Two spaces, one Rosebank - Workshop17 brings work closer to life

Your office for the day? Rosebank has always made a strong case for keeping the working day close to everything else.

Some working days need more than one desk. You might want to get a few solid hours in early, meet a client for lunch, find somewhere different for the afternoon and still squeeze in the gym, a grocery run or a quick coffee with someone before heading home. In Rosebank, you can do most of that without getting back into your car.

That is where Workshop17’s two Rosebank locations start to make a lot of sense.

W17 The Bank and W17 Firestation are only a few hundred metres apart, giving members two places to work within the same precinct and the freedom to move between them as the day unfolds. Together, they turn the precinct into a rather appealing office with exceptionally good neighbours.

There is history in the names too. Both refer to what once occupied their sites, which fits with Workshop17’s preference for repurposing existing buildings where possible and finding a new use for spaces that already have a story.

Two Rosebank locations

W17 The Bank, a short walk from the Gautrain, has a busier feel. Spread across three floors, it has workspaces, meeting rooms, a café and plenty of places to sit down with someone when a quick catch-up turns into an actual conversation. It is particularly handy on days filled with meetings, people coming and going or a trip into Rosebank from elsewhere in Gauteng.

W17 Firestation feels different. Up on the 10th floor, there is loads of natural light and a wide view over Johannesburg. If the morning has been full-on and you want somewhere else to spend the afternoon, it is close enough to change desks without changing neighbourhoods.

Simon Manda, Managing Editor of Joburg Times and ThisAbility, uses both locations and says that choice is one of their strengths.

“Having two Workshop17 spaces within the same Rosebank precinct gives us the freedom to choose the environment that suits the day, while still having the facilities, accessibility and independence our teams need,” he says.

For Workshop17, this is what ‘working where life happens’ looks like in practice.

“Most of us don’t spend our working days doing one thing in one place anymore,” says Penelope Meniere, National Marketing Manager at Workshop17. “You might need a desk for a few hours, somewhere to meet a client and then a change of scenery for the afternoon. Rosebank gives you all of that, plus the Gautrain, restaurants, shops and everything else that tends to find its way onto the to-do list.”

The neighbourhood is a big part of the appeal. Rosebank Management District Manager Mikhaela Donaldson describes it as a precinct where “commercial, retail, hospitality, residential and cultural offerings come together within a compact, walkable area, supported by Gautrain access and strong connections to the rest of Johannesburg”.

Manda has also found the practical accessibility features at both Workshop17 locations useful, including inclusive toilets, lifts with accessible controls, safe parking and the ability to book meeting rooms and manage services through the Workshop17 app.

Start your day at The Bank because you have an early meeting. Walk out for lunch. Spend the afternoon at Firestation because you fancy the view. Meet someone for a drink afterwards. Or do none of that and stay put all day. The point is that you can choose whatever works for you.

For freelancers, teams and businesses using Workshop17, Rosebank becomes less of an office destination and more of the territory they work from. The desk is there when they need it, but so is the rest of the neighbourhood.

And in Johannesburg, a working day that does not require several separate encounters with traffic already has a lot going for it.

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