Designer offices hit their mark (hktdc.com)


	home2home founder Girish Jhunjhnuwala has revolutionised the concept of serviced offices

	Izi workspaces are bright, inspiring and fully flexible

High demand for his designer serviced apartments gave home2home founder Girish Jhunjhnuwala the idea to replicate the concept in serviced offices.

Izi Central opened on April 1, the first in a new breed of fully serviced designer workspaces that challenge the standard serviced office offerings. Designed by award winning architects KplusK, with flexible layouts and 24 hour business support, Izi offices are ideally suited to overseas companies starting up operations in Hong Kong.

"Izi does for serviced workspaces what our first property, Ovolo, did for the serviced apartment industry – total reinvention," said Mr Jhunjhnuwala, a Hong Kong-born Indian entrepreneur.

"We recognise that entrepreneurs and start-ups are looking for creative, design-led spaces and most importantly, inspiration, and that's what we seek to offer. We've spotted a gap in the market for dynamic workspaces that are more flexible than the traditional serviced office model."

Home2home was founded in 2002 as part of the Hind Group, a family business established by Girish's father in Hong Kong in 1953. In addition to his Hong Kong businesses, Girish owns a hotel in Singapore and a listed paint manufacturing company in India.

Around the clock support

He explained that his latest venture, Izi, taps into today's need for 24/7, around the clock support, all inclusive charges, flexible spacing arrangements and made-to-order lease arrangements.

"Tenants can choose between 700 or 1,400 square feet (the largest in Hong Kong), fully customisable layouts and bespoke fittings, allowing each individual business input on how to organise their space," Mr Jhunjhnuwala said.

Each Izi workspace is self sufficient and comes with a fully equipped pantry including coffee maker, as well as private restrooms with showers. Each unit also has a large glass window which, unusually for Hong Kong, can be opened from the inside. There is also a dedicated coffee lounge within the building for visitors and tenants.

The design incorporates state of the art technology and connectivity solutions. In keeping with their corporate vision, home2home has integrated natural and eco friendly design elements into the plans.

Storage space available

In addition, recognising the city's growing need for high quality, convenient storage, two floors are dedicated to storage vaults that can be rented by tenants or members of the public. The vaults are temperature controlled, making them suitable for almost any goods including wine, art or summer or winter wardrobes.

Mr Jhunjhnuwala said that high demand for his luxury serviced apartment portfolio – 95 per cent occupancy in buildings including Ovolo, Erba and Abeo – convinced him that people also want high quality, individualised workspaces.

He added that Hong Kong was the ideal place to launch the concept. "Hong Kong's economy is very robust and our neighbours, the Chinese mainland and Macau, are both doing extremely well. Hong Kong is one of the best places to be because it is so easy to do business here."

Central location

For newcomers to the city, home2home can also assist with setting up and registering their business. For existing companies needing more space, Izi can also be utilised as a branch office connected to the main office server.

Izi Central has an inner-city location at 151 Hollywood Road, in the financial district of Central. A second building, Izi Aberdeen, will open in the third quarter 2008. Interest since opening has been better than expected, and Mr Jhunjhnuwala says he has also had approaches to take the concept into India and the Chinese mainland.

"I am interested in entering those markets, but would prefer to do so with a local partner,"he said.