The Big Picture on Office's Evolution

Loughridge: “They want to see amenities like we have designed and implemented at Radius: outdoor sitting areas, barbecue/fire pit areas, sports courts, outdoor ‘rooms’ for meetings.”

IRVINE, CA—Work and life and are intertwined, creating a work environment that feels more like home and allows for more flexibility, collaboration and socializing, CapRock Partners ‘ VP Jake Loughridge tells GlobeSt.com. The firm has completed Radius , an innovative new $2.5-million office- redevelopment project at 14191 Myford Rd. in Tustin, CA, acquired in an off-market transaction. Radius encompasses 7.4 acres and a total of 110,000 square feet that was originally designed as premium industrial space. CapRock repositioned 70,000 square feet for a single user looking for its own identity in a contemporary office environment. The remaining space was leased at the close of escrow by a tenant in-tow, as part of the original transaction. We sat down with Loughridge for an exclusive chat about Radius, how the project represents the evolution of the office sector and what he sees coming next for this sector.

Use of the outside of the facility is just as important to today’s office tenants as use of the interior.

GlobeSt.com: Given what you have done with the Radius project, how is the concept of office changing/expanding?   Loughridge: The concept of work itself is changing, and the team at CapRock Partners designed Radius to reflect that. In today’s workplace, there is not necessarily the predominance of an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. office experience, where employees sit quietly at their desks and just take a lunch hour. Nowadays, technology enables us to work any time of day, any day of the week and, essentially, from any place. Because of this constant pace and flow of work, employees are looking for a work environment that feels more like “home” and allows for more flexibility, collaboration and socializing. They want to see amenities like we have designed and implemented at Radius: outdoor sitting areas, barbecue/fire pit areas, sports courts, outdoor “rooms” for meetings. In these spaces, work and life are intertwined, and that is the evolution of office and the character of Radius. GlobeSt.com: How do you see this concept continuing to evolve as the creative-office trend matures?  Loughridge:  We see the creative-office sector evolving in the sense that it will become more and more pervasive. The amenities, the concepts, the ideas that we are seeing now in the development and design of next-generation creative office assets like Radius will continue to be adopted within more traditional office environments and likely become commonplace. GlobeSt.com: What do you think the next generation of office workers will want in their space?  Loughridge:  The next generation of office workers is here today, and they want much of the amenities discussed above. Overall, it’s an increased interaction between spaces and employees and a lot more flexibility and freedom to move and work in different environments within an office property. Indoor/outdoor spaces are key, as is proximity to off-site amenities including food and retail and ease of commute.