On Thursday 7th March 2019, the inaugural ceremony of the Hubble Office of the Future Awards (HOFFAs) took place. For the very first time, over a hundred figures from the flexible workspace industry gathered together to celebrate all that is innovation in the commercial property sector.
In putting together these Awards, our goal was to give those who have built unique and innovative workspaces the recognition they deserve – for the outstanding work they do creating places where people want to go to work.
We wanted to come at it with a fresh perspective – that meant no sponsors sweeping up all of the prizes, excellent tunes on the go (thanks to Adam, Head of Customer Success), and some super-cool trophies for the winners to take home at the end of it. All helped along with delicious gyozas by VietVan and washed down with an array of beverages from Libation Station.
What resulted was a fantastic evening where colleagues, counterparts and yes, rivals, from across the industry came together to celebrate what they work so hard for, and where the best of the flexible workspace sector picked up their well-deserved awards.
So, without further ado, here’s the roundup of the winners and runners up in of each of the twelve categories:
Innovative Business Model
The aim of this category was to highlight workspaces who have developed smart and innovate solutions in leasing and/or licensing, in any area from legals to design.
Winner: Work.Life
The judges felt that Work.Life fully deserved this award because of the way that they use ground floor spaces to activate the ground plane. For landlords, de-risking of space is a smart way to animate and activate it, put it in the market at an affordable rate, and solve the problem where retail and F&B businesses won’t take a traditional lease.
Runners Up: Creative Works & Workspace Group
Community Focus Award
In the Community Focus Award, we wanted to showcase those who have succeeded in creating a genuine and active community in their workspace, be it through benefits, events, or mentoring schemes.
Winner: Accelerator London
The judges felt that Accelerator London thoroughly deserved to win this category because they clearly prioritise community first and business model second. They target grassroots community (students) and had very impressive impact metrics last year. They’re clearly nurturing talent the right way!
Runners Up: Work.Life and Creative Works
Design of the Future Award
In the past few years, there has been a surge in the number of design-led offices on offer in the flexible office industry – giant slides and murals are no longer exclusively for the Googles and Virgins of this world, and we wanted to shine a light on the spaces that have made forward-thinking design available to today’s generation of businesses.
Winner: The Office Group: White Collar Factory
TOG: White Collar Factory won this category because their building aims to improve occupant wellbeing and satisfaction through enabling them to control their local environment, but also through providing facilities for physical activity.
For example, its cooling system is one of the first of its kind in Central London, and they even have a rooftop running track for the more active of their members!
Runners Up: The Ministry & Second Home
Health & Wellness Award
The recent focus on health and wellness in workspace is one that Hubble is fully in support of. Flexible office providers have now acknowledged the importance of providing facilities, services, and events that promote the betterment of their members, and our nominees were amongst the best at doing this.
Winner: One Heddon Street
The winner, One Heddon Street, got the top spot because it’s the first WELL Platinum certified office in Europe, and has been built with the wellbeing of its members in mind. It boasts features such as adjustable sit-stand desks, internal planting and a living wall, extensive use of natural light, and filtered water throughout, to support the health and wellbeing of all those using the space.
Runners Up: Benk+Bo and Proper Office
Best Value for Money Award
Good quality office space doesn’t have to break the bank. In this category, we celebrated those workspaces that give users the most bang for their buck. This was a super competitive category, getting the most applications by far. But there could only be one winner!
Winner: Brunel Offices Moorgate
The judges felt that Brunel Offices (now OurSpace), merited this award because they have managed to keep extremely well-priced, accessible rates relative to their prime locations – including for small private offices and relative to the market and competitors.
Runners Up: Canvas Office & Airspace Soho
Earth-Friendly Award
Any space that makes a concerted effort to help the environment is a winner in our eyes. This category was dedicated to those who strive for sustainability and who make it a priority to look after tomorrow’s world.
Winner: Second Home
Second Home has become synonymous with “the plant-filled workspace”, making it super earth-friendly. Over 1,000 pot plants and trees have been installed in the space – which, as well as making it a lovely place to work, also does wonders for the environment. They were also able to eliminate the air-conditioning system and create a radiant floor system with natural ventilation taken from the ones used in a conventional greenhouse.
Runners Up: 3Space and Creative Works
Family-Friendly Award
Juggling a family and a career is no mean feat, and fortunately the flexible office industry has begun to recognise the extent to which family-friendly facilities can transform lives. Services offered by our nominees varied from childcare and breast-feeding rooms to being pet-friendly, allowing members more day-to-day flexibility.
Winner: Cuckooz Nest
The judges felt that Cuckooz Nest fully deserved to win this category due to their dedication to making the lives of parents are easy as possible. Their facilities are revolutionary – they have a wonderful crèche, OFSTED registered staff, darkened sleeping room, breastfeeding area, interactive arts and crafts, and even a climbing soft play area. On top of this, they have a fantastic community of staff and members – all excellent support mechanisms for working parents.
Runners Up: Second Home & Huckletree
Iconic Space of the Year
The nominees for this category encompassed workspaces in some of London’s most unique, long-standing and stylish buildings.
Winner: WeWork Poultry
The winner of this category, WeWork Poultry, won this award because they have managed to infiltrate one of London’s dominant and distinctive buildings within the financial district in the City of London.
Runners Up: The Dock and TOG: The Shard
Dedication to Hospitality Award
We often cite the similarities between the flexible office and hotel industries, and this category really echoes that idea. Nominees in this category were like 5-star hotels – their staff go above and beyond to offer top-notch service, and they offer facilities such as gyms, yoga rooms, sleep rooms, staff training, cafes, restaurants, and bars.
Winner: LEO
The judges felt that LEO in particular excelled at giving the 5* hotel experience – with lots of helpful staff onsite, the option to order hot food to meeting rooms, and waiting service in the lounges. They also offer a concierge-style approach to service and business support.
Runners Up: Canvas: Luke Street and Fora
Promoting Diversity Award
As the industry moves forward, it’s important to do so in the right way – understanding the needs of everybody. This category was dedicated to the workspaces that do their best to support diverse groups in their workspaces, by engaging with the specific needs of different companies, ages, genders, and backgrounds.
Winner: Blooming Founders
The judges all felt unanimous in their decision that Blooming Founders was the worthy winner of this award, due to their laser-sharp focus on inclusion in their female-friendly workspace. They have grown over the last year and created additional space for their community, sometimes against the odds.
Runners Up: Halkin Monument & Bathtub 2 Boardroom
People’s Champion Award
One category was not judged by our panel of esteemed judges – but by the general public. Nominees across all of the categories worked hard to rally the troops and get their members to vote for them. At the end of the voting period, after over 8,600 votes had been cast, Work.Life were elected the People’s Champion!
Winner: Work.Life
Runners Up: eporta & Cuckooz Nest
Hubble’s Office of the Future 2019
And finally, the big one. The offices nominated in the Hubble Office of the Future category ticked all of the boxes: they’re innovative, commercially successful, and above all, places people truly love to work in.
Winner: LABS House
The judges felt that LABS House deserved this accolade because their latest buildings offer an outstanding and one-of-a-kind combination of facilities, design, and flexibility. They are true innovators and trailblazers in the workspace industry.
“If the future of workspace looks like this – we’ll be in good hands.”
Runners Up: Mindspace, Workspace Group & The Ministry
