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BLOCKS Ikebukuro
Multi-layered strategies to make challenging land highly profitable
Multi-layered strategies to make challenging land highly profitable
"BLOCKS Ikebukuro," the fourth location in the "BLOCKS OFFICE" shared office series, is a new building developed exclusively for BLOCKS OFFICE. Located on an L-shaped flag lot, slightly set back, a 7-minute walk from JR Ikebukuro Station and a 4-minute walk from a Fukutoshin Line exit, the property was less expensive than a regularly shaped plot due to its perceived development challenges. By incorporating various unique features only possible with new construction, we transformed it into a highly profitable property.
WEB SITE：https://www.blocks-office.jp/ikebukuro/
Turning Adversity into Value: Structural Design Overcomes Challenges of Difficult-to-Develop "Flag Lot"
Flag lots in Tokyo are unsuitable for multi-family housing and present numerous challenges even for office buildings. Beyond their unusual shape, surrounding buildings complicate pile construction. Moreover, columns appearing inside the rooms reduce the rentable area. Ensuring profitability was a significant barrier to development.
The solution to this difficult situation was a structural engineer's proposal for a "slab foundation wall-type structure." This innovative design, which supports the building's load with entire walls instead of columns, eliminated the need for difficult-to-install piles and layout-restricting columns. As a result, the rentable floor area increased by 7%. This created a highly flexible, column-free space, dramatically increasing the property's added value.
Achieved Through Ingenious Design: A Shared Office Balancing Market Competitiveness and High Profitability
Analysis of the shared office market revealed that users tend to prioritize "price per seat" and "total rent" over "price per tsubo." We therefore tackled the seemingly contradictory goals of "minimizing price per seat while maximizing price per tsubo." The key was a design that maximized space utilization efficiency. Leveraging the L-shaped flag lot, we installed windows in all rooms to ensure natural light. By raising the ceilings, we created an open space that felt spacious despite its compact footprint.
This ingenuity provided users with comfortable spaces at affordable rents and owners with high investment efficiency. We successfully balanced market competitiveness and profitability.
Turning "Quality Finish" into Value: Meticulous Pre-preparation of Leasing Strategy
Thanks to the high-quality finish, leasing progressed smoothly even with rents set 10% higher than initially projected for investment. This was underpinned by a meticulous pre-strategy, which involved launching advertisements two months before opening and compiling a list of highly interested "prospective tenants" through inquiries and document requests. This preparation paid off, securing numerous applications as soon as listings opened. Market response has remained very strong, with operations continuing in a positive cycle, including further rent increases for popular rooms.
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