0 Modern Workers Need Walls for Max Productivity

Open office space for startups

Credit: Bisnow

Open offices are not the solution to all our problems.The greater population needs some level of quiet workspace to perform their tasks and not face the endless interruption.

A study from Ethan Bernstein and Stephen Turban of Harvard Business School and Harvard University notes the following:

[in open office spaces] “you are constantly on view and worried about being seen talking, or having your conversations overheard, people chose to email or use a messaging system instead…And because people were emailing and messaging more rather than speaking face to face, the quality of interactions declined and productivity suffered.”

Additional information on the study is available at Bisnow, here.

0 Boston Workplace Trends Emphasize Activity-Based Design

Cool, modern offices

Credit: Bisnow

Boston office design still includes the basics, but now a genuine focus is placed on employee retention. Flexible, creative and communal space are the buzzwords that are exchanged when office tenants share their ideas of what their new space should embody.

Biznow takes a deep dive into a recent report released by architecture firm Ted Moudis Associates, assessing the evolution of office design over the last year, notes the following in its conclusion:

Instead of trying to find one seamless solution for everyone, organizations are working to develop new spaces that will cater to different working styles in order to encourage a balance between effective and efficient workspaces. 

“People come to the office to connect with colleagues and so that interaction with the education aspect and learning from their peers and the senior leadership in the office [is important],” [Ted Moudis Associates Director of Workplace Strategy Jamie] Feuerborn said. “I think they want choice. If I want to do heads down focus work I have a place to go, if I want to connect with colleagues I can choose to sit in a different environment to do that.”

For more information, jump over to Biznow’s complete coverage.

0 Is Modern Office Space Too Open?

Modern office in Boston with Open floor plan

Credit: Bisnow

Can modern office space be too open? Is this a problem plaguing today’s office space in Boston? Some say “yes,” and are migrating towards more private office space design.

According to a recent Bisnow article, “the open office model, which was originally designed to improve collaboration, created other issues, including increased stress on employees, who struggle to focus, and high demand on support spaces, especially conference rooms.”

You can read the full article, here.

0 Private Offices or Open Floor Plan?

Is your preference to have a private office or open plan?  Open is the current rage, but this may not rein true over the long haul.  Quiet zones, skype rooms and meeting rooms seem to be taking the place of the private office which leads to more common space and smaller personal space.

Boston open office space with cubicles

Credit: Boston Globe

From the Boston Globe:

Some 80 percent of offices these days are “open,” roughly defined as work spaces that minimize doors in favor of low (or no) partitions, shared desks, and a full-on view of any number of people at once, very often the boss included. There are two reasons for the format’s popularity. The first is the cost of real estate, says Jeffrey Tompkins, a partner at Boston architecture and interior design firm Spagnolo Gisness & Associates. Twenty-five years ago, he says, the standard allotment was 250 square feet per worker. Now it’s 160 to 190. Simple math says you can fit in more employees when you don’t need to work around walls.

The bigger driving factor, however, has been the pervasive idea that open offices encourage collaboration, spark creative conversation, and increase productivity. Since there’s really no such thing as a private conversation in many of these offices, they also serve to symbolize the modern, egalitarian workplace ideal: one big happy family that types together, eats together, and works through personal drama together. “I love the ability to know what’s going on with all the projects around me,” says Faith Marabella, the CEO and president of Wellesley Design Consultants, whose offices transitioned from mostly to fully open a few years back. “I also like the quick interactions that can happen. Everybody can lend a hand when needed and go back to individual tasks when things calm.” The open environment, she says, also lets less experienced staffers listen and learn.

 

0 Faneuil Hall Renovation Detailed

Faneuil Hall marketplace renovation

Credit: BostInno

Faneuil Hall is looking to make some changes.  A 180 room hotel, freshened up food court and a shake up of existing tenants.

From Bostinno.Streetwise:

The updates to Quincy Market, which include the new retailers, the hotel and more developments, are all part of Ashkenazy’s plan to make Faneuil Hall more attractive to those living in Boston…we also learned that Faneuil’s notorious brick walkways could be repaved with smooth granite, with benches replaced by movable chairs, drastically changing the marketplace’s familiar and historical facade – but making it easier to walk, especially for those in heels.

Past coverage of the impending changes in Faneuil Hall have filtered in from both the Boston Globe(in September) and the New York Times (in early December). While today’s City Council meeting was held in regards to the impact on pushcart vendors in Faneuil Hall, the conversation focused on the many alterations slated for the marketplace. The redevelopment is in its early stages, and some of the proposed changes would require the BRA’s Article 80 review.

0 Boston Office Market Leads the Nation

office market trends in Boston

Charts courtesy of Marcus & Millichap via MHN Online

Boston continues to lead the nation with one of the most stable office markets which is due to a strong local economy.

Research data from Marcus & Millichap, published on MultiHousingNews.com, reaffirms this claim:

“Over 38,500 jobs were created in 2013 in the city, increasing payrolls 1.5 percent. By the end of 2014 employers will add 40,200 new jobs, of which 14,000 will be office-using positions—a 2 percent increase from last year…Developers completed approximately 4.2 million square feet of office space over the last twelve months as compared to merely 1.4 million square feet in the previous year. Around 5.2 million square feet currently under construction in the metro area is expected to come online throughout 2016.”

“According to Marcus & Millichap, approximately 3.2 million square feet of office space is set for completion by the end of 2014—a 1 percent increase from 2013—with new inventory being heavily concentrated in the Boston/Suffolk County and Route 128 North submarkets.

You can read the full report on MHN Online.

0 What Makes for Cool Office Space in Boston?

Modern office space in Boston

Credit: The Boston Globe

Some of the creative spaces to work house some interesting amenities that would have been frowned-upon in the recent past.  How we work and how we collaborate has evolved, and companies are trying to offer a creative and fun environment that can help their teams excel.

Cool features include:

·         Hammock
·         Beer tabs
·         Standing desks
·         IT vending machine
·         Nap room
·         Kitchens with large flat-screen TV’s
·         Foosball
·         Treadmill desks
·         No assigned desks
·         Wall displays of employees which is designed to make introductions
·         Town hall styled meeting space
·         Glass, glass and more glass for abundant natural light

A recent Boston Globe article on Boston’s “Cool Office Spaces at Top Places to Work“, notes “some of Top Places to Work winners have some excellent digs for their employees. Newer workspaces include beer on tap, flexible workstations, and even a nap room in one case.” The Globe article also includes a slideshow of Boston’s stylish office spaces to peruse.

0 Seasoned Fort Point Landlords Ready to Cash Out

The Seaport is for sale!  The landlord’s that have participated in the lease of up to 3.7 million square feet of new tenant space since 2010, are looking to cash out and move onto new opportunities.  Class B rents have surpassed the $40.00 per square foot mark on Summer Street.

Boston's fort-point neighborhood in the downtown Seaport district

Credit: cityofboston.gov

Banker and Tradesman points out that “nearly 750,000 square feet of office space is currently on the market, or nearly one-fifth of the neighborhood’s office inventory. The six properties include the Thomson Reuters office portfolio, an assemblage of 10 buildings containing 414,000 square feet of brick-and-beam space.The transactions will go a long way toward determining whether Fort Point can retain its status as an Innovation District, or whether rents set by the new owners will force startups to look elsewhere.”

Additional information on the transformative Fort Point neighborhood is available on B&T’s website.

0 Uber Moving to North Station Area of Boston

uber bostonUber is on the move and headed for new digs in the North Station area of Boston.  The North Station office market still reigns as a value option compared with Back Bay and the Seaport.

The Boston Herald describes the scale of Uber’s new space at 239 Causeway St., noting “The 17,494-square-foot office is nearly three times the size of the company’s current office near South Station, and comes with an option to expand to another floor in the future.”

Rents in the Class B market can range from the low to mid $30’s PSF.

0 Kendall Square Open Space and Design Competition Announces Finalists

Connect Kendall Square open space and design competition logoHow does your open space rank amongst your peers in East Cambridge/Kendall?  Interested in learning more, come to the open forum.

“The competition, sponsored by the City’s Community Development Department, is an opportunity to plan a vision for the entire open space network in Kendall Square and eastern Cambridge and vicinity. The city is looking for unique approaches to open space planning and design,” notes WickedLocal.

You can read more about the competition at www.ConnectKendallSquare.com.