More people have returned to the office after working from home during the pandemic. While that is good news for commercial districts and businesses that rely on employees working downtown and in offices across the metro, many questions about the future of the traditional office remain. Occupancy rates have improved, but in many cases still remain below pre-pandemic levels, raising questions about how companies will use vacant space in the future. We will explore strategies some companies may be using to transform space to create amenities to draw more employees back to the office, how companies may approach their future space needs as leases expire, how vacant space is being retrofitted for residential use, and how economic conditions and the sale of some companies have created vacancies and how that may change the office landscape for years to come.

Featured Panelists:

Cody Christensen, director of development services department, city of Des Moines
Justin Lossner, senior managing director, JLL
Mike Macri III, associate professor of practice-real estate development, community and regional planning, Iowa State University
Cari Trilk, vice president of Design Services, Pigott
Alec Wilcox, associate, Cushman & Wakefield

Rewatch the Project515: Office Outlook