Koba takes 30,000 sq ft at Manchester’s 100 Barbirolli Square

Signing a 10-year lease with AEW Investors, the flexible workspace company is set to open its premier location this winter.

Koba, formed in 2023, is led by managing director Paul Nellist, strategy and sustainability director Rob Stewart, finance James Thorne, and head of delivery Tom Beard. Nellist and Beard are both veterans from CBRE’s flex office offering Hana, where they were also managing director and head of delivery, respectively.

Koba’s mission is to create evidence-based sustainable workspaces. The company is working alongside Drees & Sommer and Cast Interiors to achieve this by reducing waste, repurposing materials, and utilising refurbished furniture.

Koba @ 100 Barbirolli Square is the venture’s first location.

Commenting on the lease, Nellist said: “It was incredibly important to mark the start of Koba’s journey with a venture that enables us to implement our sustainability manifesto and demonstrate that we can create premium workspaces that are demonstrably better for people and the planet.

“Having worked closely with our partners to devise a design framework that focuses on the circular economy, we are excited that our vision will be realised at 100 Barbirolli Square.”

Under the terms of the lease, Koba will design, fit-out, and operate a flex workspace offering at 100 Barbirolli Square.

Koba will focus on the ground floor and first floor of the 200,000 sq ft office block, creating a mixture of meeting rooms, coworking spaces, and private office suites. These suites would have capacity for anywhere between a four-person studio to a 200-desk office.

Koba represented itself on the leasing deal. OBI and Savills are the joint agents for 100 Barbirolli Square.

Andrew Cowell, part of the transactions and asset management team at OBI, said he was “thrilled” for Koba to launch at 100 Barbirolli Square.

“Koba’s premium and sustainable offering will deliver a new type of flexible workspace and is set to generate a huge amount of interest in Manchester,” Cowell said.

“Koba @ 100 Barbirolli Square will add immense value to the scheme and is an important part of the ongoing activation of the building as it will enhance the amenities available to current and future tenants,” Cowell continued.

“Interest in the remaining space at 100 Barbirolli Square is high and we are confident that the building will be fully let by the end of the year”.

In coming to 100 Barbirolli Square, Koba joins fellow tenants Brabners, Freeths, and Stantec.

While 100 Barbirolli Square may be Koba’s first location, it will not be alone for long. The company has plans to announce a second venue soon.