Baltic Warehousing has now been in the warehouse fitting business for 13 years. Over the years, we have seen and furnished a wide variety of unique warehouses. We know a thing or two about different warehouse buildings and the well-known Stock-Office type solutions, but when an advertisement called ”Ülemiste LoftOffice” popped up on our neighbouring property, we just had to ask what it was and asked project manager Tomas Salamäel from Restate Property Advisors.
A new product called LoftOffice has been launched, what is it?
”Indeed, in recent months, the term LoftOffice has become increasingly popular in the commercial property market, meaning a building where a company can have a warehouse, an office and a showroom all in one functionally designed space.”
”This concept was born out of the growing problem in the small business sector that existing business premises did not allow for the immediate delivery and presentation of their products or services to the consumer.”
”In the past, there have been clear boundaries between the warehouse, sales and work environments – with the LoftOffice concept, these disappear and a single integrated space is created. In addition to cost savings, the integrity of the LoftOffice provides a more efficient working environment, with improved creativity and synergy between team members.”
How does LoftOffice differ from the Stock-Office concept?
”More than 10 years ago, a Stock-Office type concept emerged in the Estonian commercial real estate market. Its main aim was to bring the sales unit closer to the warehouse, thus shortening the supply chain and making the movement of goods and services more convenient. The concept had clearly separated areas for warehouse, office and sales. The units were brought into one building to improve communication between the units. The leading feature of this concept was the greatly improved logistics.”
”New demands forced us to develop the Stock-Office idea further and the LoftOffice concept was born. The main impetus for its emergence is the onslaught of e-commerce and the growing influence of the entertainment element in business and commerce. While the most important argument for the Stock-Office concept was cost-effectiveness, today this is no longer the main argument. Sustainability requires creativity as well as higher added value. This can be achieved by creating an efficient but also inspiring working environment that attracts highly paid professionals. The concept integrates the warehouse/logistics activities with the office and sales into a single open area. The boundaries of the merged functions are not defined and can be combined and shifted as needed. As a result, the business moves much closer to the space typical of retail. The quality of the space is similar to that of a modern shop or office. The leading function of this concept is retail and service. As the LoftOffice concept is more retail-oriented, it is also more demanding in terms of location, with a preference for either developed or high-potential development areas. Like retail, buildings need to be highly visible and easily accessible.”
Why Loft?
”The word Loft stands for high ceilings and an urban style that makes the environment significantly more attractive, spacious and exciting for the client. At the same time, the standards for a shop or office are respected. It is convenient for the customer to move around to different parts of the room and offer their goods or services there. The internal solution offers the possibility of differentiation through mezzanine floors, which make the office environment much more open, creating ideal opportunities for internal communication.”
”The first pioneer with the LoftOffice concept is the Ülemiste LoftOffice, or ÜLO, commercial building to be completed in spring 2020 at Suur-Sõjamäe 13a in Tallinn. They will be followed by two LoftOffice buildings in Tähesaju City in Lasnamäe.”
See also ylo.hammerhead.ee/
