A former CBRE build-to-rent senior director has launched a flexible working venture, aiming to open up to five spaces per year across the capital and the Home Counties by 2023.
Arthur McCalmont’s Agora Spaces will open its first serviced office in August at 5-9 Quality Court, Holborn, WC2.
McCalmont, who left CBRE in 2019, told EG he plans to bring his 15 years of expertise from the agency and Grainger into the office sector, creating a workspace that is a “home away from home” for tenants.
“We wanted to design something that feels warm and collective and has a big nod to the home office,” he said. “The remote working trend is continuing, and that’s what commercial tenants deserve. For too long they have been under-serviced.”
He added: “With my residential background we brought a lot of those traits to the design side and we have laid that on top of really good flexible space.”
McCalmont is joined at Agora by the former London general manager of IWG, Cheryl McClurg, who has worked in the flex sector for two decades before becoming chief operating officer at the new venture. Edward Musoke is the building manager.
Agora’s first site will offer five serviced offices set across the five-storey building, ranging from 1,582 sq ft to 2,322 sq ft of space and with prices from £15,850 per month to £24,800 per month respectively.
Marketed as “an oasis of calm,” they will include customisable open-plan desk areas, kitchens and communal spaces, meeting rooms and an app through which they will be managed in-house.
McCalmont said the building, which is owned by Colville Property Limited, has been refurbished using sustainable materials, and will include three beehives on the roof run in conjunction with the Bee Friendly Trust.
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