In 2010, psychologists Alex Haslam and Craig Knight did some experimenting with office space layouts (read the full article below for some fascinating history and thoughts). Here’s what they found: –Employees want to make their space their own. –When they get that opportunity, they do more and better work. Over a decade later and employees … Continue reading Office Space that Works
As companies begin to return to the offices which have largely been left empty since the Covid 19 pandemic started, the first trend we are seeing is companies are going to have to transform the spaces into places where workers will want to be. This is an important move since there is now a shift … Continue reading Are the Suburbs Back? And other Office Trends from NAIOP
Considering how many companies have opted to allow employees to work from home since the pandemic, it’s good to know that many are still investing in workplaces, creating designs that are not only aesthetically pleasing but with features that are beneficial for the employees and the environment. The list below features multiple workplace designs from … Continue reading The World`s Best Workplace in 2021
In my business, I get to tour some pretty incredible buildings and spaces. (Check out the narrative I did on World’s Most Beautiful Offices of 2019). I am always fascinated by the creative thinking and precision that goes into designing and constructing buildings and office space to make the culture within the company actually come to … Continue reading The Creative Process of the Four Pioneers of Modern Architecture
As we come out of the COVID-19 quarantine, the number one question I am being asked (other than questions about rent deferment or abatement) is “what is this going to do to the office building layouts going forward?” There are many prognostications and I have prepared my own presentation that I am giving to our … Continue reading This Trend is Likely Accelerating
Over the past five years, tons of owners have remodeled office buildings. The first place they start is the lobby. Below is an interesting graph for owners as they think about remodeling their lobby. Here are some key ideas that hit me when I saw this: 1—This is a year or more project. If you need to … Continue reading Lobby Renovation Roadmap
The hub and spoke concept for companies using office space is an interesting concept. I am not sure it will work. I personally think it will be too complicated for companies to have 2-3 spoke locations for employees. That said, huge companies seem to have no choice as they search for talent. See Tech Crunch’s … Continue reading Office Hub and Spoke Model
The C.D.C. sent out some “suggested” changes for office space users as we head back into the office. I wanted to take these suggestions and roll them into what we are seeing our clients do on a practical basis. Additionally, the Wall Street Journal has a nice article on what we know about getting infected. … Continue reading C.D.C. Recommends Changes to Office Space
Over the past few months of quarantine, the most asked question my team and I have received has been, “Will there even be a need for office space in the future?” Short answer: Yes. Below is a great article from the Wall Street Journal that summarizes some of the critical issues facing companies as we … Continue reading Remote Work Isn’t So Great After All
Last week, I sent a narrative on some new ways we are working with our clients to measure space utilization (click here to read). I got quite a few responses about the topic from Real Estate facilities people (and a CEO) asking why we would incorporate new measurements into their spaces when they have corporate … Continue reading 10 + 1 Reasons to Measure Office Space Utilization
Every day we negotiate office leases. In 2019 alone, our team completed 145 leases. One item we always negotiate is rent per square foot. As we negotiate this for our clients, we also talk to them about how they could, and probably should, be looking at the rent differently than just per SF. Recently, we moved … Continue reading New Ways to Measure Workplace Utilization
Over the years, we have seen a proliferation of amenities and additions to office space that we lease. We assembled a nice overview of what we call The Modern Workplace. In addition to photos, I have added a little overview of the top amenities. Each of these amenities is from one of our listings here … Continue reading The Modern Workplace
I’ve shared some pretty cool buildings with this narrative over the years, and I’m bringing you another one today. As an avid backpacker for 30+ years, I wanted to share REI’s new headquarters. This one may be one of my favorites. REI is a co-op founded in 1938 that sells outdoor gear. I have been … Continue reading The Most Outdoorsy HQ Ever
I first commented on this topic back in 2015 (click here to see my narrative and the video). The age of robotics is coming. And last month, it got even closer. Boston Dynamics announced their first commercial robot is going on sale. Yes, it will be expensive and limited, BUT it will be a commercially … Continue reading Robotics are Here!
I love to write this narrative each year. Annually, I get to comment on some of the coolest office spaces in the world and also highlight a couple clients we have completed transactions with in the past 12 months. First is a very cool tenant lounge that Cypress Properties and Oaktree built at Renaissance One. Next, … Continue reading World’s Most Beautiful Offices of 2019
Chinese company, Tencent, just finished its global headquarters. In previous narratives, I have discussed US-based tech companies’ cool new headquarters (Click here to read my narrative on Apple’s HQ). This week, I have included two different articles about the same building. What is different? Technology. In China, the government allows some technology that is not … Continue reading Chinese Company Headquarters WAY different than U.S.
In my ongoing effort to explore both sides of the open office vs. traditional office debate, here are some thoughts based on science. The Journal of Environmental Psychology jumped into the fray and came out with a huge study (40k+ workers and over 300 companies). What did they find out? — Closed offices outperformed open … Continue reading Open Plans Kill Productivity
Exposed ceilings are all the rage, but users pay a price for this look. Most of our clients think it’s less expensive to just demo the ceiling and have a cool open space. Not so fast. Here are some of the additional costs that come with an exposed ceiling: – Re-running electrical cabling and HVAC … Continue reading Exposed Ceilings Are Cool But Not Cheap
Apple moved into their spaceship this year. I wrote about it while under construction and now you have probably have seen finished photos all over. If not, here are some.But today’s narrative is not about this inspired headquarters. Today, I want to talk about Pixar’s headquarters built in the late 1990’s. The standards of creative office (and … Continue reading The Legacy of Steve Jobs and Office Space
What would you do if you had an unlimited budget to improve your company’s next office renovation? Below is a great article detailing what some tech giants are doing to their interior design to keep their employees happy, productive and in the office. One simple takeaway is that these companies are doing THE most innovative and comprehensive buildout you … Continue reading How Tech Office Space Sets the Bar for Everyone Else
Every year, we share the most innovative offices from around the world (and a few from our own clients). Below is our list from 2017. First, you get a few of the best clients we were fortunate enough to work with this past year. We can hold our own here in the Valley of the … Continue reading World’s Coolest Offices 2017
You heard it here first (hopefully). There is a new type of space for companies called third spaces. Third spaces are places for local people to gather and eat, with areas for creative, cultural, and community activities. This is where ideas and startups are born. If this concept takes off, the next wave of development will need … Continue reading Third Space First
Finally. Maybe? No shot!! Those were my immediate thoughts when I read the below article. The war over office temperatures has been fought for decades. The ability to heat and cool their space for themselves, is one of the biggest issues our tenants have. In Arizona, this is compounded by the heat and sunlight beating on … Continue reading Finally! A Possible Solution to Thermostat Wars
We spend a large amount of time with our tenants talking about the changing workforce, and how to drive change within the company. Below is a great infographic from Forward Tilt and Allsteel on how to do exactly that — drive change. To drive change, you should know some of the myths that are perpetuated, … Continue reading Driving Change In Your Office
When you start a new job at a new office, what’s the first thing you do? For most of us, the answer is get settled in your workspace. You are assigned a desk, maybe put up a few pictures, stock the drawers with your favorite pens, and meet your neighbors. But this simple act of … Continue reading UBS Reinvents the Work Space
We love office space. It’s our job. And every now and then we find some really cool spaces that we just have to share. Every year, we take a look back on some of the coolest office spaces built over the past 12 months. For 2016, we saw some really cool, some classic, and a few … Continue reading World’s Coolest Office Spaces 2016
Each year I read tons of reports, market studies, and research. One of the best in the business is Gensler’s workplace survey. This year, Gensler takes a deep dive into innovators–how they work, how design drives innovation, and what is happening for the individual worker. At the end of this email is a link to … Continue reading Innovators and Office Space
Sustainability is a huge priority for many in commercial real estate these days. The movement towards green, sustainable buildings has opened the doors for new innovations. The below article highlights a building in Amsterdam that received the highest score for sustainability in the world from BREEAM, the world’s leading assessment for sustainable buildings. Even more exciting for … Continue reading World’s Smartest Building
Workspace design continues to be a hot topic. Last week, I talked about the huge issues that come with open design that we are now discussing with all of our clients. Below my comments is an infographic on a survey that Cort Furniture compiled on workplace trends. I follow it up with a bonus article on how designers are … Continue reading Boosting Productivity in the Office
Yes, open office is all the rage. But there is fallout (as I get older, I can now see there is good and bad in literally everything). Below is a contrarian view on the whole open office collaborative space perspective. Around 70% of all offices are now building open office environments. And with all this openness comes … Continue reading The Open Office Trap
OK, so I am not sure if this is pure genius or complete BS. Then again, I know nothing about anthropological research. Below is a short article that discusses the cultural norm of approximately seven people being the ideal group size. Your teams should be seven (plus or minus two), and your office space groups should be the same. Why? –The team can … Continue reading Nesting in Office Space Design
Dynamic Architecture is designing a whole new way to build buildings AND each floor moves independently while rotating. Pretty cool, huh? Here are some highlights: 1—Each floor rotates 360 degrees, independently or in a concerted manner. Much like the fancy restaurant at the top of a building we have all been to, but in these buildings every floor rotates. … Continue reading Buildings That Move???
While we represent office tenants and landlords each and every day, we are always looking to give our clients basic, simple advice. Below is an article that does this for creating functional office space. When we work with our tenant clients, we focus on the basics like: 1—Determine how much space the company will need (I … Continue reading Functional Office Space Basics
Leave it to The Economist to call squeezing office space “pressed suits.” Not only is office space becoming more open, it is becoming less personal. Mobile workers and the fact that 50% of all workers are not in the office at any given time, have led to no personal desk environments. In many offices, you show up and get assigned a desk … Continue reading Pressed Suits in Your Office?
Once a year I send out the coolest office spaces in the world. Below is the 2014 version. Take a look at some really off the wall, crazy and cool spaces. The article is so big, we had to put just a few of the photos below, but a link to the entire article is just a click away highlighted … Continue reading World’s Coolest Offices 2014
The Urban Land Institute is a thoughtful group of committed real estate practitioners who are global in their membership and thoughts. They have recently produced their emerging trends for 2015. You can click here for the complete document. Below I have included a few pages of Chapter 1 for a quick review, the entire document is lengthy. Here are my personal highlights—most of … Continue reading Top 10 Emerging Trends in Real Estate for 2015
Open office design, benching, and cool space layout have been topics we have discussed over the past few years. Below is a very interesting article on the start of the open office space movement and why it failed miserably. Today, we are seeing open office layouts in over 70 percent of new space designs. That does not mean the C-Suite … Continue reading Cozy in Your Cubicle? An Office Design Alternative May Improve Efficiency
Increasing space utilization is a goal almost all of the tenants we represent have. Below is an article that discusses the inherent difficulties of attaining the perfect space and layout. At the end of 2013, tenants were space planning to 180 SF per person. As described in this narrative previously, this brings a large number of issues to the forefront, … Continue reading Downsizing and Space Utilization
I love entrepreneurs. I have no idea if this will work, but I saw this company and looked over the website and thought what a creative mind. AND of course, what creative office space. Blueseed (http://blueseed.co/) is a group trying to raise money to build a ship that will sit 12 miles off the coast … Continue reading Floating Office for Startups? Let’s Get Outside of the Box Today
Last year NAIOP held another office of the future competition. Below are the four finalists and their concepts. Here is a summary: –Hickok Cole out of Washington DC suggested a building with a second “skin” that could help filter sunlight and change as heat and light change. –Miller Hull from Seattle talked about adaptability where contemplation and collaboration are designed into the … Continue reading NAIOP’s ‘Office of the Future’ Competition
Below are the five big trends in office design for 2014. Guess what? I have been ALL OVER these trends for the past two years. Talk about getting cutting edge info before it is cutting edge—read it right here and be ahead of the game. Seriously, the five trends are things I have spent a lot of time … Continue reading Colors and Productivity — 5 Big Trends in Office Design and Colors and What They Mean
Each year Gensler puts out a very informative marketing and informational piece that I find fascinating. I copied a couple of the key pages from this year’s piece and they are below. Get your reading glasses out or just see my highlights. They talk about Six Meta-Trends: –Mobility and performance—I have spent a lot of time on the mobility … Continue reading Design Forecast for 2014–Six Meta-Trends
Eighteen months ago, I sent out the initial renderings of Apple’s new campus. Now you get an insider’s view. “Apple Campus 2,” as it is called, looks like a spaceship that has landed and the price tag is out of this world as well. Five billion dollars. This was Steve Job’s last big project he … Continue reading Week 5: The Best for Last or at Least the Most Expensive–Apple’s New HQ
We have spent the last three weeks looking at billion dollar spending binges by some of the most well-known companies in the tech industry. I am taking this week to get back to the real world, but just for a week. Next week, we will take a trip to somewhere out of this world in … Continue reading Week 4: Some Normalcy–Samsung’s North American HQ
Continuing our tour of billion dollar plus new headquarters, we turn to Google. Google is planning on building nine buildings with the now familiar pedestrian and bicycle friendly environments. When completed, this 1.1 million square foot project in Mountain View, CA, will be comprised of nine fairly traditional buildings connected by “messy” courtyards. Below is a bunch of renderings that … Continue reading Week 3–Google’s New Headquarters and a Bonus
Last week started our five week review of new corporate headquarters with a review of Facebook’s billion dollar investment. Today, we move north to Seattle and Amazon. Can you believe Amazon has spent $1.4 BILLION in just the past 12 months on building a headquarters they are now calling a company town? Facebook wanted a low rise, garden feeling while Amazon is going with spheres … Continue reading Week Two of Our Five-Week Review of the New Corporate Headquarters–Amazon
Some of the world’s biggest companies are designing and building World Headquarters. These are not just your run-of-the-mill buildings, rather they are unbelievable in scope and design. AND the companies we analyzed are taking dramatically different approaches. Enjoy the designs, thoughts behind them, and a more intimate understanding of the companies themselves. First up is Facebook. Over the past … Continue reading A 5-Week Review of New Corporate Headquarters – First up: Facebook
I continue to track the development of the new, collaborative office place including the new headquarters of some of the biggest companies in the world. But, there is starting to be increasing backlash against the open office space. I came across the article below in Fortune that details some of the negatives of having an open work space. Certain companies rely … Continue reading The Slow Death of the Private Office