Age: Arguably the first special office was the Old Admiralty Building in Whitehall, completed in 1726, from which the Royal Navy was commanded. Appearance: A work-oriented volume of air enclosed by walls, floor and ceiling. Full of desks and chairs and clocks to watch? Traditionally, yes. Are there coffee and tea facilities? Ideally. What about a ping pong table? This depends on YOU. It’s just space – fill it as you like. How much space are we talking about? Approximately 2.88m sq m (31m sq ft). Ha. Does this figure include wardrobes? This includes all available office space for rent in London. I’m not good with numbers, but it sounds like a lot. It is about 2.88 square kilometers (712 acres) and is 50% more than the mere 1.8 square meters available in the capital in 2019. When was the last time there was this much empty office space in London? Possibly never. Even in the wake of the 2008 crash, the number peaked at 2.6 square meters. Is it because everyone is still working from home? Undoubtedly. At some points during the pandemic, office occupancy rates were close to zero. Part of the shift to hybrid work is clearly permanent. I guess that means office lets are cheap. The value of office space in the capital has fallen by around 25%, but the market is actually quite polarized. Polarized how? Among second-rate, older office blocks, of which there is an overabundance and quality prestige space, where even in these trying times supply cannot meet demand. Because this? Storefront spaces are what businesses want as they try to lure their employees back into the daily commute. What might the storefront office space consist of? Google’s new nearly 92,000-square-meter building, due for completion in 2024, will feature a 25-meter swimming pool, basketball and tennis courts, and a rooftop garden with 250 trees. I’m not tempted. I can’t see Google offering you a job, to be honest. No need to bother. I like to work in my bedroom. What it lacks in exercise space and facilities, it makes up for in being far away from my boss. Isn’t it hard for you to concentrate? Sorry, what? sighs heavily Say: “Can you squeeze in a quick meeting between office tennis and swimming at work?” Don’t say, “Actually, it’s my day off. I just came in to warm up.”
