In any crisis, one of the first victims of the real estate market is the office segment, because it directly depends on the business activity of tenants. A new era of economic instability, in which we all were by the pandemic COVID-19, developers and owners of business centers also came under millstones. But after you cease the fight against the virus, the segment will recover first. But it already will be absolutely other office space.In the early days of the regime of self-isolation, declared in almost all major Russian cities because of the pandemic, COVID-19, passed the series premiere of “Call center” with a straightforward, at first glance, the plot. The staff of the online store selling adult products yourself locked in the office. The members of the staff chosen by chance — each of them has a sad background, and around which the action unfolds.Throughout the series shows the aesthetics of modern office life with its obvious and secret life. All this is familiar to many who spend most of their lives at least 40 hours a week, spends in the business centers. During remote operation, which for all of us during the quarantine turned out to be a reality, this series has become for some people a good opportunity to reflect on their relationships with colleagues to the pandemic. As, however, and the quarantine, which could lead to a radical change some of the paradigms prevailing in the office culture, and the gradual transformation of other standards.A smoke and cofaceusa in 2018-2019 service recruitment HeadHunter according to the survey found that 85% of office workers considered for a shift to remote work in the future. “Pandemic was forced to test this format for those who wanted, but did not dare to try,” says project Director at KB Strelka Ekaterina Maleeva. So, the Bureau ABD Architects involved in the design of office spaces, in the month of April, surveyed more than 1 thousand of respondents. Most of them (66.5 per cent) during the current pandemic for the first time working from home. About 83% of the respondents answered that they work effectively from the office, with the same effectiveness work from home only 56% of the respondents. Nearly 63% of survey participants said that they from the point of view of working place like the offices, about 15% — more comfortable home, the rest — no difference. For many respondents (47%) is not enough for the remote operation of live communication with colleagues, the study said ABD Architects. Another factor in favor of office work — the inability to separate home and working space.A study conducted by the center for urban anthropology, KB Strelka, shows that many Russians have problems finding a place for a slave��you in the apartment. “A large number of apartments have the right plan for leisure and sleep, but they are not able to accommodate the daily life of an entire family — sports, schooling, the work of several people,”— says Ekaterina Maleeva. But the Russians are not unique. According to the survey conducted by the London office of Colliers International among employees in Europe and the Middle East, about 45% of respondents want to return to the office, because they can’t draw a clear boundary between work and personal Affairs. In addition, 65% of respondents would like to return to their jobs, to be able to discuss live business issues. Approximately 42% of respondents not enough during remote operation of ordinary human communication — talking not about work but about personal life.Photo: Craig Mitchelldyer / Uranotaenia trujillana come at the first opportunity in the office and the desire for the living to communicate with colleagues may be somewhat discordant with the beginnings of social distancing, which began to emerge in society under the current quarantine. In reality, says an HR consultant and partner “Labs career Alena Vladimir,” Anna Alfimova, most do not want to go back to the office. “Some will be afraid to get infected, others will understand that to live according to your routine more comfortable and begin to work for the company, not as employees, but as contractors,” she says.According to a partner at Cushman & Wakefield Natalia Nikitina, about 25% of employees want to continue to work from home and after the lifting of the quarantine. “Our studies also show that about 25-30% of those surveyed intend to continue working remotely at least one or two days a week,” confirms partner IND Architects Andrei Sidorov.This situation can be on hand to employers to return to the office all of the employees because of the crisis in the economy is now expensive and not all the companies are justified. This means, says Anna Alfimova that the office will return only the most loyal and productive, that in itself is motivation for employees. There is a reason: these workers are unlikely to put forward specific requirements. “Is that the opportunity to work flexibly, sometimes staying at home or working at off-peak hours,” adds HR consultant.Some companies now think about the format of shift-work employees, adds Ms. Nikitina. It is possible that it will soon loosen the top layer of office culture, the traditional workplace comes system hot desk offices that allow employees to periodically change the dislocation in business centers.The negotiations ZoomПочти two-month work in the remote format showed how you can quickly automate ��static preparation processes: negotiation and meetings can be conducted via Zoom or Skype, the same operational business issues to discuss in messenger Telegram or WhatsApp. “In the future there will be a continuing need for technologies that can automate the routine and reduce the number of operations that require interaction with other people”— does not preclude Anna Alfimova.Active use of online services for corporate communication will help to rotate and reduce the number physically present in the workplace and negotiating rooms of people to change the Seating, razredu space, predicts the head of the Bureau Noor Architects Mikhail Belyakov. Although immediately after the lifting of the quarantine around the world will begin implementing IT solutions in offices, but the fascination of the employers Zoom and similar technologies will be supplanted by a different passion — the search for new planning solutions office space, predicts investment Director UK “Trinfiko” Artem tsogoev. That is traditional in our understanding of the business centers can quickly be transformed into the same hot desk format or in flexible offices (flex office).The office market expect further optimization and changes in the very concept of the office that will lead to an increase of vacant space. By the end of 2020, a blank can be up to 25% of the business centers of Moscow, predicts mister tsogoev. But worry about the future market of business-centers of Moscow is not worth it, says a top Manager. In his figurative expression, “the gaping void business centers 2020-2021 years may be filled with employees of numerous state-owned companies, which will be the saviors of the office market”.This means, according to Anna Alfimova that part of the team will continue to work from home permanently or temporarily, and the company will be forced to reduce payroll without reducing the volume of tasks performed by employees. In this scenario, companies will need to reduce the cost of office space. Will again become a much sought after arena with a lower level of comfort, designed for four to eight employees, predicts an HR consultant.Photo: Irina Bujor, Kommersanty and hebephilia signs of a decline in demand on the office market came in March of this year. Now several large lease transactions paused. The transition to remote work format that can only exacerbate the drop of the potential demand on the office market, has become bad news for developers. Looks like they did not come yet to the stage of acceptance of a new reality.”Despite numerous speculations, the large companies do not hurry to radically change your office policies and continue to rent quality office space in the long term,” insists the commercial Director of O1 Properties (one of the largest owners of Moscow business centers) Pavel barbashev. As the argumentand he cites two deals to lease a total of approximately 2 thousand square meters in business centers Lighthouse and the White square, closed last week, in the midst of quarantine.Mr. barbashev believes that certain of the company when deciding to rent office space, pay attention to the quality of the building. And now we come to the main point: how to change workspace in order to qualify for high quality. The current crisis will provide an opportunity to get away from the open space format, predicts Ekaterina Maleeva. “This factory space, the legacy of the industrial era,— she said.— Right now, when more jobs were intended for intellectual and creative work requiring concentration and deep immersion, sounds more and more criticism in open-plan offices”.This trend is indeed observed, confirms the founder of the architectural workshop “Arkanika” Nikita Immigrants. “But it is unlikely, of course, we all return to practice in the cell stalls, as in the 1950-ies, but the density of offices will change,” he adds. Now Moscow this indicator is in the middle of the list among European cities. Per employee, on average, more than 8 sq m of office space, the same indicators, for example, in Riga, Krakow, Zagreb and Tallinn, according to a study by Colliers International. The best indicator in Copenhagen, where one employee per 18 sq. m, the worst in London and Sofia (6-7 square metres per person).This thesis is like the COO Space 1 Pavel Fedorov. This is understandable: it is one of the first in Moscow began to develop flexible offices. They allow you to arrange the space under the requirements of each tenant and hand over the square on short-term contracts (now rental contracts in traditional business centers are approximately five years). If in January—February 2020 the average term of the requested rent in the project of flexible offices Space 1 was 18-24 months, then in April—may, it was reduced to 12-18 months.”Now companies planning horizons are shrinking, so those who decided to change the office, think about the savings and do not want to bear the capital cost for the design, repair and office equipment”,— says Mr. Fedorov. This has led to a growing demand for flexible offices, which projected Space 1, at the end of 2020 could increase by 50%.Behind the door business centerboston, immediately after the lifting of quarantine measures involves Natalia Nikitina, the company will begin to transform their offices by the “rule of two feet”. Nikita Immigrants does not exclude that there will be changes in the legislation governing the minimum space per person in offices. This is unlikely, as in Copenhagen, but it is possible that as in Vienna or Munich, where, according to Colliers International, one employee has about 10 sq m, and even better, like in Oslo or Stockholm, where one worker put 14 sq. m. But also, continues Mr. People will probably reduced the maximum capacity for elevators and lobbies, “this will reduce the number of people in one space”. It is not excluded that employers will encourage employees to use stairs instead of the Elevator, unless, of course, we are not talking about the office in one of the skyscrapers “Moscow-city”.”We will see a departure from the plans open plan office space, as well as better ventilation and more Windows open for ventilation of the premises, predicts Nikita Immigrants.— And in corporate cafeterias and cafes we are likely to find the distances between tables, and also notice the lack of salad bars and buffets”.Photo: Alexey Firsov, Kommersanta work in takakurae, ideal place for Muscovites and residents of other major cities that close to home. Such a factor is, according to Anna Alfimova, will incorporate a company for which the priority of human capital. But this does not mean that it will be necessary to change jobs and find employment in the company, whose office is in walking distance from home or distance that can be overcome by bike or scooter.Co-founder Wowhaus Oleg Shapiro suggests that Moscow will continue to develop the coworking home, where employees can work most of the business week and time to drive to the city center in the office of the employer.Change the current paradigm does not exclude an architect, will lead to the realization in Moscow of the concept, invented almost ten years ago, the Bureau BIG for Copenhagen. It assumes that residential complexes have all the services, including Laundry service, shops, cafes and a fitness club, and office space that can be used by local residents.However, in some new residential projects of PIK group and “don-Stroy invest” this concept has already been implemented.After pandemic the classic office can be a hub, a centre of attraction for meetings with colleagues and solve certain problems, while the majority of issues will be increasingly addressed beyond, agrees Natalia Nikitina.It is possible that in the next decade we will see a landmark change in the urban vector. “The city was for centuries tied to the workplace, now the starting point is getting home,” idealizes a future project partner and consulting company “New earth” Ivan Kuryachiy. But Artem tsogoev advises to be realistic: “the quarantine will be forgotten in two years, no significant, global, and significant changes in architectural ��of koncepcii offices because of the pandemic will not follow.”Khalil Amine
