Workspaces That Adapt to Changing Business Demands

HOUSTON—As the nature of work and the workplace continues to change, global companies increasingly are adapting to the modern workforce and the growing need for workspaces to effortlessly conform to rapidly changing business demands. With that in mind, Hines recently announced the launch of Hines²/Hines Squared, a comprehensive tenant amenity, property management and services offering.

The platform will focus on enterprise clients and deliver premium workplace environments in Hines buildings, which will be known as The Square. Hines² is launching immediately at 717 Texas, a 33-story class-A office tower in Houston, and The Kearns Building, a 10-story 167,000-square-foot office building in Salt Lake City.

Industrious, one of the US’ largest premium flexible workspace providers, was selected as an operating partner after a lengthy and intensive vetting process across the co-working industry. Industrious will operate both Hines² spaces with future projects across the Hines portfolio already in the pipeline. Hines is also pursuing opportunities with its other preferred partner, Convene, which will operate sites that include full-service meeting and event management.

Hines² is the union between Hines’ property management strengths and workplace, hospitality and design brands. The result is a real estate experience where current and future Hines tenants will work and thrive.

“Hines is a premium service provider with a deep focus on providing the highest level of customer service and a genuine care for our tenants and their interests,” Hines president and CEO Jeff Hines, explains. “Given the breadth and quality of our global portfolio and operating platform, Hines has the potential to be a leading provider in this space.”

Hines collaborated with Fifth Wall, a venture capital firm focused on the built environment, including property technology, to define and evaluate the evolution of the burgeoning flexible workspace landscape in a first-of-its-kind RFP process. Given the evolution of a new class of flexible space and office hospitality providers from the previous generation of executive suite operators, a comprehensive search for service providers that specialize in workplace as a service resulted in the selection of Industrious and Convene as operating partners.

“Hines’ workplace services offering will serve as a complement to our existing office capabilities, strengthening our position as the preferred partner for tenants and investors around the world, without changing our risk profile or leasing strategy,” adds Hines innovation officer Charlie Kuntz. “It’s a natural extension of our vertically integrated operating model. In evaluating potential partners for this new offering, Industrious came across as a clear leader in the space. Their ability to deliver high-quality workplaces, exceptional service and engaging programing is completely aligned with our vision for Hines².”

Industrious will operate the initial amenitized flexible workspace centers known as The Square. The Square is a physical location within Hines² properties where businesses experience all the platform has to offer—whether to gather and take advantage of the co-working and flexible office options, meeting and event services, food and beverage, and collaborative zones—or participate in community programing.