This Coworking Space in Makati Matches Their TikTok-Worthy Perks With Real Functionality

(SPOT.ph) With working from home now an option, you might be hard-pressed to find a legitimate reason to head to an office. After all, nothing screams "corporate slave" more than the daily grind at a dead cubicle—yet with the rise of work-from-home, so has the typical office space changed things up. And keeping up with the times is KMC Solutions.

You might have heard of this name attached to TikToks you've watched of spaces far from the offices of old. Think open-floor plans, cool pantries with ice cream machines, bright decor to keep spirits up while working, and more. Digging a little deeper, you'll be glad to know this provider has more than just good looks.

KMC Solutions started over a decade ago with three partners: Gregory Kittelson, Michael McCullough, and Amanda Carpo. What started as a consultancy company shifted into providing office spaces as it became a bigger need for their clients. "They bring in investors to choose the Philippines and do business here. And then eventually, those companies would always ask [Atty. Carpo], do you know of an office? Can you connect us to this and that?" explains COO Tracy Ignacio in an interview with SPOT.ph. The business naturally evolved to answer client needs throughout the years, and now "It's like a one-stop shop for companies. So, if you want an office, here's an office. If you want a computer, here's a computer. Even to the point that, do you want more employees? Now, we also provide employees."

Also read: This Coworking Space in QC Makes Remote Work More Fun

There are three main services KMC Solutions now has: teams (essentially HR services), spaces (small-scale office rentals, coworking included!), and enterprise (full floors for big clients). They can now account for 26 office locations nationwide; that's 67 floors worth spanning over 100,000 square meters of total workspace. This year alone they've opened up spaces at SM North in Quezon City, Jollibee Tower in Ortigas, and in Cebu's Business Park—we got to check out their sleek new space in Makati, to check if it really is worth the buzz.

Standing at the corner of EDSA and Ayala Avenue, at the coveted address of what was once the Intercontinental, is the new hub of One Ayala. KMC Solutions holds six floors in Tower One, making up 10,000 square meters in total. The flexible workspace can be rented out to companies or hey, if you just need an accessible space to work at, put this on your list.

"What's different about this one Ayala space is that we believe in the location," says Ignacio. When the old Intercon was demolished, "Ayala told us that they were going to build an office building here—when they just broke ground—we signed. We signed up for this space. It was even pre-pandemic, pre-COVID." That's how much they wanted the space. Sure, the pandemic hit hard, but they pushed through and "Luckily enough, I mean, here we are. Look how full the space is. Yes, apparently we are humans and we want to be interacting with other people as well when we work, not just at home," says Ignacio.

Also read: Show, Don't Tell: This New Workspace Hopes to Make a Case for Return-to-Office

After all, when it comes to location, this space is hard to beat. "It's really built for workers, for the employees, not for, like, executives who have cars and can go anywhere. It's really for the people who are working and going to the office because it makes it easy," says Ignacio. "How can you be more 'main' than [at the intersection of] EDSA and Ayala?". One Ayala has a direct link to the MRT-3, and by extension, the buses that pass right along EDSA, and of course, the buses and PUVs of the transport hub itself. Even when it rains, people from Tower One can make it to the train station completely dry without having to bring out an umbrella. And have we mentioned this coworking space is open 24/7?

KMC Solutions goes beyond the trend when it comes to coworking spaces

Speaking of coworking, "the concept has always been there," says Ignacio. Even at the start of her own careeer, she saw "companies that already had, like, shared offices; one common area and then private offices. And then, you know, eventually the coworking term, you know, was brought about. And then now, flexible working, hybrid working. So, there's definitely different terms that evolve already through the years." So when you've got a concept that's become quite trendy throughout the years, there is always a fear of it becoming trivialized, not so at KMC.

"What differentiates us is that whenever we build an office, a design, a concept, it is different per site. And always, the challenge is to always build better than the last," says Ignacio.

"I would say more than just the fun, the community-building part of building an office, we really go down to very functional design and functional infrastructure. We really boast of very high technology, it's high-touch, high-technology, high-care kind of experience here in KMC," says the COO. "We try to really focus on, you know, empathizing with the users on how we can always do better. It doesn't come overnight. This is like 13 years worth of trying to improve."

All those years of learning and responding can be seen in their offices now. Behind all the terms, you can see it manifest at every point of the spectrum: from making sure they've got fast and stable Internet connection, fingerprint entry for security, even massage chairs in their flexible spaces, to 24/7 logistical support, care and thought into choosing their locations, and more. As Ignacio states simply, "It's nice to look at, and it really works."

KMC Solutions is at One Ayala Tower One, 6F to 11F, One Ayala, Makati City.