Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com • August 27, 2018 • Hartford Business Journal 9 By Andy Thibault Special to the Hartford Business Journal W hat's the difference between work and play? In the ideal, innovative office space, the answer can be, not much. Of course, it helps if employees enjoy their work in the first place. In Greater Hartford and across the country, many companies are redefin- ing the modern office space, incor- porating new designs and features that not only aim to give the office an innovative look, but also enhance employee morale, productivity and communication to create a competi- tive advantage. The high-walled cubicle is passé. Many companies are using open, flex- ible and collaborative spaces to encour- age teamwork. Offices are also becom- ing brighter both in color schemes and with the amount of natural light they allow in. Fun is increasingly being in- corporated into many office cultures. Whether it's a foosball or pool table, or a popcorn machine and keg in the con- ference room, companies are creating office spaces that allow, even encourage, employees to socialize and decompress. Shared office or co-working spaces are also becoming more popular. Anne Loh Russo, senior interior designer at Amenta Emma Architects in Hartford, has produced open work FOCUS: Innovative Office Spaces/Real Estate Greater Hartford's office market sluggish through first half of 2018 Q&A talks with Gary Schless, first vice president of com- mercial real estate brokerage firm CBRE/ New England in Hartford, about the state of Greater Hartford's office market. Q. We're at the mid-year point. How has Greater Hartford's office market fared through the first six months of 2018? What about the downtown Hartford office market? A. The Greater Hartford office mar- ket has been a bit sluggish through the first half of the year. Overall, tenants ceded 184,000 square feet of office space during the first half of the year, and 172,000 square feet was vacated during the first quarter. The downtown Hartford office market fared better, showing slightly positive absorption in the first half of the year. Q. Is there a Greater Hartford sub- urban market that's hot right now? Which is showing signs of weakness? A. As is par for the course, Glaston- bury and West Hartford continue to be the most desired locations for office space. For tenants in the 10,000- to 20,000-square-foot range, there are few options in these towns, and tenants are often forced to expand their search into neighboring towns. Windsor and East Hartford have the highest vacancy rates. These towns have had full building us- ers vacate, leaving large blocks of space available. Both currently have vacancy rates in the mid-30 percent range. Q. Many employers have been down- sizing their footprints in recent years due to technological and other ad- vancements that reduce the need for office space. Is that trend still preva- lent? What other factors are impacting employers' office-space decisions? A. A few years ago, with techno- logical advances, employers had more people work from home. More recent- ly, companies have been cutting back on their telecommuting programs. Companies are looking for more inter- action and collaboration among em- ployees, which has led to fitting more people in smaller office footprints, removing private offices and creating open floor plans with smaller cubicles. We are also seeing more hoteling concepts, where employees no longer have an assigned seat, but come in each day and find a cubicle to work Gary Schless First Vice President, CBRE/New England Continued on next page >> Continued on next page >> Reimagining the Workplace Modern office-space designs aim to lift productivity and morale (Left) Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits' new Stamford headquarters has a playful, mixed-aesthetic look with open ceilings, rustic oak flooring, re-sawn wood paneling and modern detailing. (Right) Remedy Partners, a Norwalk-based healthcare technology company, has a communal library that serves as a quiet space for its workers. Phones are not allowed in the library, giving employees respite from Remedy's more bustling shared office space. PHOTOS | CONTRIBUTED

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