Office Space Trends in 2018

Companies are competing against each other to bring employees the best working spaces. Following a trend set by Google and Apple more than a decade ago, hip offices are a point of attraction on their own. Some employees say that office space can make a difference for retaining the best talent.

Currently, office designers are having there is an ongoing quest, trying to balance functionality, costs, freedom, and privacy. Spaces need to be multifunctional, clean, easily reconfigurable and even inspiring.

Adaptable, Integrated and Innovative

As a landlord, you should think about your space as a blank canvas providing the necessary fittings for a wide range of configurations. The demand for unconventional areas is on the rise. The office spaces of the future will reflect the power that is given to employees to make their own choices.

In the Book Messy, the author explains the positive outcomes for productivity if people are allowed to configure their working space according to their needs and taste. In the same chapter, he mentions Steve Jobs’ approach to coincidental collaboration sparked by random encounters.

With these ideas in mind, the target is to have different spaces in the same office. The list of necessary spaces includes individual and secluded places for thinking and reflection, small-team friendly places like a table in a coffee shop as well as large meeting rooms reminding of university lecture halls.

Bring the Jungle to the City

It’s not only about the office plant near the water cooler. Called biophilic design, this trend has been on the rise for a few years now. Depending on the space, it could mean anything from a rooftop garden to using green dividers instead of cubicle walls.

It also gives preference to natural lighting instead of using fluorescent lamps. When investing in an office space choose the ones with large windows and even glass rooftops. Under the same name, we can find an increased preference for using more natural materials. Sometimes these even have an unfinished look, as a reminder of the desire to be as close as possible to nature.

Design with Well-Being in Mind

The office is becoming a home away from home. To accommodate the trend, companies are introducing napping areas, gaming rooms or even sports centers on their premises.

Smart buildings with integrated IoT are becoming increasingly popular.

The sensorial feeling of the space is also adding to the attraction of individual areas. New offices are more personal, integrating texture and color.

As a landlord, you can better market your space if you lease to different clients and create collaboration links between them at discounted prices.

Did you take into consideration these trends? If you would like to learn more about how to stay on top of your real-estate game, don’t hesitate to ask us for more recommendations and trend analysis.

Douglas Commercial, LLC is a full service commercial real estate firm offering tenant and landlord advisory services. Visit www.douglascommercial.com for more information.