The Beauty of Older Office Buildings
Source: Unsplash
While cities start to converge into swaths of steel and glass, there is something uniquely beautiful about older buildings. Perhaps it’s their very dated design which makes them fashionable. Or perhaps it’s knowing the stories and sights they have sat alongside or housed. Or maybe it’s just because with age comes wisdom of what has worked and what has not. Either way, gone should be the days of bulldozing older buildings to the ground, and instead there should be a focus on reinventing and optimizing to not only drive occupancy and premiums, but also tap into sustainability and connection to community.
Why Refresh versus Rebuild?
In many instances, salvaging the existing frame and bones of a building will offer cost savings for the buildout.
Refreshes can sometimes be done in stages to minimize disruption to existing tenants and avoid full shutdown.
The ability to lean into the history of a space offers PR and positive branding moments that need less educating than entirely new rebrands.
Updating a building in phases can ensure better cashflow.
Refreshes allow for feedback on the usage and design to better inform the next phase of a renovation.
Knowing the strengths a refresh can offer versus a full rebuild is important. But, to transform older office buildings, there isn’t necessarily a set formula, but rather variables that should be accounted for within the design process.
Steps for Refreshing Older Office Buildings
Understand the Strengths.
Tap into the Community.
Position yourself against the competition.
Identify what can be salvaged / upcycled.
Build with quality for long-term results, just like the bones of how your building was first made.
Market your changes.
Conclusion
By tapping into the beauty of older buildings, landlords, business owners and property managers can refresh their spaces through simple design techniques that bring new life and energy to their floors, rather than washing away the past to simply build anew in the present.
To kickstart ideas around what your space could look like and what business objectives it could drive, Senaura Spaces is capable of not only auditing the space, but also experienced in acting as a catalyst for ideas through data, market conditions, consumer insights and case studies from around the world. Don’t just design because you don’t like how it looks. Design for your audience preferences who will in turn drive your business objectives.