Short-term leasing application for collaboration spaces

Smyris, Vasileios; Σμύρης, Βασίλειος

Εφαρμογή βραχυχρόνιας μίσθωσης χώρων συνεργασίας

Master Thesis

Author

Smyris, Vasileios

Σμύρης, Βασίλειος

Date

2025-06

Abstract

The rapid development and widespread adoption of the internet over the past decades have driven an ongoing wave of digitalization across various sectors. Public and private services, including utilities, food delivery, and banking, have increasingly transitioned to online platforms, offering enhanced accessibility, security, reliability, efficiency and transparency. The COVID-19 pandemic served as a catalyst for accelerating this digital transformation, particularly in areas that had previously been less affected, such as the nature of work and the relationship of humans with it. The disruptions caused by the health crisis compelled organizations to adopt new and existing digital solutions—including VPNs, collaborative applications, and telepresence systems—to maintain business continuity while ensuring employee safety. What initially emerged as a crisis-response strategy evolved into a fundamental shift in work culture. Millions of employees across industries were introduced to concepts traditionally associated with independent contractors and digital nomads, such as remote and flexible work. Within months, the conventional requirement of office attendance became a recommendation rather than a necessity. Even years after the crisis, many workers continue to enjoy the benefits of this shift, including the ability to work from any location, reduced commuting time, and greater opportunities to focus on personal priorities such as family and hobbies. Furthermore, this large-scale remote work experiment has paved the way for the rise of lean, decentralized organizations that operate without the need for physical facilities, significantly reducing overhead costs and logistical constraints. This shift presents the potential for an unprecedented entrepreneurial boom, reshaping traditional business structures and redefining the future of work. Although these developments have the potential to enhance quality of life, improve working conditions, and drive unprecedented economic growth, remote work has also faced significant criticism. One of the primary concerns is the decline in communication, collaboration, and trust that can result from the lack of physical presence in a shared workspace. Some argue that the absence of in-person interaction weakens company culture, reduces spontaneous idea-sharing, and makes it harder to build strong professional relationships. Others point to declining productivity in certain organizations, attributing it to distractions, lack of oversight, or difficulties in maintaining engagement and accountability. These concerns have fueled a growing wave of return-to-office mandates, as companies attempt to reclaim perceived losses in efficiency and cohesion. Beyond operational challenges, remote work has also disrupted commercial real estate markets. With fewer employees occupying traditional office spaces, many businesses and private investors who once saw value in modern, spacious office facilities now struggle with vacant, underutilized properties that generate maintenance costs without delivering returns. This shift has raised concerns about long-term real estate viability, urban planning implications, and the economic ripple effects on businesses that rely on office worker foot traffic, such as cafés, restaurants, and local service providers. In an attempt to capitalize on this convergence of disruption and opportunity, this thesis introduces "meets", a conceptual online platform for the short-term leasing of collaborative workspaces—for those moments when in-person interaction is truly essential. meets aims to provide access to office and meeting spaces by connecting organizations, teams, and individuals with independent hosts offering their facilities, through a single centralized platform. This marketplace-driven approach not only helps businesses and property owners generate returns on their vacant office investments but also encourages new development in professional real estate to accommodate the growing demand for flexible workspaces. By providing on-demand access to professional environments, meets aims to offer a cost-effective alternative to long-term office leases, allowing smaller organizations to reduce overhead expenses while maintaining access to high-quality workspaces when needed. The platform is particularly beneficial for decentralized teams, independent contractors, and nonprofit organizations, empowering them with access to well-equipped spaces for collaborative sessions, business meetings, educational activities, and specialized functions requiring dedicated facilities and equipment. Ultimately, meets seeks to bridge the gap between the evolving nature of work and the practical need for occasional physical collaboration, fostering a more efficient, adaptable, and inclusive professional landscape.

Postgraduate Studies Programme

Προηγμένα Συστήματα Πληροφορικής

Department

Σχολή Τεχνολογιών Πληροφορικής και Επικοινωνιών. Τμήμα Πληροφορικής

Number of pages

137

Language

English

URI

https://dione.lib.unipi.gr/xmlui/handle/unipi/17884

Collections

Τμήμα Πληροφορικής

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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as
Αναφορά Δημιουργού-Μη Εμπορική Χρήση-Όχι Παράγωγα Έργα 3.0 Ελλάδα