THE GLOBAL PANDEMIC’S POTENTIAL EFFECT ON THE SUBURBAN OFFICE

 

  • The mass home working experiment has taught us that perhaps the return to the centre of a city isn’t that compelling; there is no doubt that less commuting definitely leads to a better work / life balance.

  • Homeworking isn’t possible for all workers and we all love the office as a “social hub”, but online meetings and conferences can be extremely productive, making working remotely both viable and mainstream.

  • Many Londoners are understandably fearful of returning to work via public transport; perhaps if COVID-20 is going to be the new global norm it will be better to be located away from an overcrowded and densely populated city and without the need to navigate lifts and floors with hundreds of occupants.

  • We all agree that there is no substitute for a face to face meeting, but that is not the case for the majority of appointments.  Occupiers want to look at this opportunity now and where possible reduce property costs, if indeed leases allow them to ditch their space.  We believe this has placed pressure on central London rents.

  • As office densities reduce (at least temporarily) there will be a focus on more affordable space and we do expect lower density occupation to be a component of most organisation’s anti-COVID strategies, but there seems no reason why that a more cellulised office will again become traditional (alongside agile working strategies).

  • Workplaces must help us to provide staff with more generous space planning in order to let occupants achieve better health and wellbeing.  After all, the benefits of valuable employees out-factors property overheads by many times.

  • Long periods at home have undoubtedly been a catalyst for many to question their ideal surroundings and living spaces. Many people are deciding on ideal environments both for their offices and workspace and where possible it often makes sense to combine the two.

  • Some commentators believe that affordable naturally ventilated offices in suburban locations could outperform core markets in the medium to long term. There has been limited development in this sector over the last 10 years and availability is tight due to the loss of floorspace to Permitted Development.

  • Occupiers are now analysing the merits of a ‘hub and spoke model’, which would seem more likely in Europe’s largest metropolises where cross-city transportation takes more time. According to this model, companies could downsize in CBDs, but also add a network of smaller offices to access talent and facilitate employee and client needs.

  • We do not believe “crowd avoidance” will lead to the suburbanisation of economic activity or even the widespread abandonment of offices in favour of remote working. However, we might see a noticeable shift away from less congested cities giving workers a choice about their proximity to others. This could lead to occupiers considering more “branch” type offices with a ready made work forces living in the immediate area.

 

 

WOTTON WORKS COVID STRATEGY

 

  • Three separate office entrances with generous door thresholds.

  • Anti-microbial door handle and push coatings to reduce the risk of spread between door handle users & kill 99% of bacteria.

  • Weekly disinfection of office desks and communal furniture.  

  • Aromatherapy diffusers with tea tree oil to aide immune systems and help fight infections

  • Proximity sensors on all lights avoiding switches that need to be operated by hand.

  • Typically office desks have shrunk to less than 1.40 metres wide, our Konig+Neurath desks are 1.8 metres wide

  • Four separate sinks with handwashing facilities at all stations.

  • No lifts.

  • Washable resin floors.

  • Natural ventilation and Mechanical Ventilation Heat Recovery.

  • Door entry system remotely answered from a smartphone app.

  • Unlimited space for bicycle parking and shower for cyclists.

  • The ability for employees to drive to work and obtain business permits on the street from Brent Council. If this is in an electric car or vehicle under 110gCO2/km or 1100cc the cost is £25 per annum (7 pence per day). 

  • Wotton Works is located in a local residential community ensuring fewer tourists, minimal temporary accommodation and reduced pedestrian densities.