A recent report on Canada’s office market reveals shrinking — but more efficient — workplaces are on trend across the national landscape. The report, released by CBRE, had market anaylsts reviews the current state of commercial real estate in the country, and looks forward to 2014.
It states that many workplaces are reducing the physical size of their real estate footprint. As a result, owners are utilizing new design strategies to increase workplace productivity, employee collaboration and efficiency.
“These tenants are reducing square footage per employee and redesigning the workplace to drive collaboration and productivity,” says John O’Toole, executive vice-president and executive managing director at CBRE. “Economics are clearly a primary driver, but it’s also about tenants making better use of their physical environment — doing more with less.”
The trend towards smaller workplaces is influenced in part by an increasing demand for office space in many major Canadian metros. Approximately 6 million square feet of space is expected to enter the country’s real estate market in 2014.
The report goes on to say that many older office buildings must adapt and physically evolve to keep up with new and improved inventory. Development fees and restrictions in some regions will continue to encourage developers to make investments in older buildings.
The shrinking workplace is also being affected by the increased use of mobile technology, allowing employees to work offsite in nearly any location.
“These tenants are reducing square footage per employee and redesigning the workplace to drive collaboration and productivity,” And just how are they doing that? I don't understand how that statement can be made with out following up with a sentence that demonstrates how this is being done and why the redesign is thought to be effective. I read a lot about down sizing the office and redesigning the space but I also read how the collaborative effort is not a solution regarding increased productivity. I'd like to actually see the redesigns and read the stats that show positive results are occurring for the end user.