- THE OFFICE PRODUCT
- Results of CEO's Need to Change
- Again investment in facilities is measured monetarily
- Output per square foot is the measurement method employed for non-industrial space
- CEO's analyze annual revenues on a per square foot basis
- Corporations may still invest in older buildings to generated higher productivity
- It is not always a sound "real estate" business decision
- Investigating alternative office strategies that enhance productivity
- Telecommuting can increase productivity
- Currently no linkage between information technology and real estate
- Creating organizational isolation with infrastructure decisions
- CEO's want low cost in facilities but speed to deliver space
- The New Vision
- In the past, real estate was viewed as mere cost
- Recently new vision is analyzing real estate as an asset
- Specifics
- In the past, internal executives worked cross functionally with end-users
- Now outside vendors are the team players
- Architects, Design and real estate firms, consultants, utility reps and former employees
- Getting Facility Executives to Work with Human Resources is Key
- Corporate Headquarters is now expected to improve the following:
- Impetus Driving the New Vision and Direction of Corporation's Outlook on Real Estate
- Restructuring for total quality; aka re-engineering efforts
- Companies are redefining their core processes
- Rethinking the function and architecture of key facilities
- Emphasis is on function and architecture working together
- Co-locating operations from concept through engineering to sales
- Co-locating will have immediate effect on market share.
- Impact on Corporate Headquarters' Design: The New Tech Center
- Thrust is to combine headquarters with tech operations
- Transforming manufacturing space to tech space or office space.
- Using architectural strategies to break huge space into more human scale sizes
- How Will This Strategy Design Be Achieved?
- Broker should recognize new demands from corporate space users.
- Design recommendations can be made
- How The Broker Starts The Search
- Each company must define and identify goals and objectives
- What are the true priorities?
- Employer of Choice: Amount of equipment: Security; etc.
- Real Estate Strategist has to be Business Strategist
- In the past, organization concerns were in 3 areas:
- People
- Technology
- Business Processes
- And a new Fourth: Facility
- Office Employee Productivity
- Linked to employee comfort and corporate culture
- Leased offices to be quality construction
- Access to outdoors
- Bringing pets to work is being acceptable
- Flex Time
- Job sharing/Tasking
- Teaming Approach
- "Hoteling" Office Space
- Providing Child Care Facility
- Creating a casual atmosphere has a long-term benefit
- Corporate Culture
- May choose a more expensive site if commuting travel is shortened.
- Site is located near mass transit
- Creating offices that physically bring management closer to employees
- Consolidating offices
- Creating open office plan
- Reducing open office plan for sound-masking purposes
- May pay 50% more on tenant improvement
- The Corporate Space
- Push to maximize daylight in warehouses and office areas
- Achieved through extensive shaded glazing
- Lightshelves
- Skylighting
- Interior Space
- The need for more efficient lamps and fixtures with motion detectors
- Daylight lamp controls
- Result: 60% less energy consumption
- HVAC
- Using passive and active cooling systems
- Using fans at night and day to increase circulation
- Using radiant heat system which is a major energy and cost saver
- Radiant heat can save reduction in energy use over conventional systems
- Combination insulated walls and ceilings downsizes HVAC system usage
- Average payback
- New Development of centralized and direct digital control
- More energy management features and level of control required in the future
- New advent of system interoperability
- Workplace Problems
- Office Productivity Environment
- Need to enhance working environment
- Quantity of output is less important than quality
- Can look at absenteeism, medical cost and turnover rates
- White collar work physical productivity is impossible to measure
- How do you measure brainpower loss?
- Productivity is crucial in global marketplace.
- Building's Role With Productivity
- Has a number of areas directly or indirectly impact work performance
- Ergonomics
- Indoor Air Quality
- Lighting
- Acoustics
- Has a number of areas directly or indirectly impact work performance
- Ergonomics and Space Planning
- Definition of "Ergonomics"
- Goal: To reduce work related injuries and problems
- Analysis of chair heights, glare screens and telephone headsets
- IAQ And Comfort
- Symptoms:
- Tired or Strained Eyes
- Excessive Fatigue
- Headaches
- Sore Eyes
- Dry Eyes
- Issues:
- Lower Productivity
- Sick days
- Low morale
- Unavailable Facility
- Relations Between Occupants
- Complaint Response Measures
- Responding to Worker Compensation Claims
- Symptoms:
- Lighting
- Lighting impacts sales, wakefulness and performance
- Computer glare causes a worker to take more on data entry than video display terminals.
- Making adjustments is necessary
- Lighting controls and dimming ballasts improve working conditions/saves energy
- Increase electrical efficiency
- Wiring and Cabling
- Must be able to accommodate constant moves and changes in organizations
- Production will be reduced
- Furniture
- Not unusual for a company to move 3-5 times a year
- Teams in companies are moved and assembled for problem-solving
- Mergers and acquisitions cause moving
- Downsizing
- System examines how workers spend time
- Common Area movement; copy room, supply room, restrooms
- May be productive to move files and printer to workplace
- Bringing conference rooms to a workstation format
- Eliminates walking around the building
- Furniture selection depends on work being conducted
- Furniture colors, arrangement and variety impact psychology
- Personal Control
- Ultimate Response to Worker Productivity is direct control of working environment
- Having flexible lighting systems in workstations
- Acoustics
- Conversational distraction and uncontrolled noise are primary causes of productivity loss in offices
- Remedies
Bottom Line: The broker has to understand the user's new facility demands to increase productivity and how it is defined.
- Technology
- Customers are purchasing "on-line"
- Computerized racking systems
- Climate control
- Energy saving technology in facilities
- What is tomorrow's commercial user targeting for facility requirements?
- Automation of facility
- Automation increases employee productivity
- Using smartcards for access control systems
- Smartcards store info on memory chips
- Generation X
- Influencing warehouse and office needs
- Buying Trends Differ than in the Past
- Fashion Impact at Work
- Desire to Save Rather than Spend
- Office Productivity Environment
- Results of CEO's Need to Change
- This page, RE38C05: Evolution of the Commercial Product - Advanced, is offered by
- Executive Office of Economic Development
RE38C05: Evolution of the Commercial Product - Advanced
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