What is cool space? Ask a broker or developer in the Bay Area, and they'll give a knowing look and a nod. But ask a twenty-something South of Market dot-commer flush with stock options what cool is, and you'll get a very different answer than that of her fifty-something investment banking counterpart.
Despite the vagaries of the fuzzy term "cool space," nearly everyone in the commercial real estate business has something to say about it. The buzz seems to be that cool space is in demand. Whether it is chic office space in renovated warehouses on the outskirts of business districts, or traditional high-rise offices designed with sleek, flexible interiors, cool space is here to stay. Today, forward-thinking companies know that on-site coffee bars and spaces that support working by collision are better for stimulating productivity thatn gray-paneled cube farms and private corner offices.
