As the economy shifts towards knowledge-based industries and flexible employment, workspaces have become central to how teams create and deliver value. Regardless of sector, every project and innovation is shaped by the environment in which it takes place.
According to Shuaib Yusoof, Founder of Likuid Spaces, the quality and flexibility of workspaces now play a defining role in how Sri Lankan businesses attract talent, preserve productivity, and align with global standards.
What gap in Sri Lanka’s workspace culture did Likuid Spaces set out to fill, and how has that evolved as you’ve started competing for multinational clients today?
When we started Likuid Spaces about 10 years ago, Sri Lanka’s office culture was still very traditional, with long leases, rigid layouts, and little flexibility. My goal to build something new was inspired by Steven Johnson’s concept of “Liquid Networks” from his book Where Good Ideas Come From. There was a specific idea that spoke to me: that bringing together innovative spaces and creative people boosts the generation of ideas.
We realised both elements were largely missing in the city, so we created a workspace that had a sense of flow — where startups, creatives, and corporates could coexist, challenge each other, and collaborate. Over time, this same concept has attracted multinational clients, who see our model as a bridge between global standards and local creative energy.
What specific technologies or automation features place Likuid Spaces among leading workspaces in Sri Lanka?
We run our workspaces like a connected, data-driven platform. Everything from entry and climate control to community interaction is automated and designed with global best practices in mind, adapted for a Sri Lankan audience. We position ourselves as a technology-curated space, so the initial attraction is usually the design and location, but many of our clients are already somewhat tech-savvy. About 60–70% of users actively engage with our mobile app and the space’s technology features.
During onboarding, we provide training that introduces everyone to the technology, taking the time to ensure it empowers their skills rather than hindering their work. Onboarding typically takes about an hour for groups, but our IT team is available throughout the week for individual follow-ups to ensure full adoption.
Why is hospitality a core pillar of the Likuid Spaces experience, and how do you go beyond traditional expectations in this area?
Hospitality is a co-pillar of the Likuid Spaces experience because we aim to curate the best possible workspace environment while treating each customer as if they are a celebrity visiting our home for the first time. This professional approach to hospitality centres around on-demand amenities, and it is not about upselling. Our goal is to consistently provide value that exceeds expectations while maintaining a reliable baseline of service.
We achieve this by combining proactive and responsive service. Technology also plays a role, such as our waiter paging system that allows anyone to request assistance at the press of a button.
This ensures visitors and guests are treated with the same attention and care as our members. Clients can leave organisation, hospitality, and administration entirely to us, allowing them to focus on their work, conversations, and ideas without distraction. The overall aim is to make the experience comfortable, effortless, and seamless.
How does Likuid Spaces stay ahead of evolving work trends, whether it’s hybrid models, digital nomadism, or tech-enabled collaboration?
When we design and build a space, we always consider both today’s requirements and tomorrow’s possibilities. This includes hybrid-ready services, flexible meeting rooms, memberships suitable for digital nomads, corporates or small enterprises, and technology that connects remote and in-person teams seamlessly. We constantly analyse how members use the space and adjust our offerings to ensure people and ideas can move freely, reflecting the principles of the Liquid Network concept.
A clear example of this adaptability is the shift from predominantly open-plan layouts to spaces that prioritise privacy. Research and data over the past five or six years, especially post-COVID, showed that private spaces improve productivity and meet demands for hygiene and confidentiality. In response, we moved from 80% open plan to 80% private work areas while creating breakout spaces for collaboration. This approach separates focused work from collaborative interaction, reducing distractions and allowing members to zone in when needed while still supporting team collaboration.
While intuition plays a role in final decisions, our approach is fundamentally data-driven to ensure the spaces we create remain relevant, productive, and adaptable to evolving work trends.
What challenges and opportunities do you foresee for Sri Lanka’s coworking and flexible space market over the next 3–5 years?
The near future holds significant opportunities for Sri Lanka’s coworking and flexible workspace market. Currently, there are around 90–110 spaces that offer coworking in the country, mostly in Colombo, with only a few international operators. Globally, studies such as the JLL Future of Work Survey predict that by 2030, 30% of office leases will be managed by flexible workspace operators. This shift is driven by large enterprises seeking agile, sustainable solutions that reduce their energy footprint and offer more efficient use of space, particularly as traditional large headquarters become less attractive to the new generation.
Startups and digital nomads are growing, but the biggest change is in enterprises moving into flexible workspaces. Coworking will become more mainstream among corporates, with expansion beyond Colombo and an increase in landlord-operator partnerships. Developers are recognising that renting entire floors to single tenants is increasingly risky, and many are now allocating a portion of their developments to flexible workspace operators. This approach dilutes risk, increases occupancy, and provides a more resilient business model.
Within our own spaces, we often cater to companies that need from 1 to 50 seats to maintain flexibility, and when a client grows beyond that, we either move them to a separate enterprise contract or they consider their own space.
Overall, the combination of corporate adoption, developer partnerships, and growing entrepreneurial activity positions Sri Lanka’s flexible workspace sector for rapid growth in the coming years.