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14C — June 26 - July 16, 2015 — Mid-Year Review — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
O ffice
By Miles Berger, The Berger Organization Breathing new life into urban office properties
O
year at our 15-story Robert Treat Center (50 Park Place), the end goal was to configure the space to meet the unique needs of this organization. Teach for America’s office en- compasses about 9,000 s/f and serves as a hub in Newark for dozens of full-time staffers, and numerous corps members and alumni. The end result was a modern work environ- ment, which fosters collabora- tion while at the same time pays homage to the city of Newark. Teach for America’s office space was retrofitted to create
an open floor plan that lets in light and allows for the free flow of interaction between employees. In this non-hier- archical space, members sit at bench-style seating that is ideal for teams working on specific projects. Individual space is open, and only one closed-door office exists in the entire space, which belongs to the executive director. Collaborative spaces include a book nook with casual seat- ing and kitchen area. There are also about a dozen cubicles with low partitions to allow for some privacy. On the first floor, a more formal meeting area was created. When Teach for America has a full house for events such as professional development sessions, staff holiday party or casual meet- ings, employees utilize the larger meeting area. The move to the Robert Treat Center allowed Teach for America to double its office space while maintaining its central pres- ence in Newark’s downtown business district in proximity to an unparalleled transporta- tion infrastructure. Along with these modern build-outs, advances in fiber optic-based communications have leveled the playing field when it comes to commercial building technology. Once wired with fiber, even century- old properties can offer the same data and communica- tions capabilities as new con- struction. To that end, we now offer Lightpath by Cablevision throughout our Newark port- folio. This industry-leading service provides advanced Ethernet-based data, Internet, voice, video transport solutions and managed services to busi- nesses across the New York metropolitan area. More corporations today are migrating from the suburbs to downtown or urban locations. As a company, we are taking full advantage of this grow- ing urban office momentum to offer quality, high-tech ac- commodations that meet every need and desire of discriminat- ing space users. Miles Berger is the chair- man andCEOof The Berger Organization. He spear- heads The Berger Organi- zation’s overall residential, hospitality and commercial operations encompassing more than 1 million s/f of space and 12 hospitality properties. n
lder urban office build- ings at one time were at a di sadvantage
urbanism continues to drive companies to central business districts in cities such as New- ark, property owners such as The Berger Organization are reaping the benefits. According to new Pew Re- search Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data, it is estimated that about 53.5 mil- lion millennials (adults aged 18 to 34) make up the U.S. workforce today. This trend shows no signs of slowing and represents a paradigm shift that will influence how office space is built, and used, in years to come.
At The Berger Organization, we are stripping antiquated fit- outs and tapping into the popu- larity of exposed ductwork and open office architecture to create the kind of loft-inspired, collaborative workspaces cur- rently sought after by today’s tenants. Two recent build-outs in Newark – including Teach for America’s space at The Rob- ert Treat Center and Newark Downtown District’s space at our Military Park Building – are excellent illustrations of this trending. When Teach for America relocated to its new offices last
when it came to at t rac t - ing technol- ogy firms and millennial- run compa- nies – among other tenants – in search of smart, open,
Miles Berger
collaborative works spaces. But today, that’s all chang- ing. In fact, old is “in,” at least when it comes to tenant preferences for office space. As
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