The new corporate headquarters: An approach to Liquid Real Estate

- Fernando Vallejo, bicg's General Director

"New" or evolved?

“New”? I would say evolved rather than new. After all, reinventing the wheel has never worked, right?
The main idea we can all agree on is this: ‘Humanity as a whole has come together to question whether the conventional workspace for knowledge professionals remains the traditional office after a massive experiment with remote work.’ There has been much written about this. We won’t dwell on the same conclusions or deliver ambiguous messages. With this article, our intention is to explore how the concept of liquid real estate and other concepts or trends are shaping the workspaces of the future.
Ready?

The workspace: Competing with home

Your workspace needs to compete with your employees’ home.

In recent years, we’ve made significant life choices: seeking larger homes in different neighbourhoods or cities, equipping them with everything needed for comfortable work… So how can a stark, minimalist, cold space be more appealing and attractive than my own warm, cosy, and colourful home? Companies must design offices as pleasant and attractive environments where one feels almost better than in their own home.

80-20, but the other way round.

Traditionally, office design was characterised by 80% of the space dedicated to individual work and the remaining 20% to collaboration (through meeting rooms). Although this ratio has been changing over the last decade to around 60-40%, the current demand for going to the office is primarily for collaboration and socialising with colleagues. Therefore, the proportions have completely reversed. Allocate 80% of your office space to collaboration, meetings, and socialising, reserving only 20% for individual work. This distribution reflects the core of liquid real estate, where offices become centres that facilitate connection, collaboration, and sharing, while also enabling focused work.

Since I’m here… What else can you offer me?

Once we’ve convinced professionals that the office is a pleasant space where they can collaborate according to their needs… how about making them fall in love with their workplace by offering added-value services that enhance the company experience? A modern office needs more than just cafés or gyms; it requires hybrid and personalised services that enrich the company experience. Providing flexible, sustainable, and agile experiences boosts employee motivation. Moreover, creating a constant dialogue with employees allows for adjustments to services based on their real needs, thus aligning physical spaces with corporate culture.

Creating a story, a unique experience, is the key to the concept.

In addition to all the above, it’s important to bring the office to life. Considering the space in a sterile manner is a mistake. Unlike before, when employees had no alternative to the office and simply went there to use it, we now need to make it vibrant. It should be a space where things actively happen, and the experience aligns with the organisation’s culture.

Blending purposes: the flexibility of liquid real estate in office spaces

And finally… does the office have to be just an office? Do we need a private space with a single purpose? Just as in cities, spaces have multiple uses, and hotels are no longer just hotels but also restaurants, clubs, terraces, and summer pools… why can’t we do the same with offices? What if a sports club and an office coexist in the same space? Or a co-living and coworking space? Or a venue for events? What if there’s a bar? Wellness spaces? This is where liquid real estate comes into play, a term that explains the flexible use of a single space. The office is no longer just a place to work; it’s an environment where things actively happen, and the experience aligns with the organisation’s culture.

Want to know how to integrate a bar into an office?

Come visit us and discover for yourself at The Club by bicg. We look forward to showing you how the concept of liquid real estate can transform your vision of workspaces!

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