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V O L . X X V I N O. X V I I J U LY 2 7 , 2 0 2 0 24 R E A L E S T A T E / C O N S T R U C T I O N / E N G I N E E R I N G F O C U S A key question going forward for office users is how many employees will continue working from home long-term. Some employers are adjusting their footprints to take into account a percentage of permanent remote working, additional rooms with AV technology for video confer- encing, and different space utilization with limited common area for con- gregating groups, less dense furniture layouts and HVAC filter upgrades to create safe spaces. For some businesses, alterations mean changing the search from city and retrofit options to suburban and new construction, which provides the ability to design modern, spa- cious facilities set up in a manner that can both operate efficiently and address concerns some employees are having now. Companies leaning toward new construction, Sigfridson adds, tend to be in hands-on fields such as food production, research and develop- ment, medical and pharmaceuticals, and high-tech manufacturers that need to accommodate not only new space considerations but the latest in energy requirements and other opera- tional systems. Flexible design From the construction standpoint, these questions are generating a new wave of interest in flexible building designs, says Roccy Risbara, co-owner of Risbara Brothers Construction and of the Downs development in Scarborough. Specific ideas include direct access into private offices, stand-alone buildings, larger confer- ence rooms, some form of outdoor area and flexible wall systems. "To some extent we've always thought about those sorts of things," Risbara says. "But it's become more of a focus." Risbara has been hearing from clients looking for flexible designs to accommodate pandemic safety protocols as well as future opera- tional needs. For example, companies are looking at things like multiple entryways and split plumbing systems to accommodate tenants, both as an additional revenue stream and to maintain separation. "We're all trying to get our heads around, What does office space look like today?" Risbara adds. Open areas and co-working space might be a thing of the past: "Now it's coming back to fixed walls and offices." Varied responses Clients are starting to analyze their future space needs, says omas Moulton, a partner and broker with NAI e Dunham Group. But he and others note that responses vary by indus- try and employer requirements. Some office-based companies feel that the physical distancing of working remotely inhibits teamwork, says Carol Epstein, president and owner of Epstein Commercial Real Estate in Bangor. Epstein cites her own property man- agement and development company, Epstein Properties, as a case in point. e company was technologically set up to pivot to remote work, but the col- laborative nature of the work made the set-up inefficient, she says. "It's a very team-oriented company and it was hard to get people's timely input," she says. "It wasn't that they couldn't do it from afar. But it took more time and it wasn't as collaborative." Before the pandemic, the company had taken additional space on its floor — more than it needed at the time. As it turned out, the additional space made it possible for the team to return to the office in a physically distanced configuration. "Most companies had gone to less space per employee," she adds. "As a landlord, I have an office tenant who was going to shrink a bit. When this CN Brown Company has a variety of rate plans that are suitable for the smallest businesses to the largest en es. Choose a plan based on your business's size and unique needs. cnbrownenergy.com/commercial-fuel/commercial-electricity Backed by superior service and reliability! > Electricity > Hea ng Oil > Kerosene > Propane > Natural Gas > Gasoline > Ultra-low Sulfur Diesel > Off-road Diesel Comprehensive energy op ons for your business At Jensen Baird, our commitment is to you. Maine lawyers. Maine clients. Maine values. Portland / Kennebunk 207-775-7271 • 1-800-756-1166 • jbgh.com We know what our clients need, because we know Maine. Our lawyers understand the unique challenges of living and doing business here. We aren't part of a huge national firm, we're part of the community. And we've been that way for over 60 years. » C O N T I N U E D F RO M P R E V I O U S PA G E P H O T O / T I M G R E E N WAY

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