We’ve been working on something pretty incredible here at Breather. Last week, we announced that we’ve officially launched Breather offices, which you can rent for a month or more at a time — with no long-term commitment and access to your space within just 48 hours of inquiry. We’ve redesigned our spaces to have the same, premium Breather look and feel, designed for the productivity needs of longer term occupants.

But we’d be lying if we said our only aim was to replace your office. We already know — based on how you’ve been using Breather already — that you view all of our 500 spaces across 10 cities as your office. We have been inspired by startup clients who fly in from Europe and put teams up for a week or more at a time in our Breather spaces in New York. Or innovation teams at more traditional businesses in Montreal who leave HQ to gain a new perspective in a Breather office for a month or more while launching a new product.

The data supports this observation. Right now, two percent of office space in New York is delivered in this flexible way: space-as-a-service. Within five years, we expect to see 30 percent of urban office space used this way, scaling up or down to meet the needs of a physical team the same way cloud infrastructure is now used. We are quickly marching toward a world where fixed, static office spaces — whether traditional or coworking — are viewed with the same irreverent nostalgia as in-house data servers.

This evolution is largely driven by future of work trends. Increasingly, companies are finding they no longer need a single office, in one location, with a single desk per employee. The rise of AI and automation software means humans increasingly focus on tasks only they can do: thinking creatively and interacting with other humans. These tasks are not performed by sitting at a desk for 9 hours a day, but rather in a variety of activity-based spaces that are designed to maximize different types of productivity: focused work, formal discussions, brainstorming sessions, relaxation, informal conversations, etc. Our clients are increasingly looking for solutions that allow their teams to make the most of their talents across a variety of spaces and locations and aren’t constricted by leases or coworking quirks.

So, yes, we want to be your office. But we also understand that, as your work changes, so does your understanding of what an office is, including where you need it and when. We’re designing and redesigning our spaces to accommodate these longer stays. Each office includes single-person desks, phone booths and meeting rooms, storage space, a wet pantry, and lounge areas. They have been designed for productivity, but also emotional well being, with an emphasis on natural light and that Breather aesthetic you love and trust. See our brand new Breather offices here.