It is undeniable that building amenities are important within design. From attracting and retaining new tenants to increasing the building’s property value, amenities enhance the overall experience of a building. Sometimes, it is easy to think “the bigger, the better” regarding redesign and amenities. Although there are benefits to investing in a large-scale remodel, not every change needs to be a huge, expensive, tear-down project. As new buildings emerge with giant, jaw-dropping designs, there are also smaller-scale investments that building owners can make to refresh their property and create an exciting space that is competitive across the market.
This leaves us with the question: How can building upgrades be completed without having to spend a fortune? By prioritizing experiential design and the user journey throughout the space, architects and designers can help drive the tenant experience and improve lease rates. There are different levels of investment in upgrades and smaller-scale changes that can yield big payoffs.
Creating a Sense of Arrival, Reimagining Space Allocations
Best-in-class experiences drive lease activity. By creating differentiation and an experience of place, tenants and guests will remember their journey, starting with the entry sequence. A reimagined sense of arrival signals change, and it’s the foundation for other improvements throughout the development, creating an immediate impact. While exterior signage and improved wayfinding are important factors in the user experience, floods of color and designated focal points within entryways are budget-friendly choices that make a big difference in creating a sense of arrival.
As time in the office takes on a new meaning, tenants are looking for more innovation as well as collaborative space. After years of growing comfortable working from home, architects and designers must ask themselves, how can we invoke a sense of “home” in these spaces? Diversifying dormant zones and reimagining space allocations offers tenants and guests various areas for comfortable quiet work, group work, and connection. Rethinking common spaces and transforming dormant zones into lounge-like active spaces can bring new life to a building. Likewise, reimagining the mechanical can create new rentable square footage that adds real value to the property. With an expanded definition of amenities to support lifestyles—inside and outside—multi-use spaces, terraces and coworking spaces are topping the list of desirable amenities.
Improving Lighting and Art Installations, Developing Environmental Branding
Dynamic change can occur within a property without impacting the building’s architecture by improving the lighting within the space. By replacing inefficient or harsh fixtures, light installations can be used to highlight building features. These signature fixtures can draw attention to something that has always been a part of the building, but now takes on new impact with light focusing on the structure. A simple switch, such as light bulbs that are warmer in tone, can evoke a new environment and make a dramatic difference.
Immersive and intuitively branded architectural elements can create a visceral point of difference that draws the user back to the space. Facility owners can easily differentiate their portfolio with branded environmental elements that capture the essence of the building or key tenants’ brands with art, graphics, and accessories that create a memorable impression.
Refreshing Elevator Lobbies and Corridors, Redesigning Restrooms
Elevating common spaces can have large-scale effects on a building’s appearance, operations and sense of community. Beyond increasing property values, the lobbies and corridors create social connections and improve the user journey through the building. By programming these areas to be designated spaces for dayparting, these vacant hallways and elevator corridors can become activated areas for users to enjoy.
Apart from hallways and lobby spaces, restrooms are a core space within any building. When imagining a public restroom, it’s easy to recall a space that was undesirable, so implementing this small change is a real opportunity to make a big shift in visitor impression. As people have grown accustomed to working from home, many have not experienced using public restrooms within their offices in a while. By upgrading core spaces like restrooms, a building’s overall rentability increases, and tenants are happier. Simple solutions in ways to flush, wash hands, and even open the bathroom door can improve the tenant experience and value of your assets.
Overall, small-scale investments can have large-scale effects on a building’s appearance, operations and community. Beyond increasing property values, the above amenities create social connections and improve the quality of life for users.