Editorial: Evolving perspectives in corporate real estate and User-Centered strategies for the hybrid work era

What the paper says

I joined Rianne Appel-Meulenbroek as coeditor, succeeding Christopher Heywood, at the start of 2024. I have been an avid reader of the Journal of Corporate Real Estate (JCRE) since my graduate school years and a contributing author since 2019. My background spans architectural engineering, facilities management and human behavior and design, which have enabled me to understand the physical aspects of buildings, the mechanics and management of the built environment and the ways in which humans interact with and perceive these spaces. Given that corporate real estate (CRE) encompasses a long lifecycle and involves diverse stakeholders, I have consistently been interested in harmonizing actions both vertically, across different stakeholder groups and horizontally, throughout the lifecycle of CRE.In preparing this editorial, I revisited previous editorials and uncovered valuable insights about the journal’s evolution, including shifts in its focus, scope and format to better integrate research from both academia and industry. Although JCRE produces a relatively modest number of issues (4) and articles (16) per year compared to other journals in the built environment domain, it has carved out a unique niche. The journal specifically focuses on CRE and its management, where CRE is defined as “the real estate owned and occupied by organizations in the public and private sectors that own and use real estate in meeting their core purpose,” and CRE management includes “strategic planning and implementation through the acquisition, design, operation, occupation, and disposal of real property by its users” (Heywood and Appel-Meulenbroek, 2023).Even in the postpandemic era, the strong demand for workplace flexibility persists and varying degrees of hybrid work arrangements are here to stay. As a result, agile and adaptable CRE and its management have become more critical than ever – CRE management is a dynamic process that companies navigate in real time. Today’s rapidly evolving work landscape, marked by a diverse workforce, soaring demand for remote work and workplace flexibility, and the challenge of optimizing space under hybrid work policies, is reshaping how we think about and use our office environments. Although the boundaries of CRE have been blurred and expanded due to the wide adoption of remote working and hybrid work arrangements, the core focus on a CRE end-user-centered approach remains unchanged. Recognizing CRE as both a physical and social environment is essential for developing CRE management strategies that enhance the multidimensional vitality of diverse user groups, as highlighted through the lens of workplace ecology (Yang and Sanborn, 2021).The first three papers in this issue dive deep into the multifaceted world of corporate workspaces: from understanding the dynamics of collaborative work activities and their relations to working in corporate offices, to identifying key factors for creating productive and sustainable workplaces and to examining how employees’ preexisting attitudes toward activity-based work (ABW) environments affect their perceptions of privacy and overall workspace satisfaction after implementing ABW. Meanwhile, the last paper shifts the focus to public spaces, identifying several dimensions of user satisfaction in a shopping mall. Together, these studies illuminate the path toward more user-centric design and management strategies in both corporate and public realms.In “The predictive power of prior attitudes: understanding employee workspace satisfaction in activity-based work environments” (Halldorsson et al., 2025), researchers used a one-group pretest-posttest – with two posttests conducted at one month and again at 6–12 months postintervention– to assess the impact of transitioning to ABW. They evaluated aspects like perceived privacy, satisfaction with ventilation and lighting and overall workspace satisfaction. They found that both perceived privacy and overall workspace satisfaction decreased at the short- and mid-term measurements after implementation, with no significant differences between these time points. In addition, employees with a prior negative attitude toward ABW reported significantly lower privacy and lower workspace satisfaction compared to those with a positive attitude. Furthermore, gender differences emerged in terms of workspace satisfaction; males were more satisfied with ABW than females across all outcome variables (privacy, ventilation, light and overall workspace satisfaction). This study emphasizes the need for change management and tailored communication when transitioning to new work models.“Design and management considerations towards productively sustainable workplaces in Saudi Arabia” (Hassanain et al., 2025) proposed 31 sustainable design and management considerations that affect workplace productivity and organized them into five categories: workplace design, workplace layout, workplace interaction and engagement, indoor environmental quality at the workplace and workplace support services. Developed through a literature review and stakeholder input, the importance of these factors was then rated by architects/engineers (A/Es), facilities managers and workplace users. Top priorities included the provision of adequate safety and security measures, sufficient ventilation and illumination level, high-quality IT infrastructure, ergonomically designed workstations, the availability of spaces for formal and informal meetings and efficient space utilization. Notably, these importance assessments were consistent across all stakeholder groups. This study highlights that successful workplace strategies must blend physical design elements with robust support services. Consistency in stakeholder evaluations reinforces the idea that effective workspace design and support service features are universally valued across different roles – from architects to end users.In “choosing where to work: an empirical study of collaborative activities’ impact on workspace choice behavior” (Mateescu et al., 2025), the researchers investigated how different types of collaboration influence workspace preferences. They classified collaborative work activities into three categories: coordinative activities (planned and formal), deep collaboration (planned and complex) and spontaneous communication (informal and brief encounters), and then confirmed these distinctions in a follow-up study. The findings were compelling: the frequency and preferred locations for spontaneous communication, along with satisfaction with the work environment in company offices, were significantly associated with the amount of time spent on-site for work. Notably, factors such as gender, age, managerial position or commute time were found to be less consequential than initially assumed. This study invites organizations to reimagine office design that places a premium on spaces that support and nurture not only planned activities but also informal communication and spontaneous, brief encounters among employees.Rounding out this issue, “Defining Newtown user satisfaction in a shopping mall” (Adewunmi et al., 2025) used principal component analysis to reveal seven dimensions of user satisfaction: facilities management, design, culture and heritage transmission, utility functionality, accessibility, human factors and access to hotels. Among these, the authors found that design (encompassing the physical appearance, façade and layout), utility functionality (including essentials like lifts/escalators, toilets, landscaping and information desk) and accessibility (notably, proximity/access to public transportation) were significantly associated with overall user satisfaction. These dimensions, while evaluated in a retail context, resonate with the principles observed in workplace environments, reinforcing the universal importance of functional and accessible spaces to user experience.The converging insights from these studies highlight that creating engaging, adaptable and satisfying environments requires a deep understanding of user behaviors, preferences and expectations. Whether in a corporate office or a public venue, by listening to users, embracing diverse needs and blending innovative design with practical support services, organizations can create spaces that not only function efficiently but also inspire and connect. I hope you enjoy this issue.