The Working Space
TWS - Orgatec 2022 Photo/Video Album

A quick walk thru of Orgatec 2022.

TWS - Orgatec 2022 Photo/Video Album
Manufacturer, NeoCon 2021
Source: CFN News Desk
Hightower wins multiple NeoCon awards including ...

Contract furnishings provider, Hightower received multiple awards at NeoCon 2021, including IIDA's 'Best Small Showroom' (under 4,000 sf) and 'Best of Competition' for its newly designed Chicago showroom.

Hightower wins multiple NeoCon awards including ‘Best Showroom’
Manufacturer, People
Source: CFN News Desk
Humanscale Announces Elizabeth Margles as Chief ...

Humanscale welcomes Elizabeth Margles to its Marketing Division in the role of Chief Marketing Officer. Margles comes to Humanscale with twenty years of experience in design, fashion and retail and a background in public relations and advertising.

Humanscale Announces Elizabeth Margles as Chief Marketing Officer
Manufacturer
Source: CFN News Desk
Steelcase teams up with Kontrol Technologies to ...

The exclusive relationship with Kontrol's BioCloud® Technology will provide real-time detection of airborne pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2 to help make workplaces safer as organizations return to the office.

Steelcase teams up with Kontrol Technologies to provide air quality monitoring and viral detection technology
Manufacturer, People
Source: CFN News Desk
Alan Jay Heller dies at 81

For over 50 years, Heller offered leading designers the opportunity to work with new technologies to create innovative products. Those were great partnerships and they resulted in great products.

Alan Jay Heller dies at 81

Real Estate

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Higher levels of uncertainty blamed for drop in UK commercial construction activity

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Higher levels of uncertainty blamed for drop in UK commercial construction activity

Commercial construction activity in the UK for the 12 months to the end of 2016 fell to £16.7 billion, down 14.1 percent on the previous quarter, according to JLL and Glenigan’s Q4 2016 UK Commercial Construction Activity Index. In London, activity declined in a quarterly comparison but increased 2.7 percent compared to the same period a year ago. Construction started at 22 Bishopsgate in London City which will provide a total of 1.3 million sq ft of office space, and is scheduled to complete in 2019. The 70,000 sq ft office refurbishment of 33 Gutter Lane also commenced in Q4 with completion scheduled for the second half of the year. Elsewhere it was a mixed picture across the regions with commercial construction activity increasing in the North East, South West and Wales, albeit from a relatively low base; but activity was more subdued in other regions, particularly in Yorkshire and the Humber were the level of construction activity fell 22.0 percent y-o-y.

Via workplaceinsight.net 

Microsoft is taking its Detroit operation downtown

Microsoft is taking its Detroit operation downtown

Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan and businessman Dan Gilbert are set to announce Microsoft is moving downtown from the suburbs. TechCrunch has confirmed the move with several trusted sources and learned that Microsoft will occupy 50,000 square feet in One Campus Martius, a building owned in part by Dan Gilbert and home to a large chunk of the Quicken Loans team.

Microsoft’s Detroit operation is currently housed in Southfield, Mich. The staff is mostly sales people. It’s unknown at this time if the entire Southfield workforce will be relocated to this new location.

The announcement is scheduled for Friday morning, February 3rd, at 9:00 am EST.

Via techcrunch.com

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Office construction boom predicted for 2017

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Office construction boom predicted for 2017

It’s barely February, but analysts are already predicting a bumper crop of office construction in the U.S. this year. Researchers from Dodge Data & Analytics anticipate a 10 percent increase in office construction starts—and 10 million more square feet—over 2016. Meanwhile, the chief economist of ConstructConnect, Alex Carrick, pegs the increase at 11.3 percent. Whatever the number, experts agree that private office construction is poised for a boom compared to other types of commercial construction. But why?

The answer is twofold. For one, there’s a bump in the number of jobs—like accounting, architecture, and engineering—requiring office space for more workers. Secondly, companies are building additional urban offices near public transportation to attract millennials who’d rather live and work downtown. Pedestrian-friendly locations near nightlife and transit hubs are especially coveted.

Via curbed.com 

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The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate

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The impact of technology, cyber-risk and the future of corporate real estate

It’s no surprise to say that technology is having a significant impact on the workplace and the use of corporate real estate. The fast pace of change has seen technology impact all aspects of business, government and culture, as well as personal life, with a constant flow of new innovations and solutions helping us to do things more quickly and efficiently. Equally, technology also provides a challenge to business and, more specifically, corporate operations, with a whole array of disruptive technologies. Disruption is indeed now running a swathe through a whole spectrum of industries. CoreNet Global’s recent report, The Bigger Picture: The Future of Corporate Real Estate, attempts to capture the impact of technological change, and a variety of other factors, that will influence, disrupt and transform the corporate real estate (CRE) profession.  As business strategy and operations are reshaped and consumer preferences change, we will find that the ‘how’ and ‘where’ people want to work will transform.

Via workplaceinsight.net 

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Corporate real estate teams join the wider business conversation

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Corporate real estate teams join the wider business conversation

The role of the corporate real estate (CRE) team is changing fast to meet new business requirements, driving those within the function to adopt new approaches to stay on top of what’s going on behind the scenes of the company.

Now, many CRE teams are borrowing a page from their sales colleagues’ playbook, and using customer relationship management (CRM) to improve alignment with their companies’ business units and demonstrate the value proposition of CRE.

Via jllrealviews.com 

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What makes the perfect workplace?

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What makes the perfect workplace?

Change in the property market is slow to respond to how many businesses now operate today, with flexible contracts and varied headcounts. Why? Well the property market assumes ‘quirky’ offices are a fashion statement relevant primarily to the tech industry and concentrated in a few hot spots like East London’s Tech City.

Advice on what to build to satisfy the rental market is dominated by traditional valuation based assessment by men in blue suits using formulas that are as much out of date as their choice of uniform.

Price per square foot returns has led to the architectural world producing office buildings that neither aspire or inspire; indeed aside from fancy external cladding on the odd crazy high rise, their role appears to be limited to conspiring with the construction industry to produce bland and predictably soulless buildings. The experience of working in such office buildings is not improved by funky reception furniture and free tea and coffee either. Comparing images recording the transitional stages of offices over the last 100 years raises the question: how much better is the experience today?

Via placemaking.co.uk 

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LISTEN: “Price of Business” Hosts radioIA’s Russell Manthy

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LISTEN: “Price of Business” Hosts radioIA’s Russell Manthy

Understanding your office space is a lot like playing golf; there’s a lot of subtlety to it and there’s a lot that goes into it to do it well.

In commercial real estate, there are two main types of square feet: usable square feet and rentable square feet. Usable square feet is everything inside your office suite, and rentable square feet is everything that you pay rent on, including the building’s common spaces and corridors.

Current workspaces focus a lot more on “we” space than “me” space.  In today’s workplace, individual workspaces are getting smaller and shared workplaces, such as casual meeting areas, lounge areas, cafes, and social zones, are getting larger. This is partially due to team-based education, which is driving the workplace of the future. 

Visit to Listen:

Via interiorarchitects.com

JLL brings real estate into the digital age

JLL brings real estate into the digital age

The real estate industry has, in the past, been slow to adapt to technological advancement. JLL is seeking to change that, embracing the Internet of Things to offer clients a truly digital experience

A few years back, it was commonly accepted that consumer behaviour changed every decade, but the speed of change now sees technological shifts with every new product launch. If speed is the new intellectual property, how do large businesses keep pace in a crowded and evolving market?

For a data-driven industry, real estate has been notoriously slow to adopt new technologies compared with other sectors. I used to ask myself: “Are we mobile enough or are we digital enough?” Now I ask myself: “Do our mobile and digital tools address the emerging market and client needs, and are we innovating fast enough?”

Via europeanceo.com

Office Tenants’ Taste For Robust Concessions Is Now Baked In

Office Tenants’ Taste For Robust Concessions Is Now Baked In

WASHINGTON, DC–Following the Great Recession the entire US, for the most part, became a tenant’s market. Landlords eagerly granted generous TIs and free rent to keep existing tenants and lure the occasional new one.

Markets around the US have long started improving but tenants don’t seem to have gotten the message. “Even though the markets have rebounded nationally concessions are still increasing for class A space,” says Sandy Paul, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s managing director of National Market Research and co-author of a report on the subject that the company is about to release.

Via globest.com >

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The Value Trifecta Driving Green Buildings

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The Value Trifecta Driving Green Buildings

I recently helped host 300 green buildings leaders in London and Dubai. These are quite different environments but the discussions were remarkably similar. Green buildings save energy and water and will help the world urbanize more sustainably. Another recurring theme may surprise you. Green buildings add economic value for three distinct stakeholders:

Investors. In my conversations with some pension fund managers, traditionally big real estate investors, they told me they would only invest in certified green buildings, otherwise they feared the investment would not hold its value. That’s a strong endorsement for building green. Let me explain. Real estate development projects require investors to get off the ground. Over the last five years, the Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB) reports that $7.6 trillion of institutional investment funds - like pension funds - have backed green building development. In many ways, it is the invisible hand moving the market.

Via huffingtonpost.com >

Real Estate Tech Companies VTS and Hightower to Merge in $300 Million Deal

Real Estate Tech Companies VTS and Hightower to Merge in $300 Million Deal

Two technology startups that help commercial-real-estate owners and brokers manage their businesses are merging in a deal that will create one of the largest technology companies in the industry, valued at about $300 million.

VTS and Hightower Inc., both based in New York, are merging in an all-stock transaction, executives at both firms said. The deal was expected to be announced to employees Tuesday.

The merged firm, which will keep the name VTS and be led by VTS Chief Executive Nick Romito, will provide customer-management tools for owners of more than 5.5 billion square feet of commercial space in the U.S. and U.K.

Via wsj.com >

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Designing Corporate Real Estate Resilience

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Designing Corporate Real Estate Resilience

As strategists and designers of interior environments, there are  many factors  to juggle on each project at any given time. Yet space is a resource just like people, and money and Real Estate and Facilities (RE&F) teams can develop skills currently leveraged by technology, political science, and economics to keep up with future Corporate Real Estate (CRE) demands. However, even the best team may not be able to fully realize its potential with a traditional CRE structure and process and may look to innovative systems outside our industry that can respond to any level of change.

Via interiorarchitects.com >

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Confidence Is High For US Construction Industry

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Confidence Is High For US Construction Industry

JLL’s new report on the state of the US construction industry may not be as optimistic as the outlook it published earlier in the year, but Todd Burns, president, project and development services, tells GlobeSt.com that confidence, though tempered, remains high.

“Clearly, we all know we’ve been riding a nice wave over the past few years,” he says, and it may be difficult for the economy to sustain its current level of construction activity. For one thing, “people are unsure about the results of the recent presidential election, and that means there are some unknowns.”

Via globest.oom >

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San Diego’s burgeoning new tech hub poised to reshape downtown

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San Diego’s burgeoning new tech hub poised to reshape downtown

On a quintessential San Diego day—and, this being the land of sun, sandals, and surf, there are many—one could do a lot worse than soak up the sunshine in the Quartyard. An array of shipping containers set up in a formerly abandoned lot in the East Village, a rapidly rebounding warehouse district near downtown, this 23,000-square-foot community space buzzes with activity. Locals hit up the adjacent coffee shop and dog park in the morning, freelancers tap away on laptops in the afternoon (free outdoor wifi), revelers perch on the long communal tables during happy hour. EDM icon Skrillex played a show here last year

These new developments have the potential to add thousands of jobs, according to David Graham, San Diego’s Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and help create a new tech center in the midst of downtown.

"I think we’re sitting at the precipice of a moment where San Diego gets recognized for its long history of invention, innovation, and reinvention," he says.

Via curbed.com >

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Shared office provider takes big chunk of Dallas' downtown's Thanksgiving Tower

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Shared office provider takes big chunk of Dallas' downtown's Thanksgiving Tower

New York-based collaborative office firm WeWork is upping its bet on the Dallas market with a large downtown office lease.

WeWork has rented three floors in the 50-story Thanksgiving Tower on Elm Street for its second location in Big D.

This summer, the shared office firm rented a smaller space in a new Uptown building for its first North Texas location.

WeWork has facilities in more than a dozen major U.S. markets.

The firm will rent about 84,000 square feet in Thanksgiving Tower, which is getting a $37 million makeover.

Via dallasnews.com >

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Tech Companies Seeking Office Space in Cities Outside the Traditional Hubs

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Tech Companies Seeking Office Space in Cities Outside the Traditional Hubs

Look out, Bay Area! You still may be the United States’ primary tech hub, but you’re not the only market that firms in the space are moving to.

Skyrocketing costs for office space, housing and skilled labor – plus the shortage of that labor – are driving some tech firms to seek locations in emerging “secondary” submarkets. So says CBRE's Tech-Thirty 2016 report.

The report analyzed North America’s top 30 tech markets and measured the industry’s impact on the office market. And what an impact it was: Tech accounted for 20% of all leasing activity this year.

But more and more of that leasing activity is taking place outside the cities that traditionally dominate tech. More firms are taking the opportunity to go into lower-cost, secondary submarkets for operations that don’t necessarily have to be at the “epicenter of innovation.” These emerging markets include places like Phoenix, Austin, Nashville, Charlotte, Dallas.

Via gethightower.com >

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Office Market Sees “Fundamental Shift”

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Office Market Sees “Fundamental Shift”

There is so much changing in the office market, Scott Stuckman, executive managing director at USAA Real Estate Co., said to kick off the capital markets panel at NAIOP O.CON, adding most notably that traditional office buildings aren’t as successful as they once were. Stuckman moderated the panel for panelists Jay Borzi, senior managing director, Eastdil Secured; John Miller, senior managing director and regional director of Southern California at Tishman Speyer; and Kev Zoryan, managing director at Morgan Stanley.

According to the panelists, the demand for and development of creative office is the most significant trend dominating the market. Miller says the market for creative product is frothy, and he finds the best value comes from new construction creative office because rebuilding and renovating existing office space is very expensive. He also adds that creative office needs to shift from the concept of two-story buildings to concepts that utilize high-rise space. While the office market is shifting toward creative properties, Miller says, “the rise hasn’t lifted all boats,” and there is still demand for traditional office spaces.

Via globest.com >

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What the Subscription Model Means for Office Leasing

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What the Subscription Model Means for Office Leasing

In the old days, when you wanted a piece of software, you paid up front for a license that allowed you to use it forever. In other words, you pretty much owned it. But companies like Salesforce flipped the script with the software as a service (SaaS) model, allowing customers to pay a recurring fee for their tools, giving them greater flexibility and customization.

Now, that subscription model has expanded to everything from cloud infrastructure (Amazon Web Services) to razor shopping (Dollar Shave Club). And with the rise of coworking, we’re now seeing the subscription model expand to office leasing as well. It started with Regus, which pioneered the shared office concept for travellers two decades ago. Since then, companies like Alley, Industrious, and most famously, WeWork, have used the subscription model to give clients the same flexibility with their office spaces that they get with their software tools, with a community of like-minded tenants to boot.

Via gethightower.com >

WHAT WE LEARNED AT CONVENE’S “OFFICE OF THE FUTURE” SUMMIT

WHAT WE LEARNED AT CONVENE’S “OFFICE OF THE FUTURE” SUMMIT

Real estate today can be a lot different things to a lot of different people, especially for commercial real estate. This fact was the focus of the Convene Summit, “The Office of the Future”, held last Friday, October 29 in New York City. The summit was attended by nearly 450 professionals that included a wide range users and providers — a mix of commercial landlords, tenants, service providers, and just about everything in between, including many new types of landlords and services that are finding new ways to realize value in the physical places that we build.

Convene hosted the event in their newest space on 46th Street, one block east of Times Square, which served two valuable roles: one, as a great place to hold the conference, with all the necessary accoutrements (the food was awesome) and two, as an example of the type of services and spaces that are becoming available and building value in the commercial real estate market. The conference focused on exploring the concept of real estate as a service.

Via workdesign.com >

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Companies relying more on “cool” offices in their recruiting efforts

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Companies relying more on “cool” offices in their recruiting efforts

What makes an office cool? How about a rooftop deck that provides a stunning view of the city skyline? And what if that outdoor deck features floor-to-ceiling glass?

That’s the key amenity that helped bring Grand Rapids, Michigan-based law firm Miller Johnson Attorneys to the Arena Place mixed-use development in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids.

Miller Johnson Attorneys moved into the space in the summer of this year, leasing the building’s top four floors, a total of 60,000 square feet.

Scott Morgan, senior vice president with Colliers West Michigan, said that Miller Johnson has already hosted several receptions and events on the outdoor deck area. The deck, he says, is just one of the many features that attracted the law firm to this space.

Via rejournals.com >

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