I have been looking a photos again, no not what you are probably thinking, but of office space. In particular Google, Twitter and Skype's new offices. What I see is that they all look more like coworking space rather than traditional space. Meeting the needs of the new knowledge worker is transforming office space design significantly.

Mindful Design has done a series of blog posts with photos. Here are the links to the specific company's photos.

Twitter Offices in San Francisco

Google Offices in Zurich

Skype Offices in Palo Alto, CA

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According to two reports, one by Cushman & Wakefield and the other by Marcus & Millichap, office space rental rates will begin to rise again by the end of 2011 or early  2012. The increase in office rental rates will not be across the board, but uneven throughout the country. Markets that will see the biggest increases in office rental rates are expected to be Washington DC, San Francisco and Midtown Manhattan. The reason; improving employment and limited new construction. According to Marcus & Millichap less than 20 million square feet of new supply is scheduled to come on line throughout the US in 2011. More confirmation that the bottom of the market is here.  For tenants wanting to make sure they can take advantage of the low office rental rates, now is the time to either renew, renegotiate of relocate to get the best possible office rental rates. Contact us if you would like the assitance of a top local tenant rep. We'd be happy to help!

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A recent article on Bloomberg.com discussed the impact of "Shadow Space" on the recovery of the office space market. The officeFinder Blog discussed the affect of "Shadow Space" on the market back in April 2010. We defined it as "Shadow Office Space is office space that is currently under lease by a tenant, but which is not being used due to layoff of employees." Here is what the Bloomberg article had to say:

"The U.S. office sector will be the slowest to recover as companies absorb empty space and advances in technology reduce the need for square footage, said Kenneth Rosen, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

Unoccupied “shadow inventory” accounts for 3 percent to 5 percent of total business leases, and that space will be filled before firms sign new rental agreements, Rosen, chairman of Berkeley’s Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics, said at a conference in San Francisco. Cloud computing and other tech advances let employees work away from offices, further reducing space needs, he said.

“Every company has shadow space,” Rosen, who also runs Berkeley-based hedge fund Rosen Real Estate Securities LLC, said in an interview yesterday. Most U.S. cities face prolonged vacancies because of the surplus, excepting Washington, New York, San Francisco, Boston and parts of the Silicon Valley, where technology and venture capital spur leasing, he said."

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According to a recent article in the North Bay Business Journal, now is the time to act to take advantage of the bottom of the market:

"The title of the recent Sonoma State University economic outlook conference “The Time is Now” couldn't have more meaning than it does with the current office real estate market. We are at the bottom of the market, and now is the time to take advantage of the current opportunities before it’s too late."

I wish it were true, but as far as I can tell we have a ways to go before the actual bottom is reached in the North Bay or anywhere else. Now, that does not mean that now is not a good time to negotiate a great office deal.  Landlords are hungry and hurting and some fabulous lease of purchase deals are available to those willing to dive in. Until the unemploymet rate starts to drop, the bottom is still in the future, probably within a year or maybe even two.

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Federal Reserve Beige Book Summary
"Reports on commercial real estate markets indicated that demand for space remained weak and that construction continued to decline in all Districts. Atlanta, Philadelphia, Richmond, and San Francisco reported that vacancy rates increased, while rates held steady in the Boston and Kansas City Districts and were mixed in New York. Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Philadelphia, and Richmond commented that the demand for space remained weak. Commercial rents declined according to Boston, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, and Richmond. Rent concessions were reported in the Richmond and San Francisco markets, and Richmond noted that some landlords had postponed property improvements in an effort to conserve cash. Construction remained at very low levels, with modest improvements noted in public construction in the Chicago, Cleveland, and Minneapolis Districts."

OfficeFinder does not expect much improvement in occupancy until the employment figures turn very positive and positive office absorption can take place again.  We are hoping to see some improvements by the middle of 2011.

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For more information, visit www.OfficeFinder.com.