In the competitive world of commercial real estate, visualizing potential uses of a property can make all the difference in securing a lease or sale. For realtors, landlords, and property managers, presenting a space in its best light is crucial. However, empty spaces often leave prospects struggling to see their potential. This is where 3D renderings and 2D space planning come into play, offering a cost-effective solution to marketing available commercial properties.

Expanding and maintaining a restaurant or retail franchise presents a unique set of challenges. From ensuring brand consistency to navigating franchise approvals, franchise owners often face complex issues that can be mitigated with the right interior design strategies. This article explores these challenges and explains how effective interior design solutions can help franchises navigate growth.

Author: Laura Gabor (Co-founder, ecologicca) Workplace wellness is more than just multiple screens, standing desks, and walking pads. All of those things can certainly improve your work experience, whether at home or in the office, and they are definitely beneficial for your health and wellbeing. But have you ever considered the effects of the air you are breathing in all day, every day? You can scroll through social media any given day and you’ll see hundreds of videos about reducing screen time, eating “anti-inflammatory” foods, lowering your cortisol levels, you name it. We have yet to come across a video that links air quality, especially indoors, to inflammation even though the science backs it up. When you do the math, an average person takes about 6,700 breaths over a regular work day. You spend quite literally all day and night breathing. Most folks don’t realize that indoor air can be up to 2-5x more polluted than outdoor air. Additionally, 91% of the world’s population live in areas where air quality pollution levels exceed recommended WHO limits. Increased air pollution levels cause inflammation in every system within your body. This leads to difficulty breathing, increases your risk of developing sleep apnea and allergies, exacerbates mental health conditions, including suicide , and has been linked to obesity . On the less extreme end, there are a number of people who suffer from sick building syndrome because of their working environments. Some symptoms include headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating which usually persist, chronically, inside the poor environment but then subside or lessen once people move outdoors or into a better space. Understandably, a sick and unhealthy workforce is not usually a productive one. Air quality is only going to get worse with the effects of climate change. Whether it’s wildfires, floods, or hurricanes, all of those environmental events will impact air quality both indoors and outdoors whether through smoke or mold. It’s time to become proactive instead of reactive towards the air in our workplaces. The first step is education. We can’t solve a problem we don’t know exists. Ensuring your clients understand the scope of indoor air quality issues and how it affects occupants in workplaces, whether at home or in the office, is paramount. And for employers there is a huge benefit to ensuring workplace wellness. Clean, healthy air can increase productivity, decrease sick days, and contribute positively to the health and happiness of employees. On top of that, building operators are now being hit with regulatory requirements such as ASHRAE 241 in the US. This regulation mandates a significant increase of airflow in spaces to mitigate the spread of infectious aerosols. This is directly at odds with decarbonization efforts put forth in ASHRAE 100 and in more localized regulations such as Local Law 97 in NYC. We believe these standards are just the beginning. The next step is action. How do we make air, especially in big cities, healthier and cleaner indoors? Redoing an entire HVAC system is costly, laborious, time consuming and most of the time unrealistic. Regular air purifiers don’t do enough. ecologicca’s proprietary ecosystem takes a holistic approach to tackle this major problem. It begins with some more education in the form of monitoring. Getting a baseline understanding of what particles are in the air, where they are most concentrated, areas with high occupancy rates or low airflow, allows for a strategic implementation of purification technology and for positive results to be measured. Based on the initial data, a rollout of our air purification technology can begin. What’s different about ecologicca, is that instead of filtering your air (we do that too!) we create fresh air indoors. There’s a particle responsible for that fresh, clean air you breathe when you are in a healthy environment, it’s called a hydroxyl. Our sustainable technology brings those particles inside to the occupants in your space. They have been shown to reduce the spread index of COVID , VOCs , bacteria, mold, GHGs , and more and they also have been shown to act as surrogate ventilation which can help reduce HVAC-related energy consumption. Some other things to consider during projects that can impact air quality are the types of paint, furniture, and building materials being used, and ensuring proper ventilation throughout the entire space during and after construction or renovation. Lastly, it’s important to continue monitoring the space to ensure that regulations are being upheld, there are no drastic changes to indoor air quality or occupancy rates and behaviours, and to gather continuous data for insights and analytics. As an example, ecologicca takes that environmental data, layers it with health data, and provides information around the environmental determinants of health in a ready to use dashboard for building operators or managers. Whether you are doing a full WELL certification, or just want to create a healthier indoor space, indoor air quality is a great place to start. Reach out to NICHE for Design or ecologicca , and get started today!

Mythbusting Wellbeing Podcast with Lauren Hundert

In today's increasingly hybrid work environment, the importance of face-to-face relationship building cannot be overstated. While remote work offers flexibility and convenience, in-person interactions are crucial for mentorship, networking, and creative collaboration. Employees rarely express a desire to avoid their colleagues entirely; rather, they seek purposeful, enjoyable, and supportive office visits. The key to fostering these interactions lies in creating a workspace that meets their needs and exceeds the comforts of home.

Optimizing your office space is crucial, especially in a hybrid work environment. Here are some signs that you might be wasting money on your office space, along with actionable steps to address them:

According to a recent study by workspace platform provider Robin, 75% of companies are planning to reduce their office footprint in 2024. This is primarily due to economic challenges and underutilization of space. A strategic approach to this change can positively impact your bottom line, team engagement, and overall workplace culture.

In the ever-evolving landscape of work, one thing has become crystal clear: the optimal office is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution. As companies adapt to a new era of remote and hybrid work, the way we think about office spaces is undergoing a profound transformation. It's time to break free from the constraints of the past and explore alternative ways for our space to support how we work. One of the most exciting alternatives is free-address workspaces. This activity-based design approach provides a robust array of options and supports freedom of choice- a consistent preference identified in workplace research.

Kaizen Performance Improvement Podcast Episode With Erika MacKay & Dan Holstein

Strategic Hybrid Policy Framework informs a "Right-Sized" Office and Optimal ROI.

The Root Of It All, With Tree Ryde Distraction Detox: Enhancing Business Growth in the Design Industry S3E1

Why Optimize Your Workspace?

The Full Frontal Living Podcast: How Your Environment Can Increase Your Productivity With Erika MacKay and Lisa Carpenter

Realtor's Conspiracy Podcast Episode 178: Work Moms - Having Flexibility With Erika MacKay and Maude Leger

In the ever-evolving landscape of work, one thing has become crystal clear: the optimal office is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution. As companies adapt to a new era of remote and hybrid work, the way we think about office spaces is undergoing a profound transformation. It's time to break free from the constraints of the past and explore alternative ways for our space to support how we work. One of the most exciting alternatives is free-address workspaces. This activity-based design approach provides a robust array of options and supports freedom of choice- a consistent preference identified in workplace research.

Author: Tonya Born, Director of Client Solutions

EMPATHY: The pandemic was a challenging time for everyone in the world. There was not one person not affected by the difficulties that were presented. We all experienced a loss in one way or another, some lost family and friends, some lost jobs, some lost or postponed events but mostly we all lost connection. The connection and community that we had was taken and we were left feeling very alone which was quite frightening. Like other tragedies in history similar to a war the effects don’t go away once the rubble has been cleared. It takes a long time for a Nation to heal from such drastic events and many scars, habits and ways of thinking remain. What that means for the working world is that each person’s nervous system is more charged than before and can be triggered more than it used to be. An example might be that commuting to a downtown office on a train or in traffic surrounded by many people now feels very scary. For years we had to social distance, wear masks and be hypervigilant about germs and being in close proximity to others, so our brain is saying this feels unsafe. Another example might be noise. Before the pandemic we were used to loud, bustling offices which our brains equated to busyness and volume of work. This would make us feel safe in our job security and that the economy is in a positive light. However, when working at home we adapted to a quiet atmosphere that allowed for a lot of focus time and productivity. When we enter back into a space with a multitude of sounds it is over stimulating and we struggle to maintain focus. This is where we need to exercise empathy and understanding that people need to have the flexibility to work differently. Our brains have been re-wiring for the last 3 years and we can’t go back to what was and expect those same results. We need to treat offices as a place to gather, collaborate, share ideas and problem solve. We need to allow that in person social structure back into the fold and balance it with virtual calls when required but not be used as a default. We need to have dedicated focus and quiet spaces to allow for time away from the group to get things done. Our days are a constant battle of fulfilling our own needs. When we are challenged in doing this, we expend so much energy trying to re-route and get back on track and end up very unproductive. It is like our brains are “buffering” more time than they are streaming. Creating a workspace that allows for different modes of work will allow people to work at the most optimum levels without the frustration of feeling off track all the time creating a natural work/life needs balance. When our needs are met we have a good day, we feel accomplished, even if something didn’t go to plan as long as our needs were met, we see the joy in the adventure. If our needs weren’t met and we ended up having to get back on course over and over, we deem this a bad day. Which ends up leading to the frustration of being at work, instead of the enjoyment of a satisfying day. ENGAGEMENT: When a team is not engaged in the work culture, values or over arcing goals it throws everything out of alignment. It is like having all four wheels of a car tiling in opposite directions, it makes for a really bumpy and uncomfortable ride. When people are disengaged, they are working in the same office but just physically taking up the same space. This makes all tasks feel like it is a check box system, and each person is going through the motions in a robotic way. Imagine going to see your favourite band and they are not engaging with the audience; you would feel like you are looking into a window of them recording and album instead of attending a performance. Engagement comes from intentional actions. When meetings are scheduled what is the intention? What will be discussed and solved in that meeting? What can you share that will attract the attention of the team? If a meeting is to talk about budgets and targets start with the positive notes, the company, and personal “wins”. Ensure that not just one person is talking, the more the team is involved with conversations the more engagement occurs. One of the things that really helps bring people together is the atmosphere and space. A well- designed space with different colours and elements creates a mood within the office areas. Having areas for more casual meetings without the barriers of a table and more comfortable seating makes for a calm environment that lends itself to more open dialogue and sharing of ideas. When things feel very institutional and dry people tend to check out mentally and are more on auto pilot. This means more interactions become people talking “at” others as opposed to “with” each other in deep engagement which results in creative brilliance. Having engaging spaces and procedures within the office benefits everyone. EMPOWERMENT: Empowering your team is one of the best ways to guarantee success. When people are empowered, they feel freedom. Freedom of choice in how they can achieve something and freedom to push the envelope to be creative and supported in that failure is an option as it will lead to learning. Every time we “fail” at something we learn what didn’t work. In a world where people are constantly tilting their head up and wondering, “how?” People who are empowered are driven to “do”. When we sit too long in the “how” mentality we go through all of the scenarios and play them out in our mind and then waver on whether or not that is the right decision which results in analysis paralysis. Our fears kick in and we end up stuck, not moving the needle at all. When you empower your team there is trust, you are saying I trust you are aligned with the vision of the company, and I encourage you to look at ideas that might seem unconventional but the only way to know what isn’t going to work is to try. This doesn’t mean people are encouraged to be reckless, it means that you let go of control. Set expectations and parameters but then give the freedom over. We are all just one person and we can’t do it all, many hands make light work and many minds come up with a variety of ideas. Every day in the office is a team building opportunity, if you had to complete a puzzle like an escape room as one person you would likely fail, you need different perspectives and ways of thinking to figure out the puzzles of business. This is where the two elements discussed above come together to really push your team’s success. Creating well-designed spaces that have flexible zones and functions allows for a new way of work that is vibrant, exciting, productive and a place people want to be. We have learned through the pandemic we don’t want to be alone all the time. Loneliness is detrimental to the human spirit. We need community and connection to thrive so let’s create these places together to allow for a new era of people loving the place they work because it feels good.