{"id":1004483620,"date":"2020-10-08T09:17:48","date_gmt":"2020-10-08T17:17:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/?p=1004483620"},"modified":"2020-10-09T05:29:41","modified_gmt":"2020-10-09T13:29:41","slug":"naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Office Changes Are Here to Stay, NAIOP Panel Predicts"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Clockwise from top left: John Adams, Gensler; Kevin Smith, Cushman & Wakefield; Kevin Bender, JLL; and A. Robert Paratte, Kilroy Realty Corp. Photo by Denile Doyle<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The future of office space\u2014what it should like look like and where should it be located\u2014was the focus of a number of panels at this week\u2019s NAIOP CRE.Converge conference.<\/p>\n

In the Day 1 session titled \u201cCOVID-19\u2019s Impact on Office,\u201d three industry experts discussed the short- and long-term changes they\u2019re witnessing, how they are adjusting their best practices, and what owners and developers should focus on.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The Gensler U.S. Work from Home Survey 2020 highlights why employees will return to the office. Photo by Gensler<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

John Adams, a Los Angeles-based regional managing principal & managing director at Gensler, said that from mid-April through early May, his firm surveyed 2,300 full-time workers at companies with 100 employees or more, in 10 different industries, on the most important factors that influence their preference for working from an office. The results indicated that many workers prefer to work in an office environment.<\/p>\n

According to Gensler\u2019s survey, seventy percent of respondents would prefer to work in the office for most of the work week. Fifty-four percent of workers indicated that meetings, socializing with colleagues and impromptu in-person encounters with co-workers are the most important components of the office environment.<\/p>\n

Adams acknowledged that the survey might yield slightly different results today, but said he believes employees equally appreciate the office these days because it allows for socializing, collaboration and spontaneous interactions with colleagues. <\/p>\n

Crafting blended spaces<\/h2>\n

Building designs need to prioritize tenants\u2019, visitors\u2019 and building employees\u2019 safety and well-being. One of the first things developers have been addressing during the health crisis is touchless operations throughout the building, including access points and entryways, elevators, shared workspaces and conference rooms.<\/p>\n

In fact, John Adams said that some clients on the verge of construction decided to modify their requirements due to the health crisis. Some clients have said, \u201cTimeout\u2014I want touchless toilets,\u201d or \u201cI want touchless doors \u2026 I want UV everywhere,\u201d according to Adams.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Automated, touchless entryways provide ease of access and limit contact with surfaces. Photo by Gensler<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Incorporation of outdoor air has also been paramount. Adams said his firm has been designing and planning office buildings that merge the outdoors, or feature an outdoor element, and that these have become more popular due to the coronavirus pandemic. \u201cWe think this is prophetic,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Owners and developers will need to raise the standards of wellness within office buildings, as well, in order to retain current occupants and acquire new tenants. \u201cTenants are going to be demanding much more proof of wellness within the spaces that they\u2019re in,\u201d Adams said.<\/p>\n

Kevin Smith, executive managing director at Cushman & Wakefield<\/a>, said systems that property managers may have already installed prior to COVID-19 have now become more crucial because tenants are more sensitive to the wellness factor. Smith\u2019s firm is taking advantage of the reduced occupancy in buildings to implement and test new systems and protocols to keep tenants safe.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Weaving outdoor elements within office buildings promotes tenants’ well-being. Photo by Gensler<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Smith said he expects these standards\u2014including cleanliness, bipolar ionization and ultraviolet ionization\u2014to be long-term modifications. And building owners that did not have these systems in place prior to the pandemic are now struggling with \u201cthe hard stuff,\u201d such as elevator safety, temperature screens and upgrades to air filtration systems.<\/p>\n

One thing the participants agreed on was lowering density in offices to keep employees healthy. Smith\u2019s team is using the \u201cevery-other-desk\u201d model and integrating plexiglass in collaborative spaces. Adams is also taking a low-density approach at his Los Angeles office.<\/p>\n

One thing the participants agreed on was lowering density in offices to keep employees healthy. Smith\u2019s team is using the \u201cevery-other-desk\u201d model and integrating plexiglass in collaborative spaces. Adams is also taking a low-density approach at his Los Angeles office.<\/p>\n

Expect a comeback<\/h2>\n

Regarding the future of cities and the long-term impacts of the pandemic-driven changes to office space, the trio agreed that the future looks promising for the office sector. While many companies are supporting a work-from-home option for current employees for the foreseeable future, offices in urban areas are not expected to lose their appeal in the long term.<\/p>\n

Large technology firms<\/a> are still acquiring and leasing buildings in urban areas like Silicon Valley and the Pacific Northwest. A. Robert Paratte, executive vice president of leasing and development at Kilroy Realty Corp., said other companies, too, won\u2019t be able to attract the same level of talent to suburban areas. Thus, urban areas will regain their popularity\u2014and even attract new residents.<\/p>\n

One change that will stick around after the pandemic subsides is the decline of the typical 9-to-5 workday. While employers have tried to be \u201cas flexible as possible,\u201d according to Smith, they will need to continue to accommodate employees\u2019 desire for flexibility in their work hours, even when they are outside of the traditional workday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tenant health and wellness, along with touchless technologies, are among the most important considerations in the office sector.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":742,"featured_media":1004483677,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21782,23891,21742,21747,21785],"tags":[32799,33012,33134,32878],"class_list":["post-1004483620","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-development","category-national","category-latest","category-office","category-property-management","tag-cushman-wakefield","tag-gensler","tag-kilroy-realty-corporation","tag-naiop"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nOffice Changes Are Here to Stay, NAIOP Panel Predicts - Commercial Property Executive<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Office Changes Are Here to Stay, NAIOP Panel Predicts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Tenant health and wellness, along with touchless technologies, are among the most important considerations in the office sector.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Commercial Property Executive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CPExecutive\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2020-10-08T17:17:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-09T13:29:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/10\/office-panel-group-Copy.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"959\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"561\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Denile Doyle\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@cpexecutive\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/\",\"name\":\"Office Changes Are Here to Stay, NAIOP Panel Predicts - Commercial Property Executive\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/10\/office-panel-group-Copy.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-08T17:17:48+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-09T13:29:41+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/87878592e5d9edcdc3e94a2cecaab034\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/naiop-cre-converge-conference-examines-the-revamped-office\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/10\/office-panel-group-Copy.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.commercialsearch.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/46\/2020\/10\/office-panel-group-Copy.jpg\",\"width\":959,\"height\":561,\"caption\":\"Clockwise from top left: John Adams, Regional Managing Principal & Managing Director, Gensler; 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