Space Strategies 2024 Sessions

The research workplace is in flux. Uncertainty, new technology, and hybrid work have all exposed a crucial need for data-driven insights in strategic planning and programming for scientific work environments. Through a case study of The Sherwin-Williams Company “Building Our Future” project, presenters demonstrate a combination of lean process improvement, Gemba walks, and dialog focused on impactful organizational change to optimize a 600,000 square foot facility. They relate what was learned on hybrid workplace environment, staff and equipment utilization, and challenges to conventional laboratory metrics, how the data was evaluated for efficiency, safety, and operational impacts, and the resulting transformations in process, governance, and projected outcomes.

Construction and operating costs for research space continue to skyrocket as does institutional demand for these spaces. The time is now to refine (or implement) research space management models, enable program expansion in a cost-constrained environment, stay competitive, and elevate facility return on investment. Session leaders illustrate the translation of data-driven insights into new space metrics and implementation plans for Arizona State University’s award-winning research building portfolio. They profile the evolving relationship between research funding and the facility ecosystem, today’s metrics for productivity, how space management programs are finding support through alignment with institutional priorities, pitfalls to avoid, and lessons learned.

By leveraging data-driven approaches and emerging best practices, organizations can optimize their real estate portfolios to align with evolving workforce preferences and operational needs. That’s the model that presenters will demonstrate through a comparative analysis of office utilization patterns, global client challenges, and a deep dive into the nuanced dynamics of the modern workplace. The promised results include solutions for the underutilized real estate problem, environments that foster talent retention and productivity, and optimized real estate investment strategies. Participants will leave equipped with key discussion points for evaluating employee work/life balance, the rebirth of urban centers, and organizational operational needs.

Reimagined spaces, human connections, and technology are converging to redefine work tools, locations, and methods, threatening organizational relevance for those who fail to adapt. Kay Sargent illustrates what industry leaders are doing to tackle the physical, social, and technological challenges of tomorrow. She examines the impacts of AI, IoT, and other innovations on architecture and design, the built environment, and how people interact with spaces. The delivers strategies for navigating the dynamic and fluid nature of work, empowering future-ready facility leadership, and ensuring spaces support organizational goals and employee well-being in an ever-changing world.

Bespoke workplace solutions are the order of the day to deliver on organization-distinctive combinations of space, culture, cost, and utilization targets; take a deep dive into “when, who and how” and don’t fall prey to yesterday’s calculations for seats and hoteling. Session leaders provide a case study involving space consolidations/reductions, unexpected demand for return-to-work, and new multi-disciplinary teams, and how each organization must answer “what is the purpose of the workplace in a hybrid world?” They chart a deep-dive investigatory process to determine expectations, right-size and rebalance spaces, deliver new guidelines, enable wellness, support a transient workforce, and create a culture conducive to recruitment and retention.

Future Forum reports that 81 percent of global desk-based workers want location flexibility, and 93 percent want schedule flexibility. For many organizations, employees are in the office two to three days a week with the balance spent at home or another location. How can organizations support worker physical wellbeing when not onsite? Carolyn Cirillo delivers data-based insights on how physical work environments can improve employee wellbeing, happiness, and productivity in any setting. She illustrates how homes can better support employee work processes, and what can be done regarding comfort, safety, natural light, indoor air quality, and plants to create a more enjoyable work experience. 

This session examines the role of occupancy analytics in revolutionizing operational excellence across real estate and facilities management, and the resulting cost reductions, adaptability improvement, and energy efficiencies. Session leaders deliver a case study of integrating occupancy data and Building Automation Systems (BAS) at Nova Southeastern University and the opportunities that were created for data-driven space discussions and the improved management of hybrid workplaces. They illustrate the transformational potential of predictive analytics in development of operational strategies, foreseeing trends, and adapting resources rapidly.

Unlock next-level facility utilization and operating efficiency targets for your organization by combining the latest technology innovations. Brian Haines illustrates how systems leveraging AI and machine learning are being used as the “glue” to connect digital twins, sensor technology, and Building Automation Systems (BAS) in support of utilization intent, providing deeper facility insights, and streamlining operations. He examines the kind of generated data and analytics now possible, and the leveraging of real-time and predicted space and occupancy data for optimizing HVAC systems and reducing costs.

The Connected Workplace is a technology ecosystem that 1) enables every employee to achieve the best outcomes, and 2) generates and learns from utilization data to evolve and adapt to employees' changing needs. Microsoft’s entry into the Connected Workplace is Microsoft Places (debuting this Fall), and CBRE's Portfolio Technology team has had the privilege of partnering with Microsoft on the build, testing and roll out. Presenters provide a preview into what Places does, why it’s “game changing” technology, how Places will be incorporated into our current way of working, and what insights it will provide to real estate stakeholders.

Improved space management, relevant success metrics, actionable reporting, and cost savings: These are the capabilities organizations look for in technology solutions, but often struggle to find. This session examines software implementations from commercial, state, government, and higher education sectors, and what to expect in the way of key project drivers, unique challenges, and common management hurdles. Participants will walk away better informed on space management software applications, and the results that facility owners and stakeholders are getting -- facility and real estate problems solved, and organizational performance enhancements.

The research workplace has experienced many of the same work model changes as other industries, with additional complexity from the need to support constantly rotating research programs and diverse stakeholder groups. Attend this session to see the data collected on how scientific work and space use patterns have changed post-pandemic, facility/program gaps that have emerged, the features now critical for workplace engagement, and operational adjustments that must be made. They demonstrate data collection methods including IoT sensors and time lapse video to calculate occupancy rates, and how post-occupancy evaluations are being used to inform future space plans and the occupant experience.

Integrated Workplace Management Systems (IWMS) have proven critical in today’s dynamic workplace environment for optimizing both workplace efficiency and operations, and here you’ll get a framework for successful IWMS implementation and sustainable growth. Dan Lorenz illustrates success factors for setting performance targets, software deployment and ongoing data maintenance, and organizational resources required. He lays out common pitfalls, compares quick wins with long-term strategic objectives, highlights change management best practices, and continuous improvement processes for optimizing IWMS performance over time.

Organizations of all sizes, global regions, and industry verticals are prioritizing three key areas of impact within their place design strategies: wellbeing, connection, and change. To stay competitive, higher education institutions must take three actions now: 1) move from continuous expansion to compressed and enriched space, 2) change space use culture from “ivory tower” to “career catalyst”, and 3) shift from traditional to active learning pedagogies. Session leaders illustrate how leading institutions are implementing needed changes with place-based design strategies, and the hurdles being encountered, results, and next steps.

Until recently, the impact of the built environment on cognitive functioning has been largely speculative - identified and reported through surveys and other qualitative feedback methods or invasive biological assessments and controlled studies. Now scanning and sensing technologies are delivering insights into how our minds work with real-time accuracy - how we receive, process, store, and retrieve information. Kelly Bacon translates these insights into design solutions to create environments that maximize our cognitive performance. She explores how environmental factors of hybrid work settings are impacting performance and wellbeing, and strategies to optimize workplace design for improved cognitive support across various work environments.