San Diego Office Campus is a Model for the Post-COVID World

The Campus at Horton will be the model of office in a post-COVID world. Stockdale Capital Partners is developing the 700,000-square-foot office building, and will include state-of-the-art technology to promote health and wellness. This includes contactless spaces for all access control systems, Ultra Violet enhancements within the air handling system and operable windows.

“It’s a new world order. Tenants will be looking for properties that have been thorough and proactive in addressing the challenges of today’s work environment,” Steven Yari, co-founder and managing principal of Stockdale Capital Partners, tells GlobeSt.com. “Some of the key features being incorporated into our design include; contactless access control, destination dispatch elevators, Ultra Violet (UV) technology within the air handling systems, increased air filtration and touchless restrooms. We have modified our design to increase the number of patios, operable windows and indoor/outdoor spaces.”

Overall, Stockdale Capital hasn’t altered its vision for the product due to the coronavirus pandemic. “The vision for Campus at Horton is the creation of a highly amenitized and sustainable adaptive mixed-use project in the heart of Downtown San Diego,” Yari says. “The project features 700,000 square feet of office and 300,000 square feet of curated lifestyle retail, F&B and entertainment connected to over an acre of programmed open space.” While the vision hasn’t changed, Stockdale has addressed key users needs brought up by the coronavirus pandemic.

In addition to leveraging technology to address these new needs, Stockdale is also updating building features. “We believe tenants will be more focused on larger floor plates, which can accommodate proper social-distancing, wellness focused amenities, along with a variety of dining options with substantial amounts of outdoor seating,” says Yari. “We’re proud to say that Campus at Horton checks all of those boxes.”

Despite the pandemic, the firm has been able to move forward with construction with few obstacles. “We received our construction loan in early March and commenced exterior demo shortly thereafter,” says Yari. “Unlike many projects that have to incur substantial retrofit costs to adapt to the post-COVID world, our project was able to be modified quickly in the design stage, so development cost impacts were substantially minimized.”

However, the pandemic will have long-term effects, and landlords will need to address those changes. “The profound changes our industry has experienced in recent months will have long-term effects on the desirability and success of future work environments,” says Yari. “Employers are emphasizing the well-being of their workforce more than ever, so projects such as Campus at Horton with its array of post-COVID features is well-positioned to meet and exceed those anticipated tenant needs.”