5 SoCal Landlords Building Offices Of The Future
SoCal has become a new hub for tech as companies trade offices in Silicon Valley for Silicon Beach. To meet the needs of globally connected tenants, landlords have begun to invest in smart building systems to attract and retain top talent. Technologies like videoconferencing and automated space reservation systems make offices more collaborative, and future developments will tie in office amenities to mobile apps.
Strong connectivity infrastructure brings these features together. Landlords have begun to seek Wired Certifications from WiredScore as a way to assess internet readiness. Here are five SoCal landlords pioneering smart building initiatives and digital connectivity.
1. Brookfield Properties
Access to reliable internet connectivity is no longer an amenity, it is a requirement. Property owners should prioritize internet infrastructure when searching for new space or assessing their current locations.
Brookfield Properties has dedicated itself to continuous improvement of its assets by adopting Wired Certification across its entire U.S. office portfolio. Wired Certification ensures investors and lenders that digital building assets will not become outdated, and assures tenants that their offices are well-connected.
Brookfield has nine properties with Wired Certified Gold and Platinum in Los Angeles. In addition to a LEED Gold certification and having an Energy Star rating, Figueroa at Wilshire in Downtown LA prioritizes building connectivity with Wired Certification. The certification offers transparency into internet infrastructure across Brookfield's offices.
2. Equity Office Properties
In 2016, Equity Office Properties announced that MacArthur Place and Griffin Towers in Santa Ana were the first Wired Certified office properties in Orange County. At The Von Karman Creative Campus in Irvine, EOP is transforming a former corporate center into the first large-scale creative office community in Orange County. When it opens in Q1, the center will feature a promenade with a café, outdoor work areas, recreational zones and social spaces, as well as Wired Certified offices.
At The Landing On Red Hill in Costa Mesa, the three-building campus boasts access to restaurants, bars and shopping destinations. Employees can work in outdoor spaces without worrying about a dropped internet connection. The campus not only makes work more convenient, but also focuses on overall wellness.
3. Beacon Capital Partners
Beacon Capital Partners, a leading office investor, has achieved Wired Certification for two of its three properties in SoCal: 101 North Brand in Glendale and 1055 East Colorado in Pasadena. Certification for 5161 Lankershim is pending. At 101 North Brand in Glendale, tenants not only work in a Wired Certified Platinum office, the highest level of Wired Certification for best-in-class connectivity infrastructure, but also enjoy the benefits of an eco-friendly building that has been Energy Star certified since 2012. The office is LEED Gold certified and has an electric car charging station.
“We know that our tenants have become reliant on fast and secure internet connectivity for business operations. Our investment in connectivity for our office properties in Southern California and throughout our Wired Certified national portfolio satisfies current tenant demands and attracts new, forward-thinking businesses,” Beacon Capital Partners head of portfolio management Sara Shank said.
4. Rising Realty Partners
Rising Realty Partner’s One California Plaza is Wired Certified Gold, and the firm's historic CalEdison building is undergoing Wired Certification.
Completed in 1931, the Art Deco property was one of the first buildings in the U.S. heated and cooled completely by electricity. Rising is returning the CalEdison to its innovative roots as it undergoes repositioning for creative office use. The building will retain its architectural integrity while modernizing to fit contemporary office needs. Wired Certification will ensure the building is prepared to meet the technology needs of today’s businesses.
Rising Realty Partners and Colony purchased One California Plaza for roughly $460M earlier this year, which was close to the highest per square foot CRE transaction in Downtown LA. The property’s tenants include leaders in the financial and legal sectors, like JP Morgan Chase, CIT Group and Locke Lord.
5. Jamestown
Jamestown’s Brunswig Square is undergoing the Wired Certification process. Built in 1931 as a warehouse for Brunswig Drug Co., Brunswig Square is at the corner of Second Street and Central Avenue, in the heart of Little Tokyo. The warehouse is two blocks west of the Arts District and two and a half blocks east of LA's historic core.
Brunswig Square features seven floors of office, views of Downtown Los Angeles, high ceilings and over 33K SF of street-level retail. The building has on-site parking, and there are 10 public parking structures within two blocks of the building.
Jamestown has been recognized for incorporating building technology into its Wired Certified Platinum Innovation and Design building in Boston’s Innovation District and the Industry City creative hub in Brooklyn, New York.
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