It’s no secret that adding amenities attract tenants, and modernizing workspace serves as talent retention.
If you’d asked me, I would’ve redesigned every 200,000-square-foot suburban office even before the pandemic.
Before it, office leasing activity was centered downtown with only a few big headquarters locations rooted in the suburbs. And now?
Well… Looks like the suburban office overhaul seems to be driving serious leasing opportunities.
The Office Redesign Has Only Just Begun
In the past two years, we have seen a shift in what companies in the metro area consider a desirable location, benefiting some suburban office buildings, which offer easy parking and fewer commuting routes for employees.
The Challenge of the Suburban Office Landscape
Understanding the Past to Re-envision the Future
By revamping and underutilized office building, we can automatically see the potential to reposition the space, maximize its assets and bring high-end amenities to a building that at the time wasn’t enticing tenants to sign a lease there.
Those buildings usually already have really great “bones”, good parking and they’re situated in desirable locations. They have all the “ingredients” to be great in theory, but saying they were outdated is an understatement.
Last year, 80% of those suburban offices were vacant. Less than a year later, 90% of them are leased.
Sustainability and Hybrid Work
No one is going to ‘just go to work’ anymore. If people are actually going back to the office, they need to have (they want) new options, choices, and amenities.
When you’re at the office you’re thinking, how interesting is this space? Was it easy to get here and park? Is the environment that active and sustainable to produce enough energy to support us?
That buzz is unfortunately often lacking and overlooked in suburban office buildings.
The firm based its concept around the idea that its target tenants were tech firms that had been located downtown before COVID-19 and were relocating because of the changing nature of the city.
If you are really one of them, we have already spoken of the most helpful tactics to relocate your business and start fresh. Check it out: 4 Tips For Moving Your Business To A New Location
Key Considerations for a Post-Pandemic Workplace
People want the highest level of amenities and design details that you usually find in the city.
It’s smart to really think about the potential of what this suburban office building could be instead of just offering your average product. Which usually isn’t that compelling. They are really thinking about how to differentiate their building.
Reconnection With Nature Via Shared Spaces
Focused on creating a dynamic common space that was “actually usable”, we can expect the lobby and atrium area to become essentially an indoor garden. Plants will be taking up valuable square footage.
The space is now built out with seating areas, work tables and bars, casual meeting spaces and even conference tables and monitor screens for presentations or company town halls.
It can also feature a boutique coffee bar run by a local coffee company.
COVID Affected Suburban Office Business Moving Forward in 2022
We really need to work on creating these different moments where people could work and connect, and where teams could actually meet in a workable space.
By adding these collaboration zones, we create a hub that you will gladly walk into every day when you get to work. Bright. Attractive. Inviting, and comfortable.
The five-story buildings also offer a lot. Starting with large floor plates that are 47,000 square feet each. This is desirable for a lot of the city’s tech tenants like to spread out on one level instead of bouncing between multiple floors and disrupting the workflow. They and some other tenants share the building.
Yours and Our Job To Make It Possible
It became basically employers job market, to make a future office a huge asset for attracting and retaining talent. Anything an employer can do to remove barriers to coming to work will go a long way with employees.
For us, amenities are such a huge component of decision-making around office space. That is why we have made pivotal for us to help you become that employer. Help you create a moment that is also beautiful and sculptural, as well as enjoyable for your employees.
And we are just a click away…
