Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
Angela Howard – Culture Expert
Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
Occupiers changed. Real estate hasn’t.
In the first article of this series, we examined the widening gap between what landlords are offering and what occupiers actually need. In the second, we explored the financial cost of this misfit — from empty desks to mounting loan stress. Now comes the forward-looking question: What does it take to build a product that fits occupier demand today — and flexes with it tomorrow?
The answer is to rethink buildings as adaptable ecosystems that can accommodate a mix of occupier requirements: small and large, short-term and long-term, amenity-rich or minimalist.
Flexibility at every level is what ensures assets remain relevant as occupier demand continues to evolve.
Idea From Across The Pond
A useful example comes from outside the U.S. In London, 22 Bishopsgate has become a case study in how to reimagine an office building as a “vertical village” (22 Bishopsgate). Instead of just offering space, the building integrates wellness studios, food markets, flexible workspace, cultural programming, and even a climbing wall.
It is designed less as a stack of floors and more as a living environment where people want to spend time.
The results speak for themselves. Despite the broader challenges in London’s office market, the building has attracted a diverse set of occupiers — from financial firms to creative industries — by meeting needs that go well beyond square footage.
In other words, it has delivered a product that aligns with both current occupier expectations and future shifts in how people work.
Why a Mixed-Product Asset Wins
Not every building will become a vertical village like 22 Bishopsgate. The guiding principle, though, applies everywhere: occupiers want assets that can flex across three critical dimensions.
- Flexibility in size: Average U.S. lease sizes fell 14.7% between 2019 and 2024, and new leases shrank nearly 18.6%, showing that occupiers are prioritizing smaller, more efficient footprints (Avison Young, Q4 2024 US Office Report).
- Flexibility in term: In Q1 2025, 70.9% of U.S. office transactions were new leases or relocations, many involving shorter commitments under three years, underscoring occupiers’ preference for term flexibility (Savills USA Q1 2025 Office Market Report).
- Amenity mix: A 2024 CBRE survey found 64% of organizations now prioritize adaptability, scalability, and technology-enabled features over traditional perks, confirming that occupiers value outcomes that enhance productivity and well-being (Facilities Dive, summary of CBRE survey).
Together, these trends show that flexibility — in size, lease length, and amenities — has become the new baseline for occupier demand.
Occupiers are Leading the Shift
A recent 2025 Cushman & Wakefield/CoreNet Global survey found that 61% of corporate real estate leaders now cite employee experience as the primary driver of workplace strategy — well ahead of cost or location (Business Wire). This shift underscores how occupiers are reshaping portfolios not around square footage targets, but around how people actually use space.
The Scale of the Opportunity
Here’s a bit of back-of-the-envelope math. Five of the world’s largest enterprise occupiers — Microsoft, Alphabet, Meta, Apple, and Amazon — collectively employ more than 900,000 knowledge workers.
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At roughly 60 square feet per person, that implies about 55 million square feet of office space. If just 5% of that shifted into flexible formats, it would translate to nearly 3 million square feet of flex demand.
Extend the logic to the top ten occupiers globally, and the number climbs toward 10 million square feet.
The point isn’t precision — it’s scale. As occupiers rebalance their portfolios, this illustrates the potential rise in demand for non-traditional leasing solutions.
Landlords should factor this into how they assess and evolve their product mix.
Future-Proofing the Asset
The benefit of a mixed-product building goes beyond attracting tenants today. It creates resilience. By offering a range of sizes, terms, and services, an asset can adjust when the market does.
If hybrid models evolve further, if occupiers demand shorter commitments, or if wellness becomes non-negotiable, a flexible building is positioned to say “yes” to most requirements that walk through the door.
Think of it as an insurance policy. Flexibility cushions landlords against demand shocks and makes assets more attractive to investors who are increasingly focused on adaptability.
The New Logic of Real Estate
The old model of real estate was built on large floors, long leases, and standardized amenities. Today, the model is shifting toward adaptability: assets designed to flex in size, lease term, and services to match evolving occupier needs.
Landlords who lead this change strengthen partnerships with occupiers and create portfolios that perform across market cycles.
Closing Thought
This three-part series began by examining the disconnect between landlord offerings and occupier needs, then explored the financial impact of misfit. The final step is about alignment. When landlords evolve their products to reflect how companies actually use space, they build assets that remain resilient, relevant, and profitable.
The opportunity is clear: occupiers want flexibility, service, and value — and landlords who deliver it achieve long-term success.
