IRVINE, CA—Bellwether Enterprise's majority partner Enterprise Community Partners is dedicated to providing homes for the housing insecure, but current development can't meet demand, Bellwether's EVP and director of the Western US region Trent Brooks tells GlobeSt.com. Following the firm's announcement that it had closed out a strong 2015, originating $4.5 billion in loans and servicing more than $12 billion, we spoke exclusively with Brooks about the biggest trends he sees in commercial real estate and in multifamily in the Western region.

GlobeSt.com: What are the biggest trends you see in commercial real estate for the Western region?

Brooks: Two come to mind: one pertains to multifamily and the other to office. Clearly, the trend for new construction in multifamily continues to be very prevalent. Wherever new units can be built within rational economics, they are being built. That trend is continuing more so in the higher-end market-rate product than in pure affordable, but more is being built every day. The other trend I see is an increased focus on creative office. We're seeing office owners and investors in office properties very focused on the creative-office model. We're also hearing owners of industrial and multifamily properties thinking about ways to incorporate creative office in those asset classes. It's taken off from the fringe and is now mainstream. They're taking the ideas of creative office using them in multifamily design, including some of the business centers, common areas and recreation facilities. Multifamily and industrial owners are taking a page out of the office owners' book in trends and design.