Shopping Centers Today is the news magazine of the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC)
Issue link: https://sct.epubxp.com/i/528948
try, demonstrate and get user feedback on the products they're working on?" Westfield and Forest City say they have delivered on those ideals in the 37,000-square-foot Bespoke space, which is designed to offer a retail interpretation of Silicon Valley's tech culture. The 14,000-square-foot co-working area incorporates the collaborative work habits embraced by many technology companies, providing as many as 200 people at any one time with around-the-clock access to a variety of shared seating arrangements, business machines and recreational amenities. "It's an amazing spot," McKen- zie said. "It's got all the amenities you would love [if] work- ing at a great place like Google or Facebook or Twitter, in that it's got a bocce ball court, a climbing wall, an amazing café and a great little library for people who want to get away from the common working area. It's a fantastic envi- ronment to work in." Private offices may be rented by the day or by the month, and they come with access to shared amenities within the common space. About a dozen conference rooms in the co- working area double as pop-up storefronts that face the mall interior, enabling startups or research teams to field-test new products and concepts with mall shoppers. The second leg of this three-legged stool is a 5,000-square-foot demonstration area, which is described in marketing materials as a "high-tech, high-touch envi- ronment," outfitted with wall-size touchscreens for use in virtual or hands-on product testing and market research. Upwards of half the demo space may be rented as a large pop-up shop, with enough space for established retailers to experiment with store layouts. An events center rounds out the space, offering seating for 600, plus standing room for as many again, in its 18,000 square feet. This events space, divisible into four smaller rooms, is networked with Category 6 Ethernet cables and features multimedia systems, a reception lobby and a kitchen for catering the events. The developers say they an- ticipate that the events space will see frequent usage, thanks in part to the mall's proximity to Moscone Center, which plays host to some of the world's most influential tech-de- velopment conferences, including Google I/O and similar global gatherings for Apple, Oracle and other companies. Bespoke is tailored to serve a major tech market, accord- ing to Bill Ross, Forest City's executive vice president of as- set management. Similar facilities in other locations could be equally successful, with a service offering modified to the specific market, he speculates. "I certainly think co-working can fit in other shopping centers; that's a great application for other big-box spaces," he said. "How to bring it all to- gether and how much demonstration space and event space p h o t o : o r a n g e p h o t o g r a p h y D a l l i s W i l l a r D p h o t o : o r a n g e p h o t o g r a p h y D a l l i s W i l l a r D