Shared Workspace Concept Opens in Georgetown

When the WiFi at Starbucks—not to mention the whurring espresso machine— makes working on the road or "from home" a non-starter, shared workspaces are filling the need for a flexible and profession office alternative. A new co-working office in the Foundry Building on 30th Street offers shared common workspaces as well as traditional private office spaces.

Carr Workplaces' Georgetown location is the company's first to offer common workspaces alongside more conventional offices. Carr, founded in 2003 and headquartered in D.C., has six other properties in the District, eight more in Maryland and Virginia, and provides offices to some 1,400 clients in the metro D.C. area.

Shared work spaces or co-working offices have grown in popularity in recent years. They cater to independent professionals and small companies who want the flexibility of shorter contracts and the freedom of not owning a sea of desks.

As the Wall Street Journal reported in October 2011:

Such offices have long been popular with technology start-ups in the San Francisco Bay Area looking for cheap space, but as the latest tech wave rises, shared workspaces are popping up in cities around the country.

"These workers don’t use fixed offices by the year; they need multiple work environments that they can buy by the hour, day, or month,” said Joe Wallace, CEO of Carr Workplaces, in a press release about the new Georgetown office.

According to the Carr website, for a client seeking 8 hours' use of a private office or meeting room, the estimated cost is $120. More than a latte, but cheaper than a traditional lease.

In an email to Patch, Pamela Girardin, a spokesperson for Carr, wrote, "We were constantly getting questions on when we were going to expand into Georgetown."

The Foundry Building "immediately grabbed us," wrote Carr, listing its historic nature and great location as deciding factors in choosing the 30th Street building.

The 11,593 square-foot space at 1050 30th St. NW, "was designed for collaboration, with a large open co-working room filled with co-joined desks complete with phones and wireless internet access," according to a press release.

Clients at the Georgetown location will have access to a front desk for guest reception and phone answering. With your desk or office comes support like meeting set-up, IT, catering, audio and web conferencing. There's even a community café and a private terrace for outdoor meetings.

"Georgetown is our first co-working concept center and the first in an historic building. We feel it is a perfect fit for the area," said Girardin.