The coworking office model proved it’s here to stay when SoftBank invested $4.4 billion in WeWork late this summer. In Austin alone, WeWork has now opened four locations, with two in downtown Austin, one space near the University of Texas campus and the other at the Domain.
If you’re new to Austin, new to coworking spaces or just shopping for a new setting, check out these recently opened locations.
Austin gained an upscale coworking space with Firmspace’s flagship location at 500 W. 2nd Street, which targets lawyers, financial services firms and remote C-Suiters. The “luxury suite” is in the same building as Google and Deloitte’s new downtown offices and features amenities to complement the needs of white collar executives. That means soundproof offices, glass privacy walls, state-of-the-art security systems, fiber internet and 360-degree views. Justin Bayne, the co-founder of Austin commercial real estate firm SkylesBayne, launched Firmspace with Matt Ferstler, who serves as co-founder and CEO. The duo opened a second location in Denver and has plans to expand to Houston and Atlanta.
In October, WeWork opened its second downtown Austin office — and fourth in Austin — off W. 6th Street in the Chase Tower. Like other locations, the space boasts soundproof booths, conference rooms, lounges, fruit water, micro-roasted coffee, high-speed internet and more. Austin Business Journal reported that the 65,000-square-foot space spans four floors with room for about 1,050 members.
Impact Hub Austin first joined the scene in 2016 when it partnered with Vuku Collective. Today, Impact Hub runs coworking offices at the original Vuku location in South Austin on Monroe street and a new location on North Lamar near Koenig Lane. Its open environment operates to connect mission-based startups with like-minded groups from Impact Hub’s global organization. In addition to standard perks like a well-stocked kitchen, Impact Hub encourages members to bring their dogs to work, too.
While monthly coworking memberships typically fall around $300 per month, there are also a few free options available. Take the city’s brand new downtown library. The impressive piece of architecture — which took four years to build — includes 200,000 square feet across six floors, with nearly 600 seats available to saddle up. The library includes a rooftop deck and garden overlooking Town Lake, a “technology petting zoo,” a cafe, innovation lab, outdoor amphitheater, art gallery, and 14 meeting rooms available for reservation.
