the space features an Honesty Market (paid F&B section), Nooks (casual meeting spaces), Phone Booths (private calling stations), Wellness & Quiet Room, high speed internet, Game Room, fully stocked pantries, beer on tap and a pet friendly space’ The WeWork India Chief Executive Officer, Karan Virwani tells me. 

WeWork

The company’s initiatives lie in facilitating growth, creativity, innovation and success. On asking Karan about the journey of Bristol Chowk since its launch, he comments, ‘Our journey in Delhi NCR has just begun and we aim to create value not only to our members, but also to the building and the neighbourhood.’ Any space such as this is guaranteed to give a high return on the investment but what does the customer segment look like? Given that large companies have their own offices, young entrepreneurs seem the most likely to bag memberships, but is this the case? ‘We have received a great response from freelancers, Small and medium sized enterprises and even large enterprises as the NCR’s office real estate market remains the second-most preferred destination for occupiers across the country, grabbing 18% market share, only behind Bengaluru. It is also located at the vicinity of various MNCs and startups. Across WeWork locations, 45 percent is occupied by enterprise and 55 percent by Startups, Freelancers and SMEs’. Furthermore, WeWork stands as an epitome for blurring the lines between fun and work through its diverse events. ‘All our events are designed to engage our members such as the recently organised networking event, TiE meet up session or a fun Bacardi Mixers event. We regularly hold Thank God Its Monday! Events to beat away the Monday blues and do book launches for our members. While these events are a part of our culture, we are also looking at some interesting art exhibits, pop-ups, workshops, Ivy Mixers and more meetups for our members to unwind from work and exchange creative experiences.’ Karan reveals. Given the innumerable perks of a WeWork membership, one sees bright prospects for the brand’s entry into the region with Bristol Chowk and a few more WeWork locations lined up to launch at prime locations across the captial.

WeWork Karan Virwani, CWEO, WeWork India

Karan Virwani, CWEO, WeWork India

This happens to be the sixth WeWork location in India but what sets it apart from the other five? How does it embody the spirit of its surroundings and ensure a sense of belonging to one’s city as members walk in? ‘Our spaces are designed in a way that connects to the roots of the city and take inspiration from history. When we enter any new market, we learn about the local market and bring in local designers and architects to think through the needs of our local members and the unique characteristics of each building and neighborhood. Gurgaon is home to Fortune 500 companies and features good restaurants and retail shopping nearby. The double height atrium is the main feature of Bristol Chowk, and designed to be the core of the building that contains a main lounge and floating pantry for members. The art in the space has taken inspiration from the history of Delhi and is connected to the roots of the city. The artwork in WeWork Bristol Chowk has been hand painted by WeWork’s Art and graphics Team. Further the artwork near the Hot desks and dedicated desks areas are inspired by Lodhi Gardens in Delhi. It also contains the tombs of Lodhis, who ruled parts of northern India. Peeking into the ground floor from first floor, a Maruti car artwork is placed and inspired by headquarters of Maruti Suzuki India Limited in Delhi. They established a manufacturing plant in Gurgaon in the 1970’s, which was the main reason for the city’s economic growth back then. Inspiration for the artwork in the game zone comes from Doordarshan, India’s largest and oldest broadcasting organization.’ 

Text Supriya Jain