(featured photo: Library in Clock-In BGC)

[This article was first published in July 2016. We have updated it to include the many new coworking spaces that have opened in the Fort since then.]

There are many good reasons for setting up an office in Fort Bonifacio, and apart from renting an office space the old fashioned way, nowadays there are options that meet the specific needs of different groups of users.

There are serviced office space, where one can rent an office space with terms shorter than that for regular office space rental.  Serviced office space also provides the furniture and cleaning service, plus other add-on facilities like conference rooms and pantry and services like telephone answering and mail receiving, so that clients can move in instantly, and do not have to shop for furniture or set up accounts for utilities. The price for all these conveniences is the higher rent that one has to pay.

While serviced office space has been around for a very long time, virtual office services were created a little more recently. Virtual offices are offices which allow their office addresses to be used by businesses that do not have a regular presence in these places. These businesses will give the address of the virtual offices to their clients or even use the address in company registration. They may also subscribe to additional services such as telephone answering services, mail forwarding service, and facilities like desks and conference rooms once in a while. 

The newest work space arrangement is coworking. Coworking is a style of work that involves sharing resources with other people who are not employed by the same employer. Coworking is a product of the sharing economy that comes into being along recent technological innovation in social media. Part and parcel of the coworking experience is to have social interaction with other coworkers. Thus, the coworking space is usually an open area with desks that are mostly undesignated to a particular coworker. There must be a lounge that can act like a water cooler in a normal office for coworkers to interact. Networking events are also a standard feature of coworking space.

Co-Working Spaces

These establishments have big open spaces and lounges that encourages social interaction between coworkers. Usually, very little secretarial support is provided. Access is limited to office hours only, such as from 8am to 6pm, and closed on Sundays and holiday. 7/24 access is only available to those renting an office. Accessibility is therefore not as good as some coffee shops. On the upside, you get more reliable and faster internet.

[New in Sep 2019: Fabbit Philippines, located at 26F Twenty-Four Seven McKinley, 24th Street corner 7th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, is a Japanese managed shared office facility. They do not advertise coworking on their website, but you can find their coworking rates here.

Unit 206, located on 2nd floor of McKinley Park Residences at 4th Avenue, 31st Street, BGC, is a newcomer that offers very basic office facilities. It has hot desk at a rate of P1,500 per day or P4,000 per week. You can read about it here.]

1. & 2. Clock-in BGC

Locations:

(1) 1/F Bonifacio Technology Center, 31st Street corner 2nd Avenue, The Fort, Taguig City. (02) 807 5810

(2) Bonifacio High Street  (0917) 393-3646 / (632) 816-6627

website :https://bgc.clockin.com.ph/ 

Formerly known as Square One, both branches of this coworking space are quite big. It has a big open area with sofa-like seats for people to work, with laptop really resting on their laps. For those who need a desk to work with a computer, as most people would, there is a big room called the library. It has many desks and no partition. Hot desk is P600 per day, and a dedicated desk rents for P12,500 per month.

They also have small offices for rent, and a pantry for members to take their snack and network with other coworkers. The rent for small office starts at P37,500 per month which is good for about 3 persons, and they have bigger rooms at higher rent. Conference room is P500 per hour.

3. Impact Hub Manila

Location: SM Aura Office Tower, The Fort, Taguig City.

Uptown Place Tower 2, The Fort, Taguig City.

Photo above shows the lounge at KMC Solutions’ premises at Uptown Mall

that can be used by members of Impact Hub Manila.

Impact Hub Manila runs a membership system, where in members can use the shared space in premises that it partners with. For example, they have partnered with KMC Solutions, which sublets their office spaces in a large office premises, to use the lounge area as coworking space. Members can access these lounges which are provided with wi-fi service (for P2,900 per month), and the use of vacant private rooms if they join a more expensive plan, subject to availability (at P4,900 per month). Impact Hub Manila also organizes networking events for members from time to time.

4. Ignition Venture Studio

North Penthouse, Marajo Tower, 26th Street corner 4th Avenue, BGC, The Fort

(02) 944 6200

This cosy and homely coworking and office space provider was opened earlier this year. Even though it is not big, it has the standard coworking space facilities like meeting room, pantry and event space. What is unique is they have two tiny but sound proof rooms for making phone calls.

5. The Office Cowork + Life

8th Floor, High Street South Corporate Plaza Tower 1, 26th Street corner 9th Avenue, BGC, The Fort

(02) 878 0747

Opened in mid 2018, The Office has a young and casual vibe. It has its own cafe, and a small gym. Its small offices for 1-2 persons look like cabanas. 

6. Spaces at BGC

World Plaza, 5th Ave, BGC, The Fort

(02) 669 2700

SPACES is an international coworking and office space provider that is under the same group as the more established serviced office provider, Regus. This office at the brand new World Plaza is the largest coworking and office space that we have seen, and it has a total of 3,000 square meters of space spreaded over two floors.

It has a north European style of minimalist interior design that tells you that they mean business.

7. Work / With

The Penthouse, Cocolight Building, 39th Street Corner 11th Avenue, BGC, The Fort

(02) 541 5141

8. Common Ground

Level 29 & 30, Arthaland Century Pacific Tower, 4th Avenue corner 30th Street, BGC, The Fort

Info@commonground.work

(Photo Source: BusinessMirror.com.ph)

The parent company of this latest coworking space is probably from Malaysia, as many overseas branches are located in Malaysia. It occupies 1950 square meter penthouse of this newly finished ultra modern building (Arthaland Century Pacific Tower) at 30th Street of BGC. A hot desk starts at P12,000 per month.

9. WEWORK

Uptown Bonifacio Tower Three, 36th Street Corner 11th Avenue, BGC, The Fort

10. Springboard 201

11. Project T Solutions

Serviced Offices

1. KMC Solutions

Location: 8/F, Sun Life Centre, 5th Avenue corner Rizal Drive

11/F, SM Aura Office Tower, McKinley Parkway

20/F, Picadilly Star, 4th Avenue corner 27th Street

19/F, Uptown Bonifacio Tower 2, 11th Drive corner 9th Avenue

Contact #: (02) 403 5519 / (02) 779 6540

KMC Solutions sublets office space inside an office unit, and provides basic service like receptionist and telephone answering service.

2. Regus Manila

Location: 14/F Net Cube Center, 3rd Avenue corner 30th Street, E-Square Zone

Unit 10A, Net Lima,5th Ave. cor. 26th Street, E-Square, Crescent Park West

Unit 9B, Net Park, 5th Avenue

35/F &36/F Penthouse, units 1,2 and 4 Eco Tower Building, 32nd Street cor. 9th Avenue

4/F Unit 4 C& D, Commerce and Industry Plaza Building, Mckinley Town Center, Park Avenue

Contact #: (02) 883 6000/ (02) 451 8243

3. V Office

Location: One Global Place – Level 10-1 & 20-1, 25th Street & 5th Avenue

Fort Legend Tower – Level 10-1, 31st Street & 3rd Avenue

Contact #: 224 2000 loc 630 (Fort Legend Tower) / 224 2000 (One Global Place)

V Office is a mid-range serviced office provider. Their premises are in grade A office buildings, and the quality of furnishing is between that of Compasses and MyOffice. There are two conference rooms in the Fort Legend Tower branch are  each good for about 10 persons only. They are separated by a foldable partition, with virtually no sound proofing.

V Office also provides virtual officer service. In fact, that is their main line of business. Thus, you will find their virtual office support to be very good, and more complete than other serviced office providers.

Their promotional rates for new clients are very attractive. You can get as much as 50% off if you enrol for 3 years. On the downside, it means that you may get a shock when the promo period ends, but because it is cumbersome to change office address in the Philippines due to bureaucratic red tapes, you are likely to stay with them.

4. MyOffice

Location: 12th Floor The Trade & Financial Tower U1206 7th Ave. & 32nd St.,

Contact #: (02) 902 0988 / (02) 818 3671

MyOffice in Fort Bonifacio is a small facility compared to other serviced offices in this area. It has about twenty cubicles in an open space that can be rented on a daily or monthly basis, as well as used by their virtual office clients. Virtual office clients who subscribe to the basic packages get two hours each month to use the cubicles.

It has several small office spaces good for up to 5 desks, and two small meeting rooms, each can fit about 4 persons, but can be joined to fit 6. It can provide telephone answering service. Rental rate is P400 per hour for the small meeting room, and P800 for the larger meeting room.

Its rates are suitable for small businesses looking for a temporary office on a shoestring budget.

5. Marimo Real Estate

Location: 26F Twenty-Four Seven McKinley, 24th Street corner 7th Avenue

Contact #: (02) 864 4100

Marimo rents out small offices for 1 to ten people at rent of P70k to 80K per month. Apart from that, they also charge association dues on a per person per month basis of P4,000 for those renting offices. Annual membership fee is applied to all clients, whether those renting an office or just as a virtual office client.

6. Compass Offices

Location: 24/F BGC Corporate Tower, 30th Street corner 11th Avenue, The Fort, Taguig City.

Contact #: (02) 835 8908

Compass Offices caters to multinational clients that want a temporary office, either because they have a short contract of work here in the Philippines, or their permanent office is not yet ready. These clients want a grade A office environment even for the temporary office and do not mind paying up for it. A small office good for about 6 persons costs over P120,000 per month, but it comes with 2 phones and 6 internet jacks, plus the standard serviced office amenities such as reception service, telephone answering service, desks and chairs, and inclusive of utility charges.

At the same time, Compass Offices also provides work spaces for solo workers in the form of desks that have overhead storage space for individual clients. Each designated desk space costs P16,500 per month to rent.

Compass Offices’ premises in the Fort is very big, compared to other serviced office providers. They have over 70 small offices for rent, all located on one floor.  As a result, they can afford to have a spacious pantry where people can hangout and chat.