Flex Desks or Freehold Floors? Five Myths Tested

Every time a co-working brand opens another centre, an old argument resurfaces along Jalan Besar and Lavender Street: why buy an office when a desk can be rented by the month? IWG has just added two Singapore locations, and the figures reported by The Straits Times give that debate something concrete to measure against. Below, five popular beliefs are set beside what the reporting actually shows, followed by a note on where a freehold strata office fits into the comparison for businesses in the city fringe.

1. Myth: flexible space only comes in big, glossy centres. Fact: one of the newest sites is compact. The OpenOffice centre at Fortune Centre, opened on 1 September 2026, measures 640 sq ft. Operators are evidently comfortable running small footprints where demand justifies them.
2. Myth: co-working means one brand and one product. Fact: IWG alone operates 25 spaces across Singapore under six brands, a tally Stacked Homes also carried. Occupiers are choosing between tiers and formats, not a single offer.
3. Myth: flex centres sit half empty. Fact: the company's Singapore country head described occupancy across its local centres as being in the high 70s per cent. That points to steady take-up, without implying every seat is spoken for.
4. Myth: renting flexibly is the opposite of putting down roots. Fact: the HQ-brand centre at 1 Liang Seah Street, opened on 1 October, begins at 2,000 sq ft with scope to reach 5,000 sq ft. Even the operator wanted room to expand at a fixed address, which is the same instinct that leads many firms to buy.
5. Myth: owning and flexing are mutually exclusive. Fact: plenty of businesses use both in sequence, starting in a serviced suite while headcount is uncertain and moving into their own unit once the team and budget stabilise. The real decision concerns timing and control rather than which model is superior. Owners gain a fixed asset and freedom to fit out as they wish; members gain the ability to walk away at short notice.

That last point is where a building like ARC 380 enters the picture. Developed by Tong Eng Group and completed in 2018, it is a freehold, 16-storey mixed-use strata development at the corner of Jalan Besar and Lavender Street in District 12, about five minutes on foot from Bendemeer MRT. Offices occupy Levels 5 to 16 in strata units of roughly 700 sq ft and up, alongside a full-floor option of around 9,375 sq ft, while retail and F&B sit on Level 1. The ARC 380 project details page lists ceiling heights, power supply and other specifications that matter when comparing a fixed office with a membership plan.

No single article can settle whether renting or owning suits a particular company, and nothing here predicts where office values will head. More about the development is on the ARC 380 homepage, and if you would like the two options laid side by side for your own team, ask us for a rent-versus-own comparison.

General information only, not financial or legal advice.

Source: The Straits Times; Stacked Homes. This article is independent commentary; ARC 380 is not affiliated with the parties mentioned.