Flex space is a term used for lightly zoned

Zoning

Zoning is a device of land use planning used by local governments in most developed countries. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one set of land uses from another...

 buildings. It is mainly used when referring to industrial

Industry

Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...

 or office

Office

An office is generally a room or other area in which people work, but may also denote a position within an organization with specific duties attached to it ; the latter is in fact an earlier usage, office as place originally referring to the location of one's duty. When used as an adjective, the...

 space.

History

Flex space evolved from light industrial warehouses being converted to office space. Businesses that generally occupy these are new dotcoms, mechanic shops, and companies that contract plumbing

Plumbing

Plumbing is the system of pipes and drains installed in a building for the distribution of potable drinking water and the removal of waterborne wastes, and the skilled trade of working with pipes, tubing and plumbing fixtures in such systems. A plumber is someone who installs or repairs piping...

, pest, electrical, and sometimes churches

Local church

A local church is a Christian congregation of members and clergy.Local church may also refer to:* Local churches , a Christian group based on the teachings of Watchman Nee and Witness Lee, and associated with the Living Stream Ministry publishing house.* Parish church, a local church united with...

and related services.

Companies have discovered that on any given work day, a large percentage of their cubes are unoccupied--in some cases, up to 50%. Employees travel for work, take vacation, or are working from home in greater numbers than ever before. To avoid having to lease or buy more office space, flex space allows a company to have a higher occupancy of cube space and less wasted work areas.

At the beginning of the work day, an employee shows up at work. Cubes are mostly configured in the same way, making them all the same. The employee chooses a cube where he would like to sit, and that is his cube for the day. At the end of the day, he packs up his belongings, either bringing them all home with him or storing them in a locker space. This leaves the cube the same way it was when he came in, and leaves it free and open for someone to use the following day.
A large concern with employees in a flex space environment is cleanliness. It is important in a flex space environment to have a strong cleaning staff.

External links

• Flex Space on the Rise? From bizjournals.com