CBRE Expands Kansas City Office

CBRE has announced the opening of its 12,282-sq.-ft. office on the 16th floor at the American Century Investments building at 4520 Main Street in Kansas City. The firm has relocated from the sixth floor of the building.

CBRE’s Kansas City office was one of the original five offices to pilot the Workplace360 program when it began in 2013. Since then, CBRE has opened more than 100 Workplace360 offices across the globe. 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.

“CBRE’s presence in the heart of Kansas City has been a critical element to our teams’ success and we are thrilled to expand our footprint in the same building that CBRE has called home for several years. It is a testament to our growth and optimism in the future of office,” said Leah FitzGerald, managing director for CBRE in Kansas City. “Our new space showcases CBRE’s approach to the evolution of the workplace which was informed by our extensive data and research. It will offer our employees and clients access to the latest in workplace technologies and innovation.”

The office has several different work areas including focus, huddle, and conference rooms as well as a work lounge. The open-space lobby, known as the “Heart,” features banquette seating and space for private collaboration. A large media display with a speaker system allows for space to welcome employees, visitors, and clients and host onsite events.

New technology is installed throughout the office to encourage and support hybrid collaboration between in-office and remote employees. This technology includes a mixture of interactive touch-enabled video conference rooms along with more traditional video conference room solutions. All video conference rooms allow for voice activation, allowing users to quickly start or join Zoom meetings without needing to click any buttons, allowing for increased accessibility for all employees.

“Kansas City was one of our first Workplace360 offices and this is a full circle moment to expand and showcase our increased office design offerings in the same building,” said Peter Van Emburgh, global head of CBRE’s corporate real estate. “The office’s design captures Kansas City’s unique culture as the Heart of America throughout, while incorporating the latest and greatest technologies and collaboration tools that the program provides.”

The office’s design, led by CBRE Design Collective, took inspiration from Kansas City and its distinctive landmarks and traditions. Artwork from local artist Steve Dragan as well as local photography feature Kansas City’s rich heritage, while the neighborhoods and conference rooms are named after local landmarks.