Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs Cuts About Half of Toronto Workforce

Sidewalk Labs, an urban innovation unit at Alphabet Inc., has laid off about 20 people, according to people familiar with the matter. The job cuts, which amount to approximately 13% of the company’s roughly 150 employees, are mostly in the company’s Toronto operation, where about a dozen workers remain, one of the people said. …

The four dimensions of industrialized construction

Industrialized or manufactured construction is a familiar concept. We have been building with components and even whole wall panels for years. However, with a heightened focus on efficiency due to skilled labor shortages and tighter margins, industrialized construction is accelerating across the globe. As we noted in our first paper, “Technological advancements disrupting the global construction industry,” modular and prefabricated building accounted for approximately US $237b of construction ac…

Colleges Spend Millions to Prepare to Reopen

As colleges around the country map out plans to reopen their campuses in the fall, they have embarked on some unique and pricey shopping expeditions: sourcing miles of plexiglass, hundreds of thousands of face masks and, in the case of the University of Central Florida, trying to get in an order for 1,200 hand-sanitizer stations before neighboring theme parks could buy them all up.

Office Buildings Are Becoming Greener Post-Coronavirus, Experts Say

Before the coronavirus crisis, Hudson Pacific Properties was preparing to roll out a new mobile app for its office tenants within the next year and a half. Hudson Pacific had been piloting the digital community bulletin board, which would allow tenants to communicate with property managers in real time, and wanted to make sure it worked properly in a few buildings before introducing it across the company’s portfolio.

The New Normal of Everyday Life

Who will drive office demand in post Covid-19 world

Now that lockdown measures are beginning to ease and the prospect of meeting up with friends and family in a restaurant or having a drink in a pub is closer, businesses are planning for what a return to the workplace will look like. But as lockdown measures gradually begin to ease and we all start to look towards the future, businesses are and have been continually pondering and planning for what a return to the workplace will look like.

What Re-entry Looks Like in Portland’s Largest Office Building

PORTLAND, OR—As commercial real estate companies pivot to a new normal with the slow phased re-entry to the workplace, Unico Properties has a strategy to deliver a safe and sanitized office environment across its portfolio. This includes plans for US Bancorp Tower located at 111 SW 5th Ave.

Europe Lease Deals Suggest Traditional Office Will Endure in Post-Covid World

Big U.S. companies such as Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc. say they are embracing working from home and looking to reduce office space. But across the Atlantic, the traditional office market is showing signs of life. Europeans are certainly leasing less office space overall, with demand tumbling 21% in the first three months of 2020 from the five-year average, according to Savills PLC. Coronavirus lockdowns put crucial site viewings and property inspections on hold, and some companies are relying…

Hoteling Safely Can Help Offices Reopen and Stay Open

Hoteling — the idea of providing pre-booked short-term space to office workers — has been around for a while, but it has taken on new importance in the wake of COVID-19. Property managers and investors who want to encourage tenants to move in and/or stick around may want to explore how to encourage these methods of adaptable and flexible use of space as companies gradually reoccupy their space with safety top of mind….

Doorkee Raises $5.7M in Funding to Grow Tech Platform Focused on Reinventing Rent for Landlords, Apartment Seekers and Departing Tenants

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Doorkee, the all-in-one digital platform offering landlords and tenants a modern solution to the antiquated rental process, today announced that it raised $5.7 million in early-stage funding. The round was led by prominent New York City landlord Simon Baron Development and early-stage venture capital firms Corigin Ventures and Alpha Edison, which both have significant experience investing in proptech startups. Investors in the round also included well-known landlords S…