Check out: The Work Project at OUE Downtown is a new and very stylish co-working space

The Work Project at OUE Downtown looks at first like your garden variety designer co-working space, but founder Junny Lee insists there's more to this new shared office concept than just aesthetics.

"What makes us different is that we employ design thinking," he says, meaning "we study how workers today make use of their offices and create a space that is both beautiful and functional." The goal, he adds, is to be "like the Apple of co-working spaces."

That means, an intuitive space that adapts itself to the user's needs. So instead of just hiring an interior designer to prettify the 21,000 sq ft space, he worked with Six Ideas, a workplace strategist company to learn how best to design the premises.

"A study done by Six Ideas showed that 85 per cent of meetings comprise groups of four or less," says Mr Lee. Such meetings tend to be for collaborative discussions, unlike five to 10 years ago when meetings were for broadcasting messages to staff.

With that in mind, interior design firm Hassell created 13 small meeting rooms, and a handful of big ones. Unlike other co-working spaces which charge for the use of meeting rooms, members of The Work Project can use them for free, says Mr Lee.

Last October, he opened the first Work Project in Hong Kong, which has since won several design awards.

Its OUE Downtown location offers members several options: hot desking, private desks and offices of various sizes. In addition, there are numerous breakout spaces, where small groups can gather for discussions.

Another nugget of information gleaned from a Six Ideas study was that the average worker spends only 45 per cent of his day at his desk. "This means workers today are more mobile," says Mr Lee. So even though members have their own desks, they are free to work in any of the open spaces too.

The Work Project is broadly divided into three sections: a shared and open space in the centre, where the hot desks are, private offices on one side and shared services such as the reception lounge, and meeting rooms on the other.

"Since The Work Project's open areas are in the central core, this encourages members to mingle with each other," says Mr Lee.

Also, taking centrestage in the office is a swanky pantry, where OUE Downtown tenant The Providore will be selling breakfast and lunch items. The famed Omotesando Koffee will also be opening a counter here, at the entrance of The Work Project. It will cater not only to members, but also to the public.

While other co-working spaces have that gentlemen's club feel or geeky crowd vibe, Mr Lee decided to go with a gender neutral scheme for The Work Project, choosing a black-and-white theme.

Hot-desking rates start from S$295 monthly, while private offices are S$650 to S$1,000 per person per month.

"The Work Project is about creating spaces which are beautiful, functional and most importantly where people can get work done," says Mr Lee.

Visit The Work Project at OUE Downtown 6A Shenton Way, 04-01

Written by Tay Suan Chiang for The Business Times