This is the largest coworking in southern Europe, which opens its doors in Barcelona

Barcelona. This time, however, it is the largest coworking space in southern Europe by surface area. It is located just a ten-minute walk from Plaça de les Glòries and has 20,000 square meters, which include a gym, swimming pool, climbing wall, terraces, restaurant, games room, and a slide that goes from the first floor to the ground floor.

"It's completely safe; my children went down it the other day," jokes Gabriel Espín, CEO of the Catalan business group Aticco, which specializes in the development of shared workspaces. The companies located here have a total valuation of over 20 billion euros. Since opening its doors in early April, 70 freelancers and 40 companies have moved in, six of which are unicorns, meaning start-ups valued at $1 billion without being listed on the stock exchange. One of these companies is the multinational technology company Back Market, which specializes in refurbished products.

Espín highlights the "heterogeneity" of the companies present, both in terms of size, sectors, and origins: half are international companies, a proportion that also extends to the workers.

Fees of around 290 euros

The building has 2,163 spaces, of which around 1,620 are occupied in mid-May, about three out of every four. Half of these workers are Spanish and the other half are foreign. "Our community represents the nationalities present in Barcelona," according to Aticco's operations director, Naiara Chaler, who highlights the presence of Argentinians, Italians, and French, among other nationalities.

valued at $1 billion without being listed on the stock marketcoworking on Thursdays, and to networking events. Just recently, this Tuesday, there was a pottery workshop. Massages in the wellness room are paid separately.

Invoice 50% more this year

To create this community workspace, Aticco has reached an agreement with the German fund Patrizia, owner of the building. The two companies share the risk —and therefore also the profits— and the Catalan group pays a rent, which is lower than what it would have to disburse without the agreement.

Aticco plans to increase its turnover by 50% this year, going from 20 to 30 million euros in revenue. The company, founded in 2016, operates 86,000 square meters of shared workspace in Barcelona, Valencia, and Madrid, and in total has capacity to accommodate almost 10,000 workers. These figures include the building it plans to open in Lisbon at the end of the year. In 2020, it added a division of coliving spaces —Aticco Living—, and a startup accelerator —AticcoLab.

Espín has shown himself open to expanding Aticco's coworkings to other European cities, although he has warned that they will only do so with a "sustainable strategy". "It makes no sense to go around putting up flags. The desire is there, the opportunities must arise," he added.

Large companies in a 'coworking'?

According to Espín, among the reasons that lead companies to establish themselves in a coworking space instead of conditioning their own offices are flexibility, worker loyalty based on spaces, and the possibility of establishing new synergies.

On the one hand, large companies "don't know if they will have workforces of 200 or 500 people next year" and shared workspaces offer them flexibility while leaving the door open for them to leave whenever they want without having to monetize any real estate investment. On the other hand, the bulk of employees are "technological and creative profiles that are difficult to retain," for whom open-plan spaces with leisure and relaxation options can be a point to consider when deciding their professional career.

The executive director of Business and Entrepreneurship of 22@, Itziar Blasco, believes that Barcelona is "in a very sweet moment as a city" because it is "the first hub

in Southern Europe" for the entrepreneurial ecosystem.