Content beats both building and location

In 2019, together with my better half Therese, I established the property and technology community Proptech Bergen. For many this might have looked like yet another co-working concept where most things were about filling up with whatever tenants knocked on the door, regardless of industry or field of expertise.

For us it was about something completely different. We wanted to create a dynamic community where people and companies could develop together – where they could learn from each other. We therefore set about finding a suitable building, ideally one of the dumbest buildings in the city. We found the perfect candidate at Kokstad, a run-down building from the 1980s. The building was worn out and had a location that appealed to very few. The owner's plan was therefore for the building to be demolished within a few years. Our idea was that in the meantime we would fill the building with people and technology that could help make it one of the smartest buildings in the city.

We wanted to use the building as a living lab, where we could show what new technology could do for old buildings. We both had great faith in the idea, but for Therese, who had the main responsibility for filling the building with tenants, it was hard to say no to players who wanted in. We did have a lease to deal with, while at the same time wanting to bring people in. Fortunately there were many who wanted to be part of the community, and within just a few months parts of the building were filled with exciting technology companies – people who were passionate about both technology and property. With that the living lab was established, and within quite a short time, together with the owner, we made changes to the building that eventually transformed it from being one of the dumbest buildings in the city to being one of the smartest. The owner changed their mind and went from wanting to demolish to renovating the building. After two years at Kokstad the building was to be renovated and we chose to take the Proptech Bergen concept to a new premises at Spelhaugen in Fyllingsdalen.

This was in the middle of the pandemic and we were very curious about how it would go. We feared it could be tough. But all the tenants, the people and technology companies who had rented from us at Kokstad came with us. We actually had oversubscription, which meant we had a waiting list and quickly had to double the space – in the middle of a pandemic. A great deal of Proptech Bergen's history has unfolded during the pandemic. While other co-working spaces all over the country have shut down and had to apply for state aid to keep the wheels turning, Proptech Bergen has grown out of one building, established itself in a new one and quickly doubled its space. Most co-working spaces are centrally located and have a location that appeals to many. At both our locations we have chosen to be a bit outside the centre, in places that perhaps don't automatically attract tech communities.

Nevertheless, we have filled up. We have also not lost a single tenant during the pandemic, and in January alone we actually rented out four new offices. There has long been talk of life after COVID and the importance of workplace concepts and design adapted to the post-COVID society. Now we are there. The world is reopening, and in Norway most restrictions are gone. People are finally returning to their workplaces. Our experience is that good, attractive office premises are about workplace concepts and what you fill the offices with – not primarily about location. Without our focus on property and technology we would not have been nearly as interesting; we would just have been an ordinary co-working space.

That is also why we have said no to about half of those who have knocked on the door wanting into Proptech Bergen. It's not ill will, but a conviction that good premises are first and foremost created by gathering the right people, the right expertise. That is why Proptech Bergen has developed into a vibrant, dynamic community where tenants learn from each other, collaborate and develop. During the pandemic, however, an important part of the content of Proptech Bergen has been somewhat on ice – namely the learning arena with events, courses and various hackathons. We are now breathing life back into this.

Going forward we will therefore put even more content into Proptech Bergen. We hope and believe this will help make it even more interesting to be part of this community.

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