Space will feature workplace design approach aimed at fostering productivity and collaboration in a post-COVID world

Los Angeles, CA – Avison Young has signed a new 11-year office lease commencing in February 2022 for 9,647 square feet on the 44th floor of Brookfield Properties’ Figueroa at Wilshire in downtown Los Angeles, the company announced today. The space is one of the firm’s first offices to feature a hybrid workplace design approach to deliver employee optionality and foster productivity and collaboration for a post-COVID world.

“While the pandemic required everyone to implement new technologies to communicate and collaborate, it reinforced our credence that the office is fundamentally important to people-based businesses like ours. This is also echoed by our diverse set of clients,” said Chris Cooper, Avison Young Principal and Managing Director, Southern California. “This new space will be designed to help empower people to produce their best work in a team-oriented workplace that concurrently ensures the safety and well-being for all who work and visit here.”

To support employee optionality for various work requirements, Avison Young sought a hybrid office design strategy that enables its professionals to utilize space as a destination for specific or multiple uses as opposed to a static desk and workspace. The design features numerous ‘huddle’ or break-out rooms with state-of-the-art technology, allowing Avison Young professionals to share content and ideas in a dynamic, real-time fashion.  Space utilization flexibility was also a main driver in the design and will enable professionals to convert conference centers into smaller meeting rooms or enlarge into client event centers with an entertainment support platform. 

Located at 601 South Figueroa Street, the 52-story, 1-million-square-foot Figueroa at Wilshire tower offered Avison Young an ideal, amenity-rich location just across the street from its current offices. It’s also a property in keeping with Avison Young’s commitment to Environmental, Social and Governance aims, offering an impressive array of health and sustainability ratings, including: an Energy Star rating; a LEED Gold certification; a UL Healthy Buildings Verification for Indoor Air; and a 2021 WELL Health-Safety rating.

“Avison Young was a perfect fit for Figueroa at Wilshire as it shares in our pursuit of quality firms seeking best-in-class operations and a commitment to an amenity-rich, forward-looking workplace,” said John Barganski, Senior Vice President of Leasing at Brookfield Properties.

The workplace vision for the new downtown Los Angeles office will be the result of a collective team led by Avison Young’s Cooper as well as Jonathan Larsen, Principal & Managing Director Downtown Los Angeles; Luke Eskigian, Senior Vice President & Project Manager; and Rick Ybarra, Principal, Americas Consulting & Workplace Strategy. IA Interior Architects is the design consultant.

“Our design team has been focused on truly understanding how our Avison Young employees work, collaborate, and leverage technology to deliver services to our clients,” noted Larsen. “This workplace transformation is a forward-looking demonstration of our industry leadership as we embrace digital platforms and agile ways of working in a post-COVID-19 world.”