A NEW first-of-its-kind office space concept aimed at the growing tech sector has launched in Belfast following a £3 million investment.
StepSpace has opened its first city location at Centre House on Chichester Street and is set to bridge the gap between co-working office space and the traditional city centre office letting.
Representing an initial investment of £3m from Belfast-based Causeway Asset Management, StepSpace offers an alternative to the traditional five or ten year lease, with an ongoing membership offering companies not only access to private office space, but a range of operational and support services.
StepSpace has already filled over 50 percent of the 80 desks available in Centre House, with London-headquarted Whitespace set to take a 20-desk office from early July and another unnamed local tech company currently finalising a 30-desk membership.
Created to serve companies on a rapid growth trajectory, StepSpace is the brainchild of Causeway Asset Management, and forms part of their 'Future-Fit' concept; a user first approach to office development that’s already being rolled out across the Causeway portfolio and as part of the current redevelopment of 56,000 sq ft at Chichester House in the centre of Belfast.
StepSpace manager, Ann Trueman said the new concept is unlike anything that Belfast has seen in the office market to date.
“StepSpace is user led; we can convert a 10-desk office to a 15 or 20-desk office in the space of a weekend to meet the needs of our occupiers. The collaborative core at the heart of the venture gives our members all the benefits of a co-working space, combined with the privacy requirements of a scaling business. This approach allows our members to focus on their own business while also availing of a shared support ecosystem of other companies going through the same journey, at the same time, in the same space."
"We’re offering the best of all worlds for businesses who want to concentrate on what matters, namely growing their business," she said.
Danielle Hanvey, asset manager at Causeway Asset Management, said the group is already looking at expanding the model across the city.
"With StepSpace we are responding to a changing market demand with an offering which will assist companies as they grow and we have exciting plans to open more."
“We’ve been overwhelmed by the interest in StepSpace, Centre House – 50 percent occupancy pre-launch is a demonstration of the existing demand and bodes well for the future success of the brand," she added.
