Flex office SaaS platform: rebuilding a flexible workspace platform paralysed by technical debt

Context

This flex office SaaS platform is a marketplace for renting flexible workspace in France: private offices, coworking desks and meeting rooms. More than 500 spaces listed across 80 cities.

The original platform had been built with NoCode tools (Xano for the backend, WeWeb for the frontend). At the outset, that approach made for a fast launch. But month after month, things deteriorated.

The problem

A platform that had become unmanageable

The technical debt piling up on the NoCode tools had made the platform unstable. Outages multiplied, fixes created new bugs, and the team no longer had command of its own tool.

A loss of operational control

Faced with a malfunctioning portal, the team had been forced back to Excel files to keep track of the business: managing contracts, following up payments, chasing customers. A step backwards that cost both time and reliability.

An eroding customer base

The recurring technical problems on the customer portal (slowness, display errors, broken features) caused users to lose confidence. Customers left the platform. The tool that was supposed to generate value had become a drag on sales.

Dependence on NoCode tools

The team could neither fix the problems properly nor develop the platform to suit its needs. The limits of Xano and WeWeb had become walls. Every new feature called for fragile workarounds that made the technical debt worse.

The proposal

Given all this, I proposed a complete rebuild of the platform. No patching up, no gradual migration: a rebuild from scratch, on solid foundations.

Development assisted by AI agents

The whole build was carried out with the help of AI agents, producing in a few weeks what would have taken months with a traditional approach:

• Code generated to strict standards
• Automated tests written alongside the code
• Technical documentation generated and kept up to date continuously
• Code review and error detection in real time

A state-of-the-art architecture

The new platform was designed according to recognised software industry models:

• DDD (Domain-Driven Design): the code is organised around the platform’s business domains (marketplace, invoicing, identity, contracts, compliance), not around the technology. Each domain is independent and can evolve without affecting the others.
• TDD (Test-Driven Development): every feature is tested before it is coded. Regressions are picked up instantly.
• CQRS: separating read and write operations to guarantee performance and reliability at scale.
• Design System: a library of consistent, reusable, maintainable visual components. The interface is uniform and professional.

A modern technical stack

• Frontend: Next.js, React, Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Symfony, PostgreSQL
• Authentication: Supabase
• Payment: Stripe Connect
• Infrastructure: Docker, Terraform
• Tests: Vitest, PHPUnit

Results

• A platform rebuilt from scratch in a few weeks thanks to AI agents
• 500+ spaces migrated with no data loss
• 80+ cities covered from launch
• The end of Excel files: all business tracking is built into the platform
• A reliable customer portal: no more recurring outages, a smooth user experience
• Native GDPR compliance: consent, access rights and a record of processing activities built in from the design stage
• Technical autonomy: the team has command of its tool, can develop it further, and is no longer dependent on a NoCode vendor

What this project illustrates

This rebuild is a textbook case of what happens when a company builds its critical tool on foundations it does not control. NoCode lets you start fast, but without technical governance the debt piles up until breaking point.

Rebuilding with AI agents made it possible to combine the speed of NoCode with the robustness of a professional architecture. The result is a platform the team understands, controls and can develop further with confidence.