Outdoor amenities are becoming a crucial priority in California office design, and the particulars of the space around a building have become a deciding factor in property selection. When today’s prospective tenant is walking a site to assess a potential new location for their business, chances are that they are inspecting the building, and the surrounding property, for opportunities to expand into this space, to leverage the competitive advantage of outdoor amenities.
As building owners realize that their previously built space may not be built for today’s tenant, they are making the decision to convert obsolete buildings into creative offices, and architects and designers are pulling the space around these buildings into their design plans for its valuable and attractive potential. Architects and designers have also influenced an important shift in building owners’ willingness to let go of prior assets, such as large offices along the window line, in the name of a growing demand for newer preferences like shared natural light throughout a space. Owners who were once reluctant to renovate, are anxious to gut these prior investments to give future tenants what they are asking for. The pressure is on for building owners to deliver up-to-date office space, and access to the outdoors has earned its way to the top of the average tenant’s preferred amenity list.
Forward-thinking California-based companies like Telogis, a software company which generated 704 percent growth over the last four years, are incorporating spectacular outdoor amenities as central features of their new headquarters. When Telogis needed more space to house their rapid expansion the team sought out a new headquarters with indoor-outdoor California-style hospitality to accommodate visiting clients and retain talented employees. Telogis represents corporate America’s California locations in its concern for serving as a destination spot for visiting executives, so an important part of designing their executive briefing center was finding ways to connect to outdoor amenities. With many Fortune 100 national headquarters located in the Midwest, making it easy for out-of-town executives to get out into the sunshine is an amenity in itself.
Telogis is also an example of a company that signed their lease because of the site’s unique opportunities to bring work outside, and the end design accomplished just that. The ground-floor, Aliso Viejo location that Telogis selected provides inside and outside drop-down spaces to accommodate up to 100 extra people. The open floor plan, sunshine-filled glass expanses and tech-appointed outdoor areas are infused with a brand that speaks to employees and guests. The heartbeat of Telogis’ office is the executive briefing center, which pampers clients with ready access to the award-winning outdoor patio, where the California experience comes to life with fountains, barbeque areas, Wi-Fi access and resort style seating.
Building owners are recognizing that providing excellent outdoor amenities and gateways to the outdoors will be instrumental in leasing their buildings, and are proactively investing in preparing their spaces for today’s office tenants. From a marketing point of view, outdoor amenities attract clients because people like to work outside. From a productivity and retention perspective, opening up office space to the outdoors provides refreshing natural light and desirable variety in places for employees to work. When employees are returning to their desks, energized from a fruitful meeting in the sun, and clients are reluctant to leave your headquarters without a firm plan for when they can visit next, you know that your team has selected and designed a space that works.