Happy 100th Birthday Grand Central Station!

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Grand Central Station has not only become on of the most visited stations in New York, it’s become a landmark of the city, a meeting point, an architecture reference point, it’s the largest train station in the world by number of platforms, and a buildings that tells the story of the New York. 

Grand Central Station is turning 100 years tomorrow, Feb 1st, and several events will take place to commemorate it.

The celebration starts at 9:30Am with a concert and the rest of the morning there will be presentations and appearances of famous residents like Caroline Kennedy, actress Cynthia Nixon, NY Mets player Keith Hernandez and a ceremony with the Vanderbilt Family.

During the afternoon there will be presentation by Electric violinist, Sarah Charness and performances from different artists.

Celebrations will go on for the entire year with a parade of trains, the entrance to the terminal will be restored, a tour through grand central will be launched, a photography exposition and much more will be done by the MTA.

During Feb 1^st, don’t miss special giveaways from the stores in Grand Central.

A few facts about Grand Central:

* Grand Central has been featured in numerous films, including Superman, The Fisher King, North by Northwest, and   Madagascar.

* Grand Central Terminal covers over 48 acres.

* Approximately 125,000 commuters transit Grand Central daily.

* In addition to commuters, over 500,000 people visit the terminal daily.

And if you don’t want to miss the celebration for the whole year, then rent an office near Grand Central and be in the middle of the action year-long.

Canadian Real Estate Market in 2013

Toronto Office Space

With a slow recovery from the US economy and Europe struggling to find its way out of the economic crisis, Canada remains waiting to feel the effects, and opinions are divided between those who are optimistic and those who believe the crisis is already here.

Let’s start by mentioning some numbers released recently about the Canadian real estate market.

In 2012, most of the cities saw a decline in sales:

Toronto, which is one of the important areas saw a decrease of 5%, Vancouver’s sales dropped 20% year over year, Newfoundland went down 11%, but not everything was bad news.

Calgary saw an increase of 18.6% and the Durham area increased nearly 12% year over year.

This leads us to the national average, which went down 1.1%

While some experts have started talking about a bubble which will destabilize Canada, others say that the market will remain stable as purchasing activity is robust, and will continue for another year.

What will happen with the commercial market? Experts say there will be some risk increase by the end of the year especially in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver, but during 2013 rental market conditions will improve, and this is backed up by the construction volume.

According to Colliers, few changes are expected as during the last quarter of 2012, office renting saw a high absorption of spaces, especially in the downtown areas.

With new projects entering the market this year, it’s probable that landlords will face stronger competition and may have to reduce prices or increase the value they are offering to remain in this competitive market.

The bank of Canada lowered its growth forecast to 1% for 19^th consecutive time and set at 2% the expansion of the economy.

While experts debate on the future of the economy, we prefer to be part of the ones that think positive. It’s understandable a slowdown with the economic context the world is living, but we’re confident it can be reverted during 2013.

While the year unfolds and we see answers to these questions, OfficeList will always be ready to help those who need an workspace, we can always find your next office.

Chicago Office Prices Might Get windy!

After the 2008 financial crisis, Chicago’s office space industry was relatively slow. Few new business centers were being opened, while many spaces decided to close their doors. 

When this happens, usually rent prices drop and companies who have the capacity can take advantage of the situation and will move to lock a good deal, however that didn’t happen in Chicago. The expected bargains never came, construction of new buildings slowed down, companies decided not to move and vacancy rate went up. A situation that lasted long but finally last month there was a decrease in the vacancy rate.

This year started with some interesting activity.  According to REIS reports, vacancy rates decreased from 19.1% to 18.7%. And recently law office McDermott Will & Emery announced it would be renting in 444 West Lake Street office tower being built in Chicago, one of the largest office projects being built in the city. That’s an important confidence vote to the city. The space will be 225,000 sqft and is one of the biggest office projects in Chicago.

This means that the tendency may be changing and it would probably be a good time to start quoting and considering the idea of moving before prices go up. Contact OfficeList for additional information about available office space in Chicago

Do You Have The Right Chair For Your Office?

We are sitting nearly 6 hours daily in our workplaces and sometimes we are more worried about having a plant in our office, than the type of chair we have. And although a plant can be healthy and cheerful, the chair where you spend most of your time is a great investment for your health, productivity and motivation.

If you are the CEO, you should not worry about having the biggest office in the company. That only raises your ego but not your sales.

Did you know that headaches, back pains, arthritis, and other muscle or joint pain account for more than $60 billion each year in lost productivity?

If you invest in quality chairs for your team, you are actually doing some savings for the future. Your company’s` productivity and motivation will increase, employees will be healthier meaning there will be less downtime and when you add all this up, it can translate into a boost in sales and lowering your cost.

And if you consider yourself an innovator and are looking for something trendy to put in your office, check out two unusual, but ergonomic workstations.

   

Some suggestions to find the ideal chair for your company:

•  Depth  and width: Make sure it’s comfortable and not too small.
• Height: Adjustable height is the most suggested.
• Back support: Ideally it should be adjustable and support between 12-19 inches of back width.
• Lumbar support: Lumbar means the lower back. Inappropriate chairs make us sit incorrectly, which is what damages our backs.  
• Swivel feature: Team works means there is daily interaction and a swivel allows us to turn easily without forcing our necks.
• Arm Rest: It shouldn’t be uncomfortable, instead it should fit the average length of the arm and it should be adjustable as well.

Oh!, and make sure it has some good wheels. It’s not only important to support all the weight of the person sitting, but it’s very useful when doing office chair racing!

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest in office news and tips for your office space.

OfficeList, call us today, move in tomorrow.

How Fun Is Your Office?

Youtube office in San Bruno CA

Most of us spend about a third of our time in our workplace. Sitting in front of a laptop, sharing with colleagues, meetings and brainstorming is part of our daily routines, but how many of us go to the office to have fun?

Recent studies by psychologists and economists show happy workers are 12% more productive and companies actually reduce their costs and increase productivity!

Having a nap place, some comfy couches, access to games like a Wii or PS, allowing team members to bring their pets, having a slide, music lounges, pool tables or ping pong. Those are only some of the things dot-coms have done at their offices and workers are more motivated than those in other industries.

For traditional companies it may sound outrageous to take the dog to the office. What if they start bad odors? What If they start barking and disturb other workers? Well, think of it the other way. What if the dog helps the staff to relieve some stress, or by taking the pet out to walk workers come up with creative ideas?

Crazy ideas usually don’t come up in meeting rooms or brainstorming. They come up when you’re relaxing or at the most unexpected moments. Those “aha” moments strike us when we’re in the shower, watching TV or doing something not related to work.

Google UK office

Some CEOs might question why they should have a place for their employees to sleep; they’re paid to work not to sleep! But guess what, taking a quick nap helps people to continue their work with more energy and avoids the usual sleepy sensation after lunch when we struggle to keep our eyes open and our head standing.  

And why should they play games! Because when some of us face problems or road blocks, our mind doesn’t see any alternatives, and rather than sitting in front of your computer for hours with no answer, it’s better to think about something else. Let's give our minds a break and once we’re back, it’s most likely a solution will be found.

Do you have any fun places in your office? If you don’t, start thinking about creating them, you’ll be surprised with the results. 

Real Estate News in New York

NY Times Square

The year is just beginning and we already have news about the real estate industry. According to Jones Lang LaSalle, Microsoft has signed a long term lease at 11 Times Square in New York.

The 1.1 million square feet will be divided between office and retail space. Just steps from Port Authority, the 40 story skyscraper was completed in 2011 and already leased 70% of the space.

Meanwhile, in Greenwich village, the famous athletic apparel and shoe manufacturer, Adidas, has taken 15,220sqft at 435 Hudson Street. They will take the third floor and it will be used as a showroom and for marketing purposes. The building is located only 2 blocks north of Houston St.  

The news backs up Cushman and Wakefield’s office leasing report of 2012. The report revealed that year-end, the asking rate had increased 4% year to year and vacancy rate was 9,4%.

The Midtown South market consolidated having one of the highest asking rate, while Downtown NY had a small decrease of 0,7% compared to last year.

Despite economic uncertainty, Manhattan continues to be the ideal place for investors. 

Regus Bought Regent Business Centers and Corporate Office Centers

Courtesy of  The Regus Group

This year welcomes us with the confirmation of an important news for the office suite industry.

Regus has bought two major office providers: Regent Business Centers and Corporate Office Centers. Although there had been some noise about the news, during the last weeks of December the decision was confirmed.  

But what does this mean for Regus?

Let’s start with Regent Business Centers, a company that was founded in 1993 and had 13 business centers; 5 of them in prestigious buildings in New York, 7 centers in California including two spaces in San Francisco and 1 center in Denver, Colorado. Regent was known for their top quality spaces.

And Corporate Office Centers was another big player in the office suite industry. 

Headquartered in Arlington Texas, they owned 36 business centers in 13 markets spread among 10 states. The company had just opened their last center in Anaheim, CA and just a month ago they were celebrating their 20^th Anniversary.

This way, Regus, who handled 1100 locations worldwide and 550 in the USA, now adds 49 new centers to their portfolio and confirms its dominance in markets like Texas and shows some interest to increase competition in markets as California.

What might 2013 surprise us with? If Regus plans to maintain its growth expectations of 10%, that means almost 60 new centers opening this year. We will have to see how competitors react and how the economy behaves. We can only guarantee that an exciting year awaits ahead of us.