Smith: “There's a fundamental rewiring of office space in a very deep way that will influence how people get things done.”

LOS ANGELES—Flexibility will continue to be the buzzword for TAMI (technology, advertising, media and information) tenants, who want a variety of options in their workspace throughout the day and over time, Breather CEO Julien Smith tells GlobeSt.com. Smith will be the keynote speaker for a presentation on the “Office of the Future” during NAIOP's O.CON conference here in November. Breather, which offers users a network of well-designed, on-demand meeting rooms accessed through its proprietary app, operates more than 200 locations in 10 global markets. We spoke exclusively with Smith about why flexible space is so important to TAMI tenants and how their needs will change going forward.

GlobeSt.com: What role does flexible space for meetings and focused work have in the office of the future?

Smith: It seems to me that what's really happening to offices these days is there are a number of flexibility issues. Right now, I have a choice of three available meeting rooms in my office. Sometimes the inverse happens and there are zero meeting rooms available. An office—and really a city—has a pulse, and it will have varying supply and demand issues all day, but the actual square footage people have access to stays the same all day long. When tenants are working from home, on their mobile phones or working outside the office, there's an enormous need for flexible space.

GlobeSt.com: How will the needs of TAMI tenants change going forward?

Smith: These tenants feel it most intensely. Many TAMI employees tend to be millennials and they want everything right now: the ability to work from home or come into work, to have a second office or meet outside of work in a professional space. These needs are greater when you're talking about TAMI tenants in general.

GlobeSt.com: What other elements are necessary for the office of the future?

Smith: Everything needs to be connected to technology in the best possible way. I've seen that a number of offices have a “starfish” setup, where there's a conference-call device sitting in the middle of the conference table so everyone can hear each other. In other places, they have an Apple TV with a screen. There's been a macro shift—the number of things being connected to technology is dramatically changing. With Breather, it helps us open doors, so technology is significant. There's fundamentally a very deep rewiring of office space that will influence how people get things done. It feels like a transitionary thing.

GlobeSt.com: What value-add amenities do you see emerging for future offices?

Smith: One of them is flexible space. It's very meaningful, and landlords really care about it—the ability to make your space larger or smaller as needed and not pay up front for more than you need. Tenants also want to have the best café on the ground floor, one that serves the best coffee. You should be able to get everything you need in your place of work and get it instantly.

GlobeSt.com: What role does flexible space for meetings and focused work have in the office of the future?

GlobeSt.com: How will the needs of TAMI tenants change going forward?

GlobeSt.com: What other elements are necessary for the office of the future?

GlobeSt.com: What value-add amenities do you see emerging for future offices?

Instant Insights /

What Will TAMI Tenants Need Going Forward?

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