The Shop Workspace is proud to announce its newest anchor tenant, University of Utah Center for Medical Innovation (CMI).The new downtown lab space will make it possible for CMI to host groups from across the industry to advance new medical technologies.

Shedding its stodgy image, the city has become a destination for start-ups looking for cheaper space and younger workers on the hunt for roomier housing.

Although the standalone public payphone may be virtually extinct, the phone booth as a quiet personal space is emerging as a viable solution for today’s noisy workplaces… As a result, design firms have been integrating a greater selection of workspace types and sizes—from the open benching desk systems to informal lounges and café spaces for collaboration, as well as a variety of conference rooms and private phone booths for more focused work—to give employees a greater sense of choice in where and how they spend their work days.

The heart of The Shop is The Commons, an area on the third floor designed to facilitate conversation and connection. It boasts a full kitchen, beer and cold-brew coffee taps, and communal and recreational space. Hot desks that allow multiple workers to use the same workspace at different times and fixed banquettes accommodate diverse types of work. Lighting was organized to delineate a wide variety of seating experiences, in addition to accenting key features, like custom murals that were commissioned throughout the space. Local and national artists were brought in to adorn the walls with the goal of connecting the coworking tenants with the art community.

We planned our work around the communal space which offers a buzzing environment of professionals from all walks of life. Fortunately, standard coworking spaces offer printers, desks, and Wifi, which allowed us to plop ourselves in the many working areas spread across two vast floors of the Contemporary Arts Center. When needed, we enjoyed using the phone booths and conference rooms for scheduled private calls and meetings.