If you are ever near 421 North Harrington Street, the office building at Smoky Hollow Phase II, take a few minutes to explore the second floor amenity space.
421 N. Harrington St is a nine story Class A office building with 225,000 rentable square feet of space. The building is eight stories of office on top of the ground floor level which includes retail and the office lobby.
The Space
The second floor amenity space is shared by the tenants and is quite spacious. In the pictures below you can see:
- Several large seating areas, both indoor and out
- Wet Bar and refrigerator in the kitchen area
- Terrace overlooking the internal street grid of Smoky Hollow
- Retractable glass wall to create indoor/outdoor space on the terrace
- Classroom and large meeting area with a retractable wall to create two smaller spaces
The Future of Office
As office users look to the future I think we will see an increase in the amount of amenities like you see in these photos. These types of spaces can come in three forms: internal spaces, shared spaces, and external spaces.
Internal amenities would include upgraded perks and large flexible communal spaces within the tenant suite. Through the use of open floor plans and retractable walls, a tenant can have their large conference room open up into the breakroom for an extra large meeting space that on occasion can be used for events or “all hands” meetings. Tenants are also increasing the fit and finish of their shared work spaces, meeting spaces, entertainment spaces, and dining spaces. Making the spaces more enjoyable and functional.
Internal amenities are paid for by the tenants directly either with cash or through rent. Shared amenities like the ones seen at 421 N. Harrington Street can allow tenants to have access to the amenity space but not pay for the hard costs or soft costs of the space 100% of the time. They pay for a small percentage of the space through their rent and only use the space as needed. This shared model allows them to potentially shrink the size of their suite but still have access to large spaces when needed. Many shared amenities also have the option for tenants to have exclusive use of the space for a period of time through a day rental arraignment.
In addition to internal and shared amenity spaces, I think we will see an increase in the utilization of external amenity spaces by office tenants. Examples of external amenity spaces include meeting rooms at conference centers, museums, community centers, hotels, coworking spaces, and other venues. Well located amenity spaces, especially those in walkable urban neighborhoods can provide easy access to everything an office user might need when hosting large gatherings including space, food, travel accommodations, entertainment, and lodging for multi-day events.
Conclusion
As office tenants work through the transitions and mixes of in-office work, remote work, and hybrid work, I think the office landlords and space operators who best encourage and facilitate flexibility will come out on top!
For more information about 421 N. Harrington St. and additional professional photographs visit: https://smokyhollowraleigh.com/directory/421-harrington/
