Chiswick’s West London Community For Purpose-Driven Business

As X+Why open up their newest space in the leafy green surrounding’s of West London’s Chiswick, we take a look at what makes this space unique for those burned out from working at home. Chiswick Works used to be the place where London’s buses came to be overhauled, and its industrial heritage is reflected in its contemporary design features. The site stands as an island surrounded by tube and train tracks, which provide the perfect, fun distraction when viewed from the floor to ceiling windows on the first floor. Built with holistic wellbeing and purpose in mind, x+why’s flexible workspace packages have something to suit individuals and businesses of all sizes.

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Why Chiswick Works

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Chiswick is a leafy part of West London brimming with style and charm. Chiswick is a popular destination for businesses looking to enjoy all the trappings of London Town, at a distance that equally accommodates the more peaceful and scenic nature of suburbia - blending the best of both worlds. West London has long been considered a valuable base for creative and innovative entrepreneurs.

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Almost a quarter (23%) of all enterprises in West London are less than two years old, so there is no better place in the capital to find a community of like-minded entrepreneurs to be inspired by. Floor to ceiling windows provide the perfect vantage point for appreciating the leafy sights that lie just a short walk away from the fashionable Chiswick Highroad. With its extensive array of shops, bars and cafés, Chiswick’s industrial heritage is reflected in its contemporary design features that artfully blend the past with the present.

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The rapid shift into the world of remote work brought many employee benefits including increased flexibility and autonomy and reduced time spent commuting. On the one hand, this regenerated local communities as people were able to move away from cities and retreat to greener pastures. On the other hand, the lockdown restrictions and kitchen table laptop sessions left plenty of people feeling isolated, frustrated and disconnected from both humans and adequate technology.

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The hybrid workspace filled the gap for the creative solution that catered to all. Companies were able to keep their central head quarters in the city, while employees simultaneously found solace and refuge in the holistic local co-working spaces closer to home. This created the container for the best of all worlds to come together under the umbrella of choice.

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Around The Area

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The region was home to the UK’s first ever shared workspace at Barley Mow in 1976, encouraging a plethora of individuals from designers and architects to jewellers and craftspeople. That eclectic mix of creative types remains as strong in West London today as ever, with 41 new start-ups said to be operational per square km across the region.

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Some of the most popular eating spots in the area include the colourful Annie’s with its all american buttermilk pancakes and afternoon cocktails, Chiswick Fire Station for its sense of community and their ethos to use fresh, scratch-cooked food and well-sourced ingredients throughout their entire menu, and Villa di Geggiano which is inspired by a villa in Tuscany.

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Chiswick is also home to Chiswick House - a neo-palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England, as well as Hogarth’s House, the former residence of the 18th century English artist William Hogarth. The surrounding grounds of Chiswick House are among the most important historical gardens in England and Wales, forming one of the first english landscape gardens.

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A meander along the River Thames is the perfect local solution to getting a dose of vitamin nature. The spot is used for both competitive and recreational rowing, with several rowing clubs located along the river bank, and the finishing post for the famous annual Boat Race being just downstream of Chiswick Bridge.

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In terms of commuting, Chiswick Works W4 is located beside Chiswick Business Park, home to a collection of the world’s leading businesses. It’s just a 7 minute walk from Chiswick Park and Acton Town Stations and 9 minutes from Gunnersbury Station. Chiswick High Road (A315) also provides quick and easy access to the A4/M4 which is less than a mile to the west of the building.

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Community To Create

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We all know the benefits of community from fostering a greater sense of wellbeing and belonging, to whipping up inspiration and ideas, while incubating greater connection and meaning in life. What makes the community at X+Why so special though, is its unique and authentic commitment to the Triple Bottom Line in every single one of its homes.

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The Triple Bottom Line seeks to serve all of people, planet and progress. There are many that argue that the Friedman model of Capitalism has had its time - based on a reductionist, selfish-gene paradigm that lacks both sustainability and responsibility in its relentless pursuit of exponential growth.

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The John Elkington paradigm acknowledges that a holistic perspective must incorporate the environment and communities on which we rely into its profit models. We are already seeing this in the promotion of the circular economy, over a linear and extractive relationship with the land.

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The office of the past has evolved almost overnight. In the last year we have rapidly woken up to the impending realities of remote work, health being the real wealth, and the hybrid office of the future that prizes itself on sound economics, adaptability, and resilience.

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Flexible Benefits

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Gone are the days of restrictive, bureaucratic processes. The office of today understands that change is the only constant and flexibility means agility. With a variety of monthly rolling contracts available to suit different kinds of needs, there is now less space wastage as your office changes size as you do.

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When it comes to COVID safety, mobile apps are helping members to check-in or reserve desks at the click of a button, all while being able to view live space occupancy and avoiding unnecessary contact with surfaces. Smart offices also come equipped with some of the most exciting and engaging technology in the space, including interactive boards or facilities that can automatically detect residency and help to save on costs and energy.

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There’s also no need for costly private furnishings, as every space comes fully equipped with everything you could need to stay connected (and sanitised). In fact, smart offices are proving both popular and effective in the fight against the Corona Virus outbreak, with technology facilitating the transition back into work.

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Experience tells us that dual focus on performance and organisational health leads to the most successful transformations. Employees have realised that health is the real wealth, while employers are shifting from a mentality of motivating through fear and empty external incentives, to driving through authentic passion and inspiration. This has involved cultivating diverse and holistic cultures, improved flexibility, trust and security - with the results speaking for themselves.

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