0 Inventive Labs: Incubator space for Entrepreneurs

Posted on December 15, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: InventiveLabs

Do you follow a less traditional path? Sitting in a cube not your thing after getting a four year degree? Inventive Labs is like the co-working space for the entrepreneur.

The BBJ notes, “InventiveLabs leases a 10,000 square-foot space in an old brick building in the up-and-coming town of Amesbury, about 30 miles north of Boston…With two fully stocked kitchens, three custom work labs, a lounge area, special rooms designated for sleep and study, along with a gaming room and a large open space (which will be the incubator once it gets up and running), one could practically live at the facility, which is accessible around the clock.”

More information on InventiveLabs is available on the company’s website, or you can read the Boston Business Journal article.

0 Cambridge Startup Launches new IM for Workplace Collaboration

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Collaboration seems to be a key driver for employers both large and small. Some companies are trying to figure out the best way/product that could be the key for maximizes efficiencies in the workplace.

New messenger and professional network for worker collaboration

Credit: BBJ

The Boston Business Journal notes that Chookka, “a Cambridge company that allows people to chat with each other and send files…officially launched in September. The service is currently in beta mode and hopes to get to 10,000 users “fairly quickly,” said Chookka co-founder Yves Schabes…The goal, Schabes said, is not to replace email, but complement it — especially when groups of people are trying to communicate.”

Additional information on Chookka’s collaborative product is available on the BBJ’s website.

0 Is co-working Office Space in Boston for You?

Posted on November 21, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Bisnow

What is co-working space and is it the correct fit for you and your team? Well, if you can play nice in the sandbox and share, it is a great tool as your company grows. Planning is key, meaning, if you require private conference rooms, you will need to plan and reserve them. Don’t expect that they will be waiting for you.

Weigh out the pro’s and con’s and then make your decision.

If you still need some help deciding, Bisnow.com notes its bottom line, “coworking providers have democratized space and turned it into a liquid asset as technology and tech entrepreneurism explode and startups seek collaborative offices with flexible lease terms instead of the growth-hindering “corner office” route.”

0 Is Speculative Development Fit to Take Off in Boston?

Posted on November 6, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Office building at 111 Huntington Avenue in Boston

The office market has clearly shifted from years past. We are seeing continued rent growth in all Boston office markets from Back Bay to the Seaport and Financial District. The time has arrived for speculative new office construction. Tenants are willing to pay for brand new construction that accommodates their culture and growth.

From Banker and Tradesman:

“’You’re hearing rumblings in the market about people starting to think about spec office development,’ said Carlos Febres-Mazzei, a senior vice president at CBRE/New England. Typically, speculative development takes off when vacancy rates fall to around 8 percent. With current construction costs, rents need to approach $70 a square foot to support ground-up development, said Febres-Mazzei said.”

0 ‘Cool Offices’ are Casual, Communal and Homey

Posted on October 23, 2014 by Wil Catlin

The office look and feel is vastly different than 10 years ago. Gone are bland impersonal spaces, now we see cozy kitchens and complete gyms.

Credit: Boston.com

HubSpot recently garnered recognition for its office’s inviting, contemporary aesthetic. Its chief operating officer, JD Sherman, described the company’s motif, “we have standing desks for every employee, informal lounges to make it easy to collaborate, chalk walls for brainstorming, and a kitchen in each of the main areas to foster and encourage people to meet and connect throughout the day.”

You can read more on HubSpot’s cool office chic on Boston.com.

0 Open Office Experiment in Boston Fosters Inclusion and Collaboration

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Credit: Harvard Business Review/hbr.org

Looking for a new office? Thinking you simple want private offices because that’s what you have always had? Well, have a look at how that has changed for some companies.

According to the Harvard Business Review, a working ‘office experiment’ was carried out by The Bridgespan Group in its Back Bay offices, to determine what impact an open, shared workspace would have on employee collaboration and production. The HBR article includes the following:

At the end of our design lab, we handed off to our architects a “radical” plan which they built out over the next few months.

It included:

an open café, where staff bump into each other making coffee, or making sandwiches and catch up or take care of business
a “laboratory” space with tables, sofas and white boards at the heart of the office, where teams meet and discuss work previously done in closed conference rooms
a large, closed-off library space with lots of natural light that we call the “quiet car,” where people can work without interruption
several small comfortable seating clusters throughout the office for small-group conversations
a bank of small private rooms for people to use when they truly need privacy for meetings, phone calls, or individual work–but no private offices even for the most senior staff
sitting and standing work stations where people can park themselves day-to-day
glass-walled conference rooms so most meetings are seen by everyone, even if they aren’t heard
background noise masking, so that conversations in the open are heard as mild hubbub rather than distinct, distracting words
lockers in which staff can keep personal items

Six months in, we continue to be amazed at how differently we work in the new space and how much the spirit of our office has changed. We used to make appointments to see each other; now, we often just run into each other, and all kinds of new ideas emerge from these unplanned collisions of two or three or four people….Formal meetings are routinely held in the open areas, where it’s easy to bring in someone else on the spur of the moment—just because they’re passing nearby, or sitting in view.

0 Boston Commercial Real Estate Trends towards Open Floor Plans and Collaborative Workspaces

Posted on October 12, 2014 by Wil Catlin

Organizations are knocking down interior office walls faster than you can spell “collaboration.”

Boston Realty Advisors estimates more than 75% of tenants today are looking for open floor plans, as opposed to traditional layouts with closed-door offices and high-walled cubicles. The trend for open offices is giving fresh legs to a proven phenomenon. Many organizations site open floor plans as a core element to their company ethos and ultimately, a key reason for their success. Zappos, for example, credits its open floor plan as a critical element to establishing and maintaining its culture. From a few employees 15 years ago, to more than 1,500 today, Zappos has maintained its open floor plan throughout the company’s history.

The push to open floor plans isn’t just for employees and middle management. In fact, many CEOs are leading the charge. By placing themselves alongside the team, the benefits are clear: increased availability, greater transparency and a heightened awareness to company culture and communication. The tired corporate adage, “My door is always open,” pales in comparison to today’s mantra, “I don’t have a door to close.”

Wayfair, the Boston-based online home furnishings company, proudly describes its collaborative C-suite structure. “At Wayfair, there are no corner offices. In fact, there are no offices at all. We support an open, transparent workplace where leaders mentor the 1,600+ bright talents that sit among them – and visa versa.”

Another organization, The Bridgespan Group, detailed their journey from a traditional office environment to a new, open floor plan. Their tale serves as a playbook for organizations considering an open floor plan:

·         Open café to bring colleagues together
·         Laboratory space for teams to meet and brainstorm
·         Library-like space for quiet work
·         Comfortable seating areas for small-group meetings
·         Private rooms for private conversations
·         Sitting and standing work stations for day-to-day use
·         Glass-walled conference rooms for full transparency
·         Noise dampening techniques to muffle distinct words
·         Lockers for personal items

So, get out that sledgehammer and start creating a vision for a collaborative work environment.

Alternatively, follow the link to our property pages to view available Boston Commercial Real Estate.