This month, the Commercial and Industrial Real Estate Brokers Association (CIREB) chose 14 Columbia Circle at Corporate Plaza Office Park to host their monthly marketing session.  Over 70 local brokers and affiliates assembled to view the recently renovated building, catch up with colleagues and get better acquainted with Rosenblum’s unique “Reinventing the Workplace” approach to creating next-generation work environments for our clients.

In collaboration with our partners at Accent, Capital InteriorScapes, PatCraft, and Albany Center Gallery, The Rosenblum Companies transformed one of our few vacant spaces into a two-room concept office demonstrating forward-thinking workplace design. This included naturalistic, environmentally friendly flooring, “smart” ergonomic furniture, interior landscaping and a forced-air, “living-wall” air purification system blended with energetic colors, locally made and curated artwork, and pervasive natural lighting.

With multiple places to sit, stand, move around and even spin (see the purple Herman Miller Spun chair below), meeting participants are encouraged to interact and collaborate. A mobile whiteboard on wheels is placed next to the open meeting table for note taking while an electronic sit/stand drafting table is nearby for conceptual drawings and drafting. Every chair, table, object and accessory is purposefully placed to maximize the group work necessary in many of today’s businesses, including traditional professional services.  CIREB members were encouraged to “test drive” everything on display.

To further explain the philosophy behind the concept office, Pati Barclay, executive vice-president at Accent, unveiled “the real cost of bad design,” a presentation on the science and economics behind workplace strategy.  Ms. Barclay provided real-life, dollars-and-cents examples of productivity gains achieved by companies after deploying better workplace design strategies.  Seth Rosenblum, CEO of The Rosenblum Companies, further underscored how such investments often produce a better ROI with the following equation:

$75,000/year/employee salary
x 1% productivity increase (conservative estimate)
= $750 productivity increase

/ 250 Square Feet (SF) average occupancy per employee

= $3 per square foot annual productivity increase

or

= $15 per square foot savings from increased productivity over a five year lease term

Based on the above, clients can save 15% – 20% for Class A space that takes advantage of better design like The Rosenblum Companies’ concept office at 14 Columbia Circle based on a very conservative estimate of 1% productivity increase and current market rents.

The Rosenblum Companies’ has taken the lead on helping our clients here in the Capital Region navigate and take advantage of better workplace design.  Contact us to learn more.

Click here to find out more about Accent, exclusive regional dealer of Herman Miller furniture.

Click here to learn more about Capital Interiorscapes and their corporate plant care program.

Click here to learn more about Albany Center Gallery and their corporate artwork loan program.

Click here to visit CIREB.