NEWPORT BEACH, CA—Despite developers' attempts to build creative space, more types of users are seeking this space than ever before, and supply is not keeping up with the demand, Bixby Land Co.'s president and CEO Bill Halford tells GlobeSt.com. We spoke exclusively with Halford as a leader in creative-office development about the trends that emerged in 2015 and what he expects to see this year.

GlobeSt.com: What were the biggest office trends to emerge in 2015?

Halford: What's proven out has been the continued demand for creative-office space. A few years ago, people were kind of like, "Is this really a change in tenants' taste or is this a fad?" Most people would agree now that it's proven out that more and more people want product that's more fitting for the type of talent companies are trying to attract and retain.

GlobeSt.com: What do you expect to be the biggest office trends for 2016?

Halford: We will continue to see more people trying to deliver various forms of creative-office space. Now that the cycle has moved to a point where development is feasible, we're seeing some of the more institutional developers try to interpret the demand for creative-office space and build something they wouldn't have tried to build 10 to 15 years ago. Some will do it well; for others, it will be a poor interpretation. But it seems that there's a continual trend toward this notion of creative office, which really incorporates features that are more like your home or a boutique hotel, including lots of outdoor space, operable windows and things developers are trying to interpret into new product.

GlobeSt.com: How do you see office users changing their space use as companies continue to grow after the recession?

Halford: Again, I think the trend is toward space that's built and utilized differently than it was 10 years ago: open, communal, collaborative space and outdoor space that melds with the office. As companies grow and look for new space, it is a consistent theme that they will continue to look for the kind of space I've described, and that space is not plentiful in the market. In spite of lots of people building toward that demand, we're still undersupplied. Ten years ago, law firms would never consider being in anything other than a high-rise institutional building; we will see the reverse of that going forward. Certain types of users you never thought would be interested in creative space are deciding that that's what they want and that they don't want a traditional high-rise office.

GlobeSt.com: Do you see this lack of supply of creative office continuing through next year?

Halford: Yes. It's going to continue because we have proved earlier in the cycle, from 2009 to 2011, if you could buy large products that had vacancy and needed repositioning and develop them in a way that met this need, then there's significantly more demand for this type of product than we had thought. But supply of this type of product is not meeting demand for it, even with the increasing supply.