It is a pet peeve by downtown workers to have parking a couple of blocks away from the work site, yet these same people would have no problem walking great distances to their cars in suburban office parking lots, according to Stubbs. Amenities include parking, health and fitness centers, child care, retail, food and beverage service all close to the office so that there is less need to leave work early, Stubbs said. The office of the future has a more open plan, is more naturally lighted, has movable walls and screens, large scale central services and large floors that serve as neighborhoods with distinct identities, Stubbs said. There also is an effort to integrate external spaces, or trying to bring the outside in, Stubbs said. There is also indirect adjustable lighting, original artwork on the walls, cyber cafes, leisure rooms and chill-out rooms, when the going gets frustrating, Stubbs said.
Office furniture is environmentally friendly, colorful and ergonomic.
Technology is wireless to remove the need for cable management, with a video phone in the computer. Support services, such as administration, accounting and legal, can be moved off-site, he said. OfficeTiger, based in Chennai, India, provides support services that cost a fraction of what they in the United States, reducing the need for office space devoted to those services here. Finally, a company doesn t have to give an office to everyone, but gives them an allowance to find work space where they are the most productive through intermediaries such as Regus, Stubbs said. For example, around the Bay area, Intel people can plug into office space without needing to go to Santa Clara, Stubbs said.