The competitive office discussion is becoming much more complex in Houston. The conversation is moving beyond the office itself, and companies are making decisions largely based on the building's current and future surroundings, Arch-Con SVP Brad Jameson tells us. We’ll talk about how amenities are turning inside out at Bisnow’s Workplace of the Future event, Dec. 10 at 7:30am at The Headquarters. Register now, and see below for more from Brad.

A couple of years ago, office clients focused on fitness, eating healthy and working out, asking for amenities like a deli and fitness center in their buildings to keep employees in the office longer. Now, Brad says companies are also looking for places that employees can get outside the leased space and enjoy the experience. Employers realized that no matter how nice you make an office, people do not enjoy looking at the same 20k SF every day. At the same time, more mixed-use developments have been popping up across Houston, giving more companies the option to settle in a live/work/play environment that employees will enjoy.

Here’s Brad at 4444 Westheimer in the River Oaks District, where his team just completed 35k SF for US Capital Advisors. (It's already working on a 15k SF expansion for the firm.) That client told him it chose ROD because it didn’t want its employees confined within a building. Another bonus: The area appeals to the company’s high-end clientele. Brad points to another factor driving the mixed-use trend: Offices are getting denser, so it’s nice to let your surroundings be your amenities and use almost every square foot you rent for work space. Brad says the costs normally end up balancing out—you might pay more rent for an office in a hot mixed-use development, but you also can save the expense of building out a nice cafeteria. However, finishes might bump it up a little in mixed-use projects, where standards are typically higher.