A Look At Creative Office Space In Houston
In line with global trends, demand for creative space is also on the rise in Texas’ largest city. Houston’s creative sector has been described as a ‘sleeping giant’ due to its enormous potential to become one of the leading sources of income and employment in the Lone Star state. Currently, over 113,000 Houston companies are involved in this sector, which generates $25b in sales and employs nearly 180,000 people across the state.
In view of these figures, it is hardly surprising to see that companies in virtually every business sector are considering adding creative space to their business accommodation offerings. This is the case despite the dominance of the energy and engineering sectors, which typically are not as innovative as others, although they are beginning to understand the value of creative workspace and to realize that conventional office space presents some obstacles to innovation and creativity.
Below are some examples that showcase the most inspiring creative office spaces in Houston.
GreenStreet is a 570,000-square feet mixed-use commercial development that is home to several units that offer collaborative space in one of the city’s top locations. Creative space ranges from small floor plates to large work areas of up to 37,000 square feet, all of which are designed and furnished to facilitate collaboration and innovation. Units feature open plan space, private and shared offices, training and meeting rooms, kitchen, and dedicated break and wellness areas.
There is a great deal of creative space springing in Houston’s Midtown and Uptown, although over the past 5 years warehouse-to-office conversions have also become common along Washington Avenue, Montrose, and east of downtown. In Midtown, Wi+CoWork offers shared space to the local creative community on a membership basis. Office space at Wi+CoWork includes access to conference rooms, community events, and office support services.
Headquarters provides creative office space in Canal Street. This space was created to provide an alternative to small and medium-sized companies whose needs were not met by conventional office space. The building features 35,000 square feet of creative space, half of which is devoted to office suites and shared workspaces. In addition to that, Headquarters has 6 conference rooms, fully equipped kitchens, a games room, a bar, a courtyard, and rest areas.
Next is Level Office, which has two locations in downtown Houston and offers co-working and flexible space suited the needs of employees in the creative sector. Amenities include beer on tap, an espresso bar, space for events, access to movie theaters, bike rooms, and access to community-building programs like ‘Lunch and Learn’, or invitations to meet distinguished creative figures.
Last in this list is Sawyer Yards, located in Houston’s historical quarter and best described as a creative campus. The 36-acre site is one of the largest of its kind, not only in Houston but in the United States. Creative space is available at The Silos building (mostly flexible office or workshop space), and at the units in Center Street Studios, which are suitable for creative start-ups looking for live/work space.
Conclusion
Houston’s creative sector is clearly poised to grow. The outlook is especially encouraging in sub-sectors like graphic design, photography, software and gaming, advertising, and the arts. Add to this the fact that Houston has one of the fastest-growing economies in the US, and it becomes evident that the local creative office space market is set to experience phenomenal growth over the coming years.
Sources:
(3) https://greenstreetdowntown.com/office/
(5) http://workatheadquarters.com/
(6) http://www.sawyeryards.com/
(7) http://www.centerstreetstudios.com
(8) http://www.giarts.org/sites/default/files/The-Creative-Economy-of-Houston.pdf
(9) http://www.prweb.com/releases/Economic/Arts/prweb13123894.htm
