Dive Brief:
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Millennials apparently want to feel at home while they’re at work. So the owners of urban office buildings are responding by designing office areas for collaborating that look like living rooms, kitchens with high-end appliances, and cozy dining rooms—instead of institutional-looking cafeterias.
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Building owners are pitching these spaces to potential business tenants with furnished “marketing centers,” especially for buildings under construction or temporarily closed for renovations, according to The New York Post. The marketing centers show potential business and commercial tenants how the finished space could look.
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Much like model homes in housing developments, these marketing centers feature options for surface finishes, flooring, wall colors, and other customized touches that can make work feel like home. “A lot of the residential features are becoming the norm on the commercial end,” Zach Freeman, vice president of leasing, of Equity Office told The Post.
Dive Insight:
The rising popularity of the made-to-order workspace has made the marketing center a fixture in buildings with space to lease to businesses. “It’s a place to control the tour experience,” explained Paul Glickman, vice chairman of commercial real estate consultant at JLL, told The Post. “You also need the marketing center to showcase materials, floor plans and test fits.”