DEEP DIVE: Why Smart Money Is Moving Beyond Traditional Office Leasing

Has Office Reached Its 'Crossing the Chasm' Moment?

The World Has Changed But Leasing Hasn’t

In commercial real estate, value has long been defined by lease length, credit strength, and physical location. But the world of work has changed, and the traditional office lease is struggling to keep up.

Across global markets, buildings are facing a reckoning—not because people have stopped needing office space, but because they want more from it. Tenants are asking for flexibility, and better customer experience, community, and services.

Many landlords know they need to adapt. Fewer know how.

To understand where we are, and more importantly, where we’re going,
it helps to borrow a concept from the tech world:

The Technology Adoption Lifecycle.

This model shows how new ideas are adopted across a market, starting with innovators and early adopters, crossing a “chasm,” and eventually reaching institutional acceptance. Most of the office market today is stuck at the edge of that chasm—watching as early adopters experiment with flex, hospitality, and experience-driven models, but unsure how or when to make the leap themselves.

Meanwhile, the smart money, particularly family offices and private equity, is beginning to move.