As landlords and brokers continue to push more creative office space onto the market (and enjoying premium rents for it), the definition is getting a bit lost. We gathered some serious space makers yesterday for Bisnow's: The Office Revolution at i|o at Playa Vista to tell us the latest trends.
1. It's More Than Open Space
DTZ exec managing director Brad Gross (right with Sara Mailloux from Hulu and Nick Meter from Tangram) says creative office space has become cliche in the industry, with it being thrown around for marketing purposes. Brad told the more than 300 attendees that creative space is actually much more.
2. It's Always Changing
For Joseph Donaldson with the facilities team at Riot Games (snapped with Wasserman Media Group chief administrative officer Trista Schroeder), it's about flexibility. "Space needs to be able to change down the line," he says.
3. It's Not For Everyone
Panelists were also quick to acknowledge that an open workspace is not best for all users. For example, Trista says the closed-door office still has a huge place in her business. "Athlete representation is not collaborative," she says. After all, you can't have an athlete overhear an agent negotiating a contract for another athlete.
4. Cues From Conventional Office
Sara says Hulu has made some alterations to its office where there's one conference room for about every six employees, which helps strike that balance of open and collaborative with classic office space. "The CEO doesn't even have an office, but you can always find a quiet place to work."
5. It Isn't Going Anywhere
Here's Clarion Partners SVP Khalid Rashid (right with Rick Buckley from LA Realty Partners), who hosted us. Nick from Tangram says companies are continuing to focus more and more on public space in projects. A company that just signed on at Clarion's i/o actually put 60% of its furniture spend on public space, a clear sign of the changing needs of the creative office tenant. Check back tomorrow to hear news from our landlord and developer panel, including Bixby CEO Bill Halford and Tishman Speyer senior managing director John Miller.
