Developing a modern and functional office complex requires strategic planning. As you’re laying out your blueprints, you’ll have to juggle many considerations. And one of the most important in today’s marketplace is making sure your final design incorporates some family-friendly touches.
It might seem strange to put so much emphasis on family life when constructing a commercial property. However, adding special touches like a playground, green spaces, and walking paths can benefit your team, your tenant businesses, and your tenants’ clientele.
Remember: People are seeking ways to harmonize their work and personal lives. That’s why so many professionals support hybrid working schedules. Being able to bring their children — and perhaps even pets — to their job allows them to feel more connected with their place of business. At the same time, it puts a positive spotlight on your office complex for being on top of the latest working trends.
Does it take more effort to add family-focused elements into your commercial office park? Yes. For one, you have to make sure that every youth-based structure or furnishing you bring into your complex is safe. As PlaygroundEquipment.com, a premier online playground equipment supplier for commercial buyers, notes, all of your kid-centric equipment should live up to the highest standards. That’s why they recommend only buying equipment approved by The International Play Equipment Manufacturers Association (IPEMA), the ASTM, or the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).
In addition to having safety goals, you also need to keep accessibility and sustainability at the heart of your design. Ideally, anyone who comes to your office complex should be able to partake in your kid-friendly spaces. Plus, they should know that you’ve adopted environmentally sound practices, like using only native plant species for your playground and surrounding landscaping. Why? As explained by home design software provider Coohom, supporting biodiversity improves the resilience of flora and reduces your upkeep costs.
The point is that you have to be intentional as you move through all the steps necessary to bring about a full-fledged family-centric office complex. Yet the time and energy you invest at the beginning stages will net you continuing returns for several key reasons.
1. A kid-friendly complex helps your tenants recruit and retain staff.
Today, talented employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. As Gartner points out, they want purpose, too. Purpose allows them to feel like the time they’re devoting to their career is worthwhile. By being able to bring their children to work occasionally (or regularly), they can ensure that they’re fulfilling all their obligations purposefully and without friction.
When your tenant businesses have less trouble recruiting and retaining their best team members, it’s good for them and you. Attrition is costly. By making it easier for them to attract and hold onto great people, you’re giving them a leg up on their competition. That means they’ll be able to continue to grow and stay viable for the long haul.
2. Kid-designed spaces allow tenants to appeal to family customers.
You can’t assume that your business tenants will only want to appeal to adult clients and customers. Some tenants may welcome families, as well as provide products and services geared toward the youth market. By constructing a commercial area where playfulness is built in, you set the stage for your tenants to be successful — and for your occupancy levels to remain high.
Many different types of organizations would appreciate being able to lease a space with embedded kid-friendly zones. Take co-working boutique company Cowo & Crèche, for example. Their whole business model is about appealing to working parents who need regular touchdown spots but want to have their small children on site. Cowo & Crèche’s innovative, family-friendly setup has won them acclaim and could be the springboard for a similar business in your area. If so, your commercial complex would be a natural fit.
3. Kid-friendliness future-proofs your commercial design.
Adaptability is essential for all contemporary buildings and office complexes. The pandemic showed how quickly the needs of businesses, employees, and customers can change. Therefore, making your complex as future-proof as you can makes sense. And few things could be as future-proof as having a lot of interactive spots and secure (and shaded) green areas.
You can’t predict what tomorrow might bring in terms of wooing tenants to sign short-term and long-term contracts. But by adding family-friendly touches to your complex blueprint, you’ll give yourself more flexibility to appeal to the space needs of the next generation of businesses and business owners.
4. A family-friendly office complex moves away from the outdated “sterile” industrial complex image.
When many people envision commercial complexes, they picture a relatively cold environment. Adding interactive fitness equipment, park benches, swings, slides, outdoor seating, and more can temper the corporate feel of your office complex. You may even find that it turns the atmosphere into one that evokes a sense of community.
It’s important to note that family-friendly isn’t just relevant for people who have children. Plenty of adults appreciate being able to walk along well-maintained paths during their breaks or enjoy looking at outdoor statues, artwork, or installations. Having a laid-back outside place fpr workers to go, even if it’s just for a little while, gives them the escape they need to recharge.
5. Your office complex could become “the place” for community events.
When you’ve designed a well-rounded office complex to meet the needs of kids and adults alike, you may find that it becomes a go-to spot for events like fundraisers, festivals, and pop-up experiences. For instance, your green areas and small parks could become sites for weekend kid-centered gatherings or annual holiday picnics.
This is an outstanding way for your office complex to gain more exposure and press. As its reputation grows, you could find yourself being asked to engineer other kid-friendly office complexes.
Although you may be creating an office complex for businesses, you can’t afford to overlook the benefits of adding family-friendly elements to your design. When you do, you’ll have a future-forward, winning setup that appeals to all ages.
