Office spaces in Mexico have been reconfigured in recent years, driven by changes in work models after the pandemic and the growing demand for more technology-oriented environments. In this context, flexibility has become a key element in building design, particularly in cities such as Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Querétaro.
In the specific case of Mexico City’s office market, the average size of workspaces has decreased significantly over the past five years. In 2020, rental or sales operations often exceeded 20,000 m², while by 2025 transactions have been recorded for areas as small as 5,000 m²—or even less—according to reports from Datoz.
What does flexibility in office design mean?
It refers to the ability of a physical space to adapt to different needs or work dynamics. This quality allows an office to be modified without requiring major investments in infrastructure or redesign.
Key elements that characterize flexibility include:
- Mobile or modular furniture
- Multi-purpose spaces (rooms that can be used for meetings, video calls, or individual work)
- Open areas that foster communication between teams
- Technological infrastructure to support remote work and video conferencing
- Rest and wellness areas integrated into the work environment
This type of design seeks to balance collaborative work with individual focus, while also adapting to hybrid or fully in-person work models.
In the market, there are three levels of office space, depending on their degree of readiness and equipment:
- Shell and Core: spaces delivered without finishes or internal installations, allowing companies to fully customize the design according to their needs.
- Partially Finished: offices with some finishes and installations already in place—such as flooring, ceilings, and basic lighting—but still offering the possibility to adapt certain areas.
- Fully Finished: ready-to-use spaces with complete finishes, lighting, and cabling. Within this category, there are also furnished offices, which not only provide full infrastructure but also include essential workplace furniture.
Impact on the Mexican Real Estate sector
With the rise of the hybrid work model in Mexico, many companies have reevaluated how they use office space. According to data from WeWork Latam, by 2030 it is expected that 30% of commercial properties will be dedicated to coworking.
Moreover, as corporate rents in prime Class A+ areas become increasingly expensive, many organizations are opting for optimized spaces that can adjust to operational changes without sacrificing functionality.
Data from Datoz shows a significant market shift over the past five years. In 2020, shell and core spaces dominated activity, representing 77.5% of transactions, while fully finished and semi-finished offices, including furnished ones, accounted for just 22.5%.
By 2025, this proportion has balanced out: 43.7% of transactions correspond to shell and core offices, while 56.3% involve ready-to-use, semi-finished, or furnished spaces, reflecting a stronger preference for options that allow immediate occupancy and reduce upfront investment in fit-outs.
This evolution highlights a clear trend toward space optimization, driven by hybrid work models, the pursuit of operational efficiency, and rising costs.
Future outlook
The growing demand for flexible spaces has reshaped the real estate offering. Developers and landlords are now incorporating different features from the design stage, or adapting existing buildings to meet new needs.
Flexibility in office design has become a strategic response to the new work dynamics that emerged after the Covid-19 pandemic. When properly implemented, it can foster more efficient, sustainable, and user-centered real estate developments.
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