Long before Covid-19, companies prioritized amenities to attract and retain top talent. Now, 10 months into the pandemic, commercial real estate buildings and developers are future-proofing their amenities to attract tenants looking to get their employees back into the office where health and safety are prioritized. The future of workplace amenities takes employee health and healthcare access seriously. In fact, the wellness real estate industry is estimated to be worth $134 Billion and growing 6.4% globally every year. The health-centric, future-ready, amenities you can start to expect in the post-COVID-19 workplace are:
On-Site Healthcare
Buildings will look to partner with medical providers to offer healthcare and fully-equipped wellness centers as an amenity. On-site physicians and therapists, in addition to telehealth, will be available to tenants and their employees for a small membership fee. Wellness centers will be used to help both the mental and physical health of tenants.
2. Health Centric Upgrades
80 to 90 percent of our health outcomes are tied to where and how we live. Studies show that living our lives mostly indoors, surrounded by stale air and toxic chemicals is dangerous. Upgrading HVAC’s that focus on UV light and bipolar ionization, and new cleaning routines will be essential to compete for the future tenant. Hotels, cruise ships, and airlines were among the first after the pandemic hit to quickly adopt upgraded HVAC systems to purify the air.
3. Open-air workspace
Stretch your legs and get some fresh air. Balconies and open-air workstations will start to take a larger footprint in new developments based on rising tenant demand. Fresh air and nature boost our cognitive function and leads to higher productivity and creativity. To create the ultimate optimized environment, buildings that offer this amenity will allow tenants to balance their workload with more outdoor workspace options.
4. Health Tech
Don’t want to touch a dirty elevator button? Touchless digital solutions will be implemented throughout these future-ready buildings. “Smart elevators” that don’t require you to touch a button, thermal temperature cameras, and cleaning robotics that understand space density are all technologies that already exist and are being implemented in buildings today.
The news of a vaccine has provided great optimism for commercial real estate, but it’s clear that reopenings will be an extended process as the vaccine rolls out. As companies look at reoccupying their space, future-ready buildings that prioritize health and wellness will be a must-have for tenants in the post-pandemic future.
