CBRE relocates its downtown Charleston office with a focus on tech

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CBRE has announced the opening of its new 6,682-square-foot office on the ground floor of The Morris at 1080 Morrison Drive in Charleston.

The company has relocated to Charleston’s North Morrison (NoMo) neighborhood from its office in Bank of America Place at 200 Meeting St., according to a news release

The new office is part of CBRE’s Workplace360 program showcasing the company’s “Future of Work” space standards, including innovative technology and a wider variety of collaborative spaces designed to support hybrid working, the release stated.

CBRE launched its Workplace360 program in 2013 and has since opened more than 100 Workplace360 offices across the globe, according to the release. A cornerstone of the Workplace360 model is its “free address” approach where there is no assigned seating. Instead, teams are assigned to various neighborhood work areas where they can use any unoccupied seat. As many companies move to hybrid work models, a free-address approach allows for any workstation or office to be used by any employees who are in the office on a given day.

“Our Charleston Workplace360 office is a mix of intentionally designed solo and collaborative workspaces combined with leading-edge tech that supports seamless hybrid working,” said Steve Smith, managing director for CBRE in South Carolina, in the release. “Moreover, The Morris is a gem in Charleston’s NoMo neighborhood and we’re excited to be in this growing live-work-play community.”

The office has many different work areas including a mini library, focus rooms, conference rooms, sit-to-stand workstations, a wellness room, and open collaboration areas in the lobby — known as the CBRE “Heart” — and in the neighborhood work areas, the release stated. Additionally, the integration of new technology throughout the office further supports hybrid collaboration. The living room-style conference room is equipped with an interactive whiteboard that can be used simultaneously by in-person and remote employees. The office also has multiple digital displays in the common areas to showcase company announcements and facilitate office events.

“CBRE’s workspaces set an industry-leading standard for workplace design with environments that attract employees and clients into the office,” said Peter Van Emburgh, global head of CBRE’s corporate real estate, in the release. “In Charleston, the office is in a sought-after office development that will be beneficial for everyone in our office.”

The office’s design, led by CBRE Design Collective, draws inspiration from Charleston’s rich history and natural beauty, the release stated. In that theme, the conference rooms are named after local areas, such as The Battery and White Point Garden. The interior celebrates the Morrison Drive corridor’s history, tying back to the motor industry with oversized floor-to-ceiling black steel windows emphasizing natural light throughout the space, as well as a full-height fluted column with black iron sconces on each side. Additionally, green hues throughout the office tie back to the local marshes, palms and fern foliage, and the texture and color of a large terracotta breezeblock reflect the Charleston area’s coastal sunrise.