Repurposing Commercial Spaces for New Break Rooms

Commercial spaces in the midst of turnover often have different needs. This can be as straightforward as a change in the type of business occupying the space, or even upfitting the space for better accommodations.

One example that’s become pretty common is adding break rooms (or expanding them). Early on a business may not worry much about this type of room, but as employees join the team, needs change.

These kind of commercial upfits can be complex because they likely involve electrical and plumbing work, and have to conform to certain health guidelines if it’s an area people will be eating food.

Here are a couple ideas as a start.

Repurposing Cubicles and Workspaces

Plexiglass has become popular recently since it’s clear and allows people to see each other, but still creates a physical barrier and a sense of order.

With the concern for containing pathogens we’ve seen since 2020, plexiglass walls/barriers are a natural step toward controlling airflow where people work.

This can be true in break rooms also to separate food prep areas from where people actually eat, or to separate where some may be gathering to chat from where people eat.

Upgrading Your HVAC to Repurpose The Office

Whether it’s rerouting air ducts to accommodate new areas or adding air purifiers etc., upgrading your HVAC can improve efficiency and keep everyone in the office healthier.

If a room used to be a work area and might now be an area where food is cooked, for instance, cooking hoods and other ventilation might be in order.

Air purification systems and an ideal in-line way to filter out contaminants from the air and improve what everyone is breathing.

Things For Property Managers To Bear In Mind

• Landlords of all kinds will have to think longer term about the layout of the space; tenants may not want large, open, communal work areas as much.
• Re-evaluate the purpose of various work areas. Have tenants been lacking quiet areas, meeting rooms, etc. in the space? What sort of remodels could adapt the space to make it more appealing?
• Now that a lot of people have gotten used to working from home, there may not be as much pressure to fill office spaces if they aren’t ideally suited to the team’s needs.
• Making sure there are multiple zones for different use cases within one space.
• People will likely lean on video conferencing more than they had pre-COVID. Meeting rooms set up well for this will be crucial, as is strong internet infrastructure.