Commercial Real Estate: Your Employer Wants You to Feel "At Home"

 It's old hat in worldclass cities like New York that the address of your building creates your signature brand. Classic was the aura public affairs firm The Dilenschneider Group unleashed with its location in the MetLife Building. It rented half a floor. As a contractor to DGI I found it useful to my own boutique to be spotted on the elevator or lobby. 

But in this era of so much economic, technological and political disruption - sometimes called the "post-American" world order - that branding function isn't enough to be moving the needle in the directions businesses have to head toward.

So, the template for leasing a building has to go way beyond any halo effect. 

Among the immediate needs is putting together the unique employee experience. RTO is here to stay. And in the post-American world order, with the ramped-up technical competition from China, most employees will be spending more hours in-person on the company site.

That probably will never become as brutal as China's 996. But the lengthening of the typical time on-duty has become intense enough to blur boundaries between work and life. So, of course, design the workplace to accommodate life. 

Fisher Brothers Real Estate owns and operates 1345 Avenue of the America. That's where law firm Paul Weiss will be leasing 850,000 square feet for 20 years, beginning in 2026. Fisher certainly gets it about the increasing importance of the setting where the work is done. It puts it this way:

“'Employee experience is at the forefront of tenants’ priorities, and we can’t wait to welcome Paul, Weiss to enjoy the unparalleled, world-class work environment we’ve curated for our tenants at 1345 Avenue of the Americas,' said Ken Fisher, partner at Fisher Brothers."

The location is midtown Manhattan, with all its convenient links to public transportation for the tri-state area. Those coming in on Metro North from Greenwich, Connecticut don't have to then take the subway to downtown Manhattan. 

Yes, employees can also bike or e-bike to 1345. That's without worrying about any thieves running off with their two wheels during the work day. There's bike storage in the building. There might even be showers for those sweaty summer commutes. 

The amenities include a lounge, café, wellness and meeting hub. Migrate away from the desk. Collaboration can be more relaxed. So can client conferences. Work off angst at the fitness center without losing time leaving the building. 

Easy on the eyes will be the artistic design. 

Fisher has done an upgrade to provide the connectivity capacity for AI Everything. Employees won't be frustrated with clunky compute. 

A sign of post-pandemic times there's designated event space. The capacity is for more than 400 guests. People want to get together in-person. That's exactly why Conde Nast, where revenue from digital subscriptions and advertising is in decline, is ramping up for lots of paid glam events. 

Paul, Weiss could not only host prestigious conferences. Who knows, those, as with Conde Nast, could become a profit center.

There's more. 

Media, at least for a while, will be more ready to show up for pressers. That's to do the double duty of covering the trend of how trophy buildings have to extend their functionality. 

Clients and prospects could be eager to also come in-person to size up the vibes of this kind of approach for housing a business. Is there a boost in productivity and innovation? Do the humans seem content? So, should they also invest in a setting reset? 

Obviously, the cool of working at 1345 could also serve as a recruiting tool. That ranges from poaching star partners to landing the best and brightest summer interns.  

 Paul, Weiss chair Brad Karp told Mann Publications: 

“With its high-tech features, thoughtful meeting spaces and artistic elements, 1345 Avenue of the Americas is the ideal location not only to accommodate our needs as we continue our path of global growth, but also to complement our firm culture of excellence in client service, collaboration and innovation ..."

Thrown off your game, maybe the first time since you started working? You made all the right moves and then the world moved in another direction.

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