JLL Moves Into New Orange County Office at Intersect Office Campus in Irvine, California

IRVINE, CALIF., February 16, 2021 – Following the acquisition of HFF in July 2019, JLL has created a health-conscious, collaborative work environment by moving into its new 35,000-square-foot office at Intersect. Located at 17877 Von Karman in Irvine, California, Intersect is a four-building, 430,000-square-foot Class-A office campus located on five acres and is owned and operated by a joint venture between Hines and PIMCO. The new full-service office combines approximately 150 professionals specializing in leasing, management and capital markets. 

JLL is focused on growing their employee base in Orange County and throughout the Southwest by recruiting professionals who can support its growing business. The new office will help attract and retain top talent, re-enforce the team culture and maximize productivity in a healthy and safe environment. 

"Our goal was to create a state-of-the-art office on a large floor plate that fosters collaboration, teamwork and transparency," said Jeff Ingham, JLL Senior Managing Director. "The new office at Intersect allows us to focus on delivering the best service for our clients while serving as a model in commercial real estate."

JLL’s Project and Development Services group, led by Nancy Soo, oversaw design and construction management of the space, working with architect H. Hendy Associates and general contractor Turelk. 

Peter Belisle, JLL Southwest Market Director continued by saying, “Our re-entry implementation is ongoing with strict social distancing and health procedures in place as we monitor and adhere to local and state regulations. We have a strict return-to-work plan for those wishing to return to the office, with a maximum capacity of 50 percent. This plan has been highly successful, helping facilitate the high level of service to our clients”

The overall design of JLL’s new Orange County office reflects a mix of industrial and California coastal designs while providing a warm, inviting and naturally lit environment. It features multiple outdoor terraces, patios and courtyards, and provides space and comfort for team building and collaboration. The large reception area includes an appealing selection of banquettes and lounge chairs, offering multiple locations that employees can use for both work and play.

With the onset of COVID-19 during the build-out, JLL added taller plexiglass partitions to the work stations. They also implemented social distancing plans and health protocols which included a higher utilization of private offices and the use of every other work station; a limit to the number of people allowed in the conference rooms; and is providing personal protection equipment.

“We’re honored to continue our partnership with JLL to bring to life a new workplace environment that serves to safely unite teams across departments, promotes cross-collaboration and is inspired by the firm’s company culture,” said Todd Shumaker, senior designer at Hendy. “Certainly, the office of tomorrow no longer mirrors the office of today, and we feel privileged to help JLL bring forth a design that can stand the test of time, is purpose-driven and supports its current business strategy for remote and onsite work. JLL is one of the early adopters of this workplace transformation, and its new space is designed to be a best-in-class example for other companies re-evaluating their office layout and design.”

Employee health and workplace hygiene are top considerations for companies like JLL re-entering the workplace and are playing a pivotal role in shaping occupational density trajectory. Employers are looking to new technologies to enhance office environments as COVID-19 has put into question the appeal of highly dense, large, open-plan offices. While the upward trend in office density has sharply reversed as social distancing is adhered to, once a vaccine or effective treatment is fully implemented, JLL predicts the extreme de-densification levels seen on initial re-entry to ease back (but certainly not all the way) to pre-COVID-19 levels. But, one thing’s for certain, the office itself will look very different.