8 Perspectives on the Office in an Evolving Age
If you work in the commercial real estate industry, or are even just an interested observer, there’s probably one topic that’s dominated your conversations with colleagues, professional acquaintances and friends more than any other over the past year: the future of the office sector.
While the pandemic accelerated and heightened preexisting trends related to sectors such as retail and industrial — and wrought perhaps more impactful, but also more ephemeral alterations to the hospitality and multifamily sectors — the potential shift in how companies lease and use office space was almost entirely unexpected and could prove to be more enduring.
And now, as companies and their employees begin taking tentative steps back into the physical realm; as zoom meetings transition to often jubilant in-person gatherings; as we all learn how to have a water cooler conversation again (only, perhaps, sans the water cooler), those conversations about how the office will (or perhaps won’t) evolve have grown only louder and more urgent.
Below are links to eight articles that consider different facets of how the office is changing — from new pandemic-inspired lease clauses, to the experiential office trend, to the future of coworking and numerous other notions about what’s in store for offices design, office leasing and the office market.
Your Future Office Could Have Privacy Tents, Portable Nooks and 'Zoom Rooms'
“The office now has to compete with the home. It has to be worth the commute. Offices have to be so flexible that users can reconfigure the space based on what they need right now.”
Jim Keane, CEO, Steelcase
Estimating Future Demand for Office Space
“The move toward de-densification could have a greater effect on demand for office space than pandemic-related measures such as social distancing that may turn out to be temporary.”
Tal Peri, head of U.S. East Coast and Latin America, Union Investment Real Estate
Exploring the Experiential Office Concept
“There is definitely some research out there that shows more financial benefits. I’ve seen research that says that companies that focus on the employees’ experience make approximately four times the average profit and twice the average revenue than companies that don’t.”
Tamar Moy, executive managing director, Northeast region, lead workplace strategy & human experience, Newmark
How To (Try To) Pandemic-Proof Your Next Commercial Lease
“This is not going to be something where you’re going to draft it and the landlord’s going to say, ‘okay.’ You’re going to draft it, the landlord’s going to say ‘no’ about four times. Maybe the fifth time you’ll get through a little bit.”
Daniel Gildin, managing partner, Kaufmann, Gildin, Robbins LLP
Shared Office Providers Seek an Edge As They Tackle the Future of Office Space
“One thing you see in the industry, which baffles me, is everyone talks about big companies and how their clients are credit tenants, like Microsoft or IBM, but with short-term agreements, being a credit tenant doesn't matter.”
Flip Howard, CEO, WorkSuites
Hybrid Work Is Coming: Key Terms and Concepts You Need To Know
“You don't have the same brand and cultural development in a conference room in a hotel that you have at the headquarters office. And while you might save on some real estate, your travel expenses [may] skyrocket.”
Mia Marshall, principal, MZA
The Pandemic Is Shaking Up Company Dining Spaces
“On-site dining is still considered an important perk that can help with morale and job retention. These younger millennial workers especially want a variety of quality and healthy and locally sourced foods, and I don’t think that’s going to change.”
Phil Colicchio, executive managing director, Cushman & Wakefield
“From the tenant perspective, it’s more about what you’re getting rid of than what you’re introducing. Many of us go into our buildings, we close our doors and we communicate digitally for the remainder of the day. That’s the thing that people want to see go away.”
Aaron Schiller, founder and design head, Schiller Projects
