Plan office space BEFORE you plan your move

Don’t start your search for new space without first talking to a space planner. Actually, in these changing times, it’s your tenant representative office broker who can be the gateway to the issues you face and the related services you may need. In comparing locations on your short list for your office move (or stay), many factors come into play and it’s not always just the lease terms and economics of the deal that drive the best final decision. However, the item on the list that will ultimately make the biggest impact on the finished physical environment often receives scant attention early enough. A test fit offers a comprehensive review of existing program successes as well as forecasted growth reflected in the built environment. Today “Right-Sizing” will have a variety of considerations. It is especially important to consider the responsibilities of the office tenant and building owner in dealing with the COVID-19 flu in what may be a changing workplace. A talented space planning team can produce multiple Right-Sizing scenarios, making it possible to accurately and independently assess and analyze each space without any one building’s influence. Most importantly, a team, including your broker, working on the tenant’s behalf is concerned with how each space will truly fulfill the tenant’s overall design needs, not simply providing an impersonal block plan of how each space can be occupied. A quality team brings forward strategic design practices and should specialize in the development and implementation of strategies and design solutions for commercial workplaces. Having a tenant-rep broker who understands planning, plans and construction can be an invaluable asset to a team approach. Chicago office broker Bruce Fogelson brings over 25 years of design and building experience in addition to being his own general contractor for decades. An award winning builder-developer, Fogelson has built dozens of projects, many mix-use commercial space that have special needs for both office and retail spaces. The ability to dig into the features behind a building’s tenant improvement (TI) allowance is just as important as knowing the full build-out costs for the office tenant. Protecting the tenant’s interest goes beyond the space size and financial terms and includes build-out. Whether working with your own space planner or a building’s plans every aspect of office space is important for a complete office space solution. BruceFogelson.com and chicagoofficebroker.com