Office Space Advice
Q & A: Norman Fox on Latest Trends in Executive Office Suite Space
Published June 9th, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Although many serviced office centers take a cookie-cutter approach to design, not all executive office suite space is created equal. Some operators are taking steps to differentiate their brands with unique designs that add value to the end user.
Norman Fox would know…Fox is head of AOPlan.com, an executive suite planning firm based in Philadelphia. Fox has planned or participated in the development of nearly 100 centers nationwide. He’s got a finger on the pulse of the latest innovations in office space design – and what’s coming next.
In part one of this two-part Q&A, aBetterOffice.com sat down with Fox to discuss the latest trends in space planning for executive office suites, furniture, technology and artwork, as well as some interesting serviced office industry niches and the expected growth ahead.
What are the latest trends in space planning in the executive office suites industry?
There are several. One of my favorites is the “hybrid” center. We did our first one over five years ago. The concept is a blend of the conventional and virtual office center. These centers provide broad offering resident and transient workplaces along with a broad menu of services (concierge services), general conferencing and gathering areas, and hi-tech virtual/video conferencing capabilities.
Others that are interesting are the “tech” centers. These are centers that cater to Gen Z workers. They are work-play environments and definitely have a place in our industry now and in the future.
What furniture and artwork trends are you seeing in the serviced office space?
New furniture trends are centered around mobility and flexibility. Parts are interchangeable in order to support changing center-user needs. Art work trends…nothing really new. The cost and quality are matters of taste and market. A good architectural backbone can reduce the need for art. Conversely, a boring environment needs it to be dressed up with art.
How about technology? What defines cutting-edge today and where are we headed in the future?
In the past, the level of technology provided by centers was considered to be above the level of affordability of average center users. That continues to change with the availability of off-the-shelf technology. Cell phones are taking the place of hardwired handsets in voice and data areas. Phone switches have gone from space wasting NorthStars to Medusa type units that can be put in coat closets.
Faxing is becoming history and copiers and printers have limited use in the age of e-mail. Video conferencing may become more important as its technology improves, but even in this area homegrown video conferencing is just around the corner. We need to face the fact that blogging, Twitter, Facebook, and others allow the “office” user of the future to operate anywhere without seeing anyone face to face.
This is a big impact on the service office center of the future.
What are some of the most interesting niches you are seeing in the executive office space?
It’s not really a niche, but we are seeing a trend toward larger, general use gathering areas. What used to be a kitchen is now a place to relax during the workday. Flat screen TVs and common use PCs for e-mail, Internet and video games are available in these spaces, along with selections of hot and cold drinks.
How can serviced office providers make their spaces more flexible?
We design partitioned spaces where walls can be removed and connected internally with other spaces to form suites or team spaces.
What kind of growth do you expect in this industry and what will drive it?
I expect the industry to continue to grow. I can’t give you annual percentages. Growth will be generally driven by new entries into the business. I believe this group will better understand the needs of their contemporaries. Creativity will drive them to develop new markets and center models to continue industry growth.
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About the Author
Bill Brookshire June 9th, 2009 at 10:27 am
What is Gen Z? And what kind of office space do they want? I have never heard of Gen Z. Are they even old enough to work in an executive office suite? Gen Y is still pretty young. Other than that, I think the observations on office technology are interesting. I can’t remember the last time I used a fax machine. Good stuff.
Jennifer LeClaire June 9th, 2009 at 10:33 am
Hey Bill - Gen Z is also sometimes called Gen I or the iGeneration. It’s the generation of kids who grew up on the Internet and are therefore super tech savvy. There’s some interesting info about Gen Y on Wikipedia if you want to know more. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z)
Clearly, executive office suites of the future are going to need to go high-tech in every sense of the word to attract a younger crowd. I am not sure how far off from that we are. I can tell you that as a working member of Gen X, I myself rely heavily on technology. I know Gen Y is the same. So I would expect serviced office companies that want to be responsive to the needs of these audiences would begin upgrades.
Elizabeth Sanchez June 9th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
This was what I found most interesting that he said… “Growth will be generally driven by new entries into the business. I believe this group will better understand the needs of their contemporaries. Creativity will drive them to develop new markets and center models to continue industry growth.”
Does he mean that the Regus and the Pacific Business Centers of the serviced office space world aren’t going to lead the growth? It looks to me like Regus is leading the growth now. I am not sure I agree with that. I do agree that there is probably a new breed of executive office suites companies that are going to rise up in the coming months and years and they will have an advantage in terms of building out their office space to meet the new and changing demands of office renters.
Melanie Jones June 9th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
I enjoyed both parts of this Q&A on office space trends. Mr. Fox is knowledgeable about the serviced office industry and his practical experience shows. I think concepts like flexible spaces with partitions is going to catch on. That gives the serviced office operator ultimate flexibility to serve their client’s space needs.
Rob Zeus June 9th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
I think the hybrid center Fox described is the way of the future. As a matter of fact, I think we are already seeing evidence that the executive office suites industry is moving in that direction. The conventional business center co-mingled with a virtual office centers spreads the risk and gives customers more options in a professional working environment.