Huntington Center

亨廷顿中心(Huntington Center)的所有者面临着一个在当今房地产投资者中越来越普遍的情况:他们拥有市中心最重要的办公大楼, 但随着核心定义的演变，随着时间的推移，这些资产在市场上令人羡慕的地位有可能被取代. According to CoStar, some 75% of all U.S. office stock is more than 20 years old. Huntington Center was now in its third decade.

In 2012, Carlton Associates took a two-thirds interest in the Columbus, Ohio, property, designed by Skidmore, Owings & 1984年，美林与海恩斯和另外两位合伙人共同拥有了所有权. “他们进来的时候认为，他们收购的是市场上最好的资产,” explains Dan Eifert, vice president of property management at Hines. 国会广场对面的37层办公大楼直接位于国会大厦的中心线上. “No other building has a comparable location. It commanded top-of-the-market rents and strong tenancy, 它有一些空置的空间，有潜力从新的租赁中获利.”

尽管拥有一流的地位，亨廷顿中心在蓬勃发展的市场上面临着新的竞争对手. 哥伦布CBD附近的新多户住宅和办公建筑带来了供应竞争, 以吸引现代劳动力的便利设施吸引租户的兴趣——这是当今市场的关键因素，因为吸引和留住人才是头等大事. “该建筑并没有在最高水平上竞争潜在租户，而是选择了次级市场的位置,” says Eifert. “The trend was becoming clear.”

海恩斯团队借鉴了公司的全球战略来应对竞争, 对核心资产进行未来验证，并巧妙地配置资本以获得最佳回报，同时将亨廷顿中心提升到目前的核心AA级标准. 尽管建筑系统和公共空间的内部会得到更新, 该计划旨在为亨廷顿中心的租户提供前所未有的体验, their employees and their customers.

Applied Experience

借鉴其在老化核心建筑存量中释放新价值的经验, 海恩斯决定创造充满活力和吸引力的公共空间, 历史上与酒店或住宅物业有关的, would be critical to Huntington Center’s continued relevance. “Our focus was strengthening a culture of human interaction,” says Tyler Steele, Hines’ general property manager for Huntington Center. “我们知道，使用我们大楼的人之间的联系对我们的租户基础非常重要, and we needed to make sure it would continue to happen.”

Hines’ vertically integrated services, longevity in the industry, 世界各地市场的活动不仅为亨廷顿中心的转型提供了灵感, but the authority that engendered confidence among its investors. “We draw on past successes to realize leasing velocity, 我们在重新定位核心资产时预期的租金增长率和续订百分比,” says Eifert. “我们通过将这种思维投射到需要更新的老旧资产上，为业主增加收入.”

Hines确定了一个古板的入口和大厅作为改造的重点，并提议激活建筑倒数第二层的屋顶空间，作为创造一个广阔的租户便利设施的计划的一部分. Carlton and the other investors agreed, 2016年，他们获得了1.4亿美元的房产再融资，以便将1600万美元再投资于重新构想.

Highly Amenitized Workplace

Today, Huntington Center vibrates with activity. “当你走进那幢大楼的大厅时，它总是有一种嗡嗡声,” says Michael Copella, managing director at CBRE’s Columbus office. “But now, it’s an audible buzz. 从设计的角度来看，你会看到他们所做的更多的互动，以及他们是如何在建筑的设施分层上深思熟虑的.”

大堂的特色是两层两层高的生活墙，是美国最大的生活墙之一. Covered in 8,500 individual plants and containing 350 gallons of water, 生活墙被六个插入的长椅打断，构成了一个促进租户合作的新区域.

“We’ve changed the streetscape, 游行和大堂的体验更加响应和邀请,” says Steele. “入口扶梯两侧的绿色墙壁提供了这种巨大的自然注入, 当你进入大楼时，一个10层的中庭在上面打开，那里有一个高度雕刻的抛光黄铜礼宾台. It creates a sense of arrival, not unlike a boutique hotel lobby.”

At the top of the building the upgrades are just as striking. 长期空置的36层被改造成了一个名为“地平线”(The Horizon)的休闲空间.” Ample seating, a bar, and four flexible conference rooms make up a 4,000-square-foot lounge available exclusively to tenants.

地平线外是一个屋顶露台与度假风格的座位和哥伦布市中心和西奥托河滨的最佳景观. Perched more than 500 feet above ground, the terrace is the largest of its kind to be constructed at that height; users are sheltered from high winds by an engineered glass and metal wind wall.

Return on Investment

“亨廷顿中心可能是所有资产中最具嵌入式的设施, 从一楼最好的当地咖啡店之一到令人印象深刻的屋顶体验,” says Copella. “我认为，正是这些触动真正增加了整体提升的租户体验.”

Tenants report high usage of the common areas. “In the summer, I’ll go out on the terrace in the morning and answer emails,” says Bill Nolan, managing partner for Barnes & Thornburg LLP, a longtime tenant. “我也和公司外部的人开过很多会. 我还喜欢你可以在街道上买咖啡，然后把它带到画廊层的座位区. We do that a lot.”

早期的租约续期调查显示，翻新工作已经阻止了租户流失. “Rent is still a part of the leasing conversation, 但更重要的是，这栋建筑能为我的公司做些什么，帮助我吸引和留住优秀的人才,’” says Copella. “这就是亨廷顿中心在竞争中脱颖而出的地方.”