Tenants in 2017 are looking for a lot more than four walls and a couple of cubicles. Developers and the owners of older schemes will need to adapt to the changing needs of occupiers in order to stay in the race. Our panel of tenants, landlords, developers and advisors at CEE Property Forum 2017 talked about what makes an office attractive in 2017 and what it will take to secure new leases and keep existing tenants happy in the years to come.
Interior design can be an effective tool for attracting and retaining a talented workforce as well as contributing to sustainable business growth. The interior of the workplace greatly influences the mood and productivity of those who work there, that is why people should be in the centre of all property developments. Buildings and rooms should be designed, with the help of technology, in a way to help employees be as efficient as they can, said Elina Grigoriou of Grigoriou Interiors, Chair of the RICS SKA Rating Technical Committee in her opening speech.
According to Maciej Markowski, Partner and Head of Workplace Strategy CEE at Cushman & Wakefield, even though average office space per employee is still at 10 sqm, we expect a lot more from office buildings than we did a few years ago. In order to give employees more space it is not the size of the office that needs to be changed, instead we should focus on using the space we have as efficiently as possible.
Zinaida Vojnar, International Business Development Director at HB Reavis also believes that the quality of office space depends on a lot more than its size. A positive working environment inspires employees, so developers and tenants should keep that in mind when designing office space.
Sustaining good relationships between tenants is also important. Many features of the building that enhance efficiency can be shared by different tenants, thus reducing the cost per tenant, added Jens Böhnlein, Global Head of Office Solutions & Design at CA Immo.
