Austin Creative Office Woes Solved

Those in the creative office space in Austin run into the same problems. Things like traffic, parking, collaboration, flexibility and proximity to good amenities usually dominate the conversation when office gurus get together. That was the case at our Austin Creative Office event yesterday morning, but our experts (including execs from Trammell Crow, Sutton Cos, Endeavor, HPI Corporate Services and Cielo) offered solutions to make creative office work. 

Give Open Office A Try, But Be Willing To Adapt

DPR project exec Andrea Weisheimer (here with our first panel: Cielo founding principal Rob Gandy and Sutton Cos chairman Mac Pike) has seen a shift to open office even amongst slow adopters like construction companies. The Austin DPR office recently went to open concept and Andrea has seen it improve her business. But not every solution you implement will actually solve a problem, Rob says. He recounted a tale of a company that took the doors off every office to allow for more collaboration. A month later, the company put the doors back on after it realized the need for more privacy. 

Get White Noise Machines

For open or collaboration-centered offices that face frustrations from noise, try a white noise machine, Rob (here between Ziegler Cooper Architects' Kurt Hull and Finley Co's Tim Finley) says. These machines sound like an AC unit to mask chatter. The machines don’t eliminate noise, but rather turn distinct noises into background sound.  

Embrace The Outskirts Of Town

Trammell Crow’s project at Parmer boasts up to seven parking spaces per 1k SF and considerably lower rents than Downtown offices. SVP Mark Fowler says to note the value in these alternative locations and what they can offer to employees in terms of easing commute and mixed-use amenities. Mark's far right here with Beck Group's Ryan Therrell, Burt Group's Clay Wilson and Beck's Andy Kennedy.

But Stay True To Your Roots

Price can be a huge driver to look outside Downtown for office space, but HPI Corporate Services managing director Jeff Pace (left, with Heritage Title's Michael Cooper and Primus' Nate Nickerson) encourages companies to think about their culture and roots, and how employees would react to a geography change. Some would rebel if forced out of the CBD, others would if forced out of fringe areas. And some companies care about the type of building rather than location. Stratfor moved from Chase Tower to Northwest Austin in November and VP Bret Boyd says it was looking for what the space had the potential to be. An office it could mold to optimize workflow was more important than location.

Have Technology Foresight

So many more questions will arise as drones, autonomous cars, advanced lighting and other technology advances, Endeavor principal Travis Dunaway says. Offices will continue to leverage these technologies in their businesses, which will inevitably change the office landscape. Tech companies tend to be five years ahead in these realms, and slow adapting companies (we're looking at you, law firms and financial services) are five years behind, Travis says. So this tech revolution will span a decade. Here are moderator Kristi Svec Simmons of Aquila Commercial, Mark, Bret, Jeff and Travis.