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et'€™s face it: workplaces aren'€™t what they used to be. We no longer see them as simply our prescribed location from 9-5; today, most of us are not working the conventional set shifts of years ago, but are on call around the clock.

Of course, we do not want to fritter away our lives watching the clock from behind our desks. Thankfully, the comprehensive lifestyle facilities available in today'€™s modern offices mean we do not have to.

For the 21st century office is now firmly part of the urban lifestyle in offering the vaunted work-play balance.

Beyond the established, congested business districts, new neighborhoods are opening up as locations for the office buildings of today, especially the booming TB Simatupang area in South Jakarta.

Most new office buildings in the area are outfitted with recreation facilities such swimming pools, fitness centers, gyms and spa centers. The Grade A office towers in this popular residential enclave for expatriates allow '€“ even encourage '€“ their tenants to maintain a healthy lifestyle even as they put in long hours at work.

And being in an air-conditioned, welcoming office complex '€“ with many activities to choose from '€“ is certainly a great deal better than finding ourselves stuck in traffic that stretches as far as the eye can see.

'€œThere are employees who come to the workplace very early and do their favorite exercise, be it swimming or the gym. Many also opt to exercise after office hours as they wait for less congestion,'€ said Ali Moedanda Sudarsono, director of PT Graha Lestari Ciptakencana, the developer of Talavera Office Park.

'€œIn our more than adequate number parking spaces, we also provide a bicycle rack to accommodate the growing number of '€˜bike to work'€™ enthusiasts.'€

It also has many comfortable venues for meetings and gatherings.

'€œBased on our design concept, we provide a park that can also serve as a meeting venue. Our coffee shop is also designed for that purpose,'€ said the company'€™s president director K. Yanto Lucas.

Other facilities include a clinic, restaurants and spa center. A restaurant offering healthy food at affordable prices, thanks to the building management'€™s price control policy, is available in Talavera Office Tower 1.

There are more F&B options nearby at a major shopping mall.

 Talavera Tower management prioritizes the proper handling of parking space, especially with more employees traveling to work by private car.

'€œIn our Talavera Tower 1, we provide parking space with capacity for 800 cars. Tenants are very pampered here in terms of parking space,'€ Ali said.

Following the success of the 25-storey Talavera Tower 1, PT Graha Lestari Ciptakencana is currently building the Talavera Suite. The project covers a total area of 79,000 square meters, 42,000 square meters of which are for rental office space.

'€œBecause we prioritize quality, we are very selective when it comes to tenants. Most of our tenants are Grade A customers, with oil and gas companies representing major customers.'€

Working out

South Quarter, an office building developed by PT Intiland Development Tbk in TB Simatupang area, also focuses on creating a balanced lifestyle with on-site alternative workout activities, including a fitness center and day care.

'€œEmployees or visitors to the South Quarter can take advantage of our coffee shop and an opening area as alternative venues for a meeting, which is more dynamic and pleasing,'€ said company director Archied Noto Pradono.

South Quarter is a mixed-use complex that integrates office buildings, retail outlets and residences.

Employees and visitors to the office tower find a supermarket, F&B outlets, banks and ATMs all within comfortable walking distance, he said.

South Quarter primarily targets companies that need a bigger workplace.

'€œThe floor is between 2,000 and 2,200 square meters, which is one of the largest office buildings in the area. This can enhance the level of efficiency and comfort, offering advantages that many companies are interested in,'€ he said.

Plans are also underway to provide employees with a shuttle bus for added convenience in reaching the office building, he said.

TB Simatupang is an increasingly popular workplace destination in town due to several factors, including the built-up condition of West, Central and North Jakarta that rule out implementing office building projects with various facilities.

'€œThe soaring demand for office space in the golden triangle area has led to a significant increase in rental rates, driving companies to seek office space with a more '€˜competitive'€™ rental rate,'€ said Archied.

Several other companies decided to move to the TB Simatupang area because their operation has no direct connection with the central business district, said Ali.

Completion of the construction of the Jakarta outer ringroad has also contributed significantly to TB Simatupang'€™s rapid growth.

'€œIt has made access to Jakarta much easier,'€ he said.