Boulder Associates’ Kate Vincent On The Future Of Seattle’s Workplace Sector At Bisnow’s Nov. 19 Event

Though Seattle’s office stock stands 22.5% vacant as of the third quarter of 2024, return-to-office mandates are hoping to breathe life back into the sector.

Some of Seattle’s largest employers, including Amazon and the city itself, have announced RTO mandates within the past few months. The city is requiring its 14,000 employees to work in-office three days per week effective early November, and Amazon’s 50,000 workers must return to the office five days per week effective January 2025. 

Mandates like these are not only bringing people back to the office, but they’re inevitably changing the way people work, said Kate Vincent, principal architect at Boulder Associates. 

“People are trying to understand what kind of spaces they need to get their teams back to the office,” Vincent said. “Since many of us have become comfortable with working remotely, employers are now trying to rightsize their portfolios and make sure they have the right spaces that support a variety of work types and support a more diverse set of needs in the workplace.”

Vincent will be speaking at Bisnow’s Future of Seattle Office event on Nov. 19. Click here to register. 

Bisnow spoke with Vincent to learn more about what trends are shaping the Seattle office market, challenges facing the sector and how these spaces can increase their value while catering to workers’ needs.

Bisnow: What key trends are currently shaping the landscape of Seattle's office market?

Vincent: One of the bigger trends I’m seeing is that some of the larger employers in town have really been shifting their office policies surrounding return to work. It’s going to be interesting to see how other companies decide to respond to that, and also what the impact will be on the larger real estate market in general, including retail associated with more people coming into the office. 

Bisnow: At this event, you'll be speaking on the “Flight to Experience” panel. How is the industry working to create spaces that increase property values and also enhance the employee experience?

Vincent: Employers are looking to create spaces that lead to connection, collaboration and innovation. People are really trying to understand what kind of spaces they need to support the work their teams do in the workplace. Things have shifted toward activity-based or choice-based work, where people are looking for different types of spaces to support their needs throughout the day. 

One of the things that we're seeing is the demand for spaces that support a suite of needs — from focused work all the way to collaborative work. Initially, there was a lot of talk about getting employees back together. But I think in recent years, teams have become more distributed across the country or even the world. There are a lot of virtual meetings taking place now, so people need focus areas, or places where they can take meetings quietly. We're seeing a lot more of this being incorporated into office spaces. 

People also got used to different types of spaces during the pandemic when working remotely. Consequently, we’re starting to see that intersection between hospitality and the workplace. Companies are trying to rightsize their portfolio and make sure that they provide the spaces that resonate with their team. They want to increase the impact of the space they have.

Bisnow: What are the challenges facing Seattle's office industry this year? And how is the industry equipped to handle these challenges?

Vincent: One challenge is that people are still just trying to figure out what the new workplace looks like. Everybody knows the office is not going to look exactly like it did before. But there continue to be a lot of questions about what's actually going to happen with the workplace. That uncertainty is making it hard for people to make decisions about exactly where to go. People are looking for opportunities because it's a good leasing environment, but I think they're still questioning what to build and how much space they really need. 

The industry is equipped to handle it because workplaces have always been cyclical, and the office is a sector that has seen a lot of change over time. The concepts of the workplace evolve a lot faster than some of the other market sectors. It's a nimble sector, and it's a group of people that are able to move quickly and innovate. 

We're lucky here in Seattle because we have really wonderful general contractors, development managers and partners that are great at being able to move with speed and according to clients’ nuanced needs and evolve to the changing drivers throughout a project. 

Bisnow: Looking ahead, how do you see Seattle's office landscape evolving over the next several years?

Vincent: A lot of companies are going to rightsize their footprint and consolidate their operations. Companies may not need as much space as they used to, so we’re going to see a lot of this moving forward. They’re looking at creating really powerful user experiences for people in the office space they do have. 

There's also an increased push for health and wellness in the workplace. People want spaces that are restorative — where they can get away from their immediate work and relax. This includes an increase in biophilic design, operable windows and more daylight shining into these spaces. We're going to see people gravitate toward the office buildings in prime locations as well as buildings that bring unique experiences to their tenants. 

Bisnow: What do you think event attendees will be most excited to hear about at this event?

Vincent: People are going to be excited to see if it seems like there's a lot more traction in the market again. RTO policies will also be a big topic because it may drive a lot more people downtown, which people are always interested in hearing about.

This article was produced in collaboration between Boulder Associates and Studio B. Bisnow news staff was not involved in the production of this content.

Studio B is Bisnow’s in-house content and design studio. To learn more about how Studio B can help your team, reach out to studio@bisnow.com.