Dissatisfied with rigid corporate structure, a growing number of people are opting to be self-employed; freelancers are set to make up 40% of the US workforce by 2020. Many independent workers are being drawn to coworking spaces in cities, but what’s the appeal of these communal offices?

The office is changing. New technology means employees are more mobile, affecting the physical and cultural dynamics. By 2020, freelancers will make up 40% of the workforce, and rent-an-office spaces and cafés are meeting this new need. So what will the office of the future look like?

Freelancers are an established part of today’s workforce, often found in neighbourhood cafés or co-working spaces. Now, restaurants are jumping on the bandwagon, creating spaces for people looking for a place that’s cheaper than WeWork but calmer than your high street Costa.

The demand for co-working offices is set to rocket as the majority of the US workforce are projected to be freelance by 2027. Yet while many such spaces are tech-forward and male-dominated, The Wing is for women only, letting them work, socialize and thrive among fellow female professionals.