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A corner office was once the mark of success in the professional world, but employees today are less interested in such a perk than amenities like fitness centers, bike repair areas and rooftop decks.

It’s this shift in employee preferences that’s driving up rents and driving down vacancy rates in Class B buildings in Portland’s Central Business District, according to Patricia Raicht, vice president of research for Jones Lang LaSalle.

鈥淚n the Class B and Class C buildings where owners have done something to upgrade the space in terms of infrastructure 鈥� (removed) dropped ceilings, exposed brick walls, done lobby renovations 鈥� the vacancy rates there are 200 points lower than in non-improved buildings,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e’ve seen a 20 percent increase in rent in buildings with creative spaces.鈥�

Data compiled by JLL indicates that, in Class B and C properties, creative space has outperformed total space 鈥� and the gap is widening.

Between the second quarter of 2012 and the third quarter of 2014, vacancy for creative space fell 280 basis points to 6.1 percent, while vacancy for total space fell 230 basis points to 8.4 percent. Average rents for creative space increased 29.7 percent to $28.10 per square foot during the same time period, while average rents in total increased 13.3 percent and are now at $23.40 per square foot, according to the data.

When researching, JLL defined creative spaces as those that are usually older, and with open floor plans, high ceilings, exposed brick walls and good natural light. These types of spaces make up slightly more than 30 percent of the 10.9 million square feet of Class B and C inventory in the Central Business District.

Todd Gooding, ScanlanKemperBard‘s president, said his firm first noticed tenants’ desire for creative office space in 2012 after purchasing The Round in Beaverton. After renovations, SKB was able to charge $2 more per square foot for space in The Round than in other, similar spaces, he said.

Gooding said his firm recently completed a lobby remodel of the building that houses the Portland office of engineering firm CH2M HILL, at 2020 S.W. Fourth Ave. He believes it’s a good example of the type of space that tenants want.

鈥淲e’re moving toward creating collaborative buildings where tenants from each space have a common area to collaborate in,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hile the number of square feet per person in an office space is shrinking, if you look at the space as a whole, more area is being dedicated to common areas for workers versus individual space.鈥�

He compared the shift in the way employees occupy office space to the increase in the market for micro-housing, saying that as millennials move to Portland to take jobs in the growing high-tech industry, they’re requesting a new work environment.

鈥淧eople want a bike storage and repair area; they want a couch and a keg, a TV room or a building that’s dog-friendly,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n Portland, everybody is ripping out ceilings, creating roof decks and remodeling lobbies.鈥�

Brad Christiansen, a Colliers International vice president, said three buildings being developed in Portland 鈥� Pearl West, one at 1241 N.W. Johnson St. and one at Southeast Third Avenue and Clay Street 鈥� are designed to 鈥渓ook like a converted warehouse.鈥�

鈥淭here is a shift in the workplace because the millennials want to go to work in these types of spaces,鈥� he said. 鈥淚n a macro sense, there is a great demand for the type of finished work environment that speaks to a collaborative work space.鈥�

Christiansen said he believes it’s in a developer’s or business owner’s best interest to put the money into a remodel to attract tenants, pointing out that the amount a remodel costs is easily offset by the increase in rent the new space will command.

鈥淭he last lease in the Yeon Building 鈥� considered historic, creative, Class B space 鈥� was above $26 per rentable square foot,鈥� he said.聽鈥淎t present, there are 鈥榯raditional’ Class A buildings that are having a difficult time securing $26 per rentable square foot. Currently, there is more demand for creative/redeveloped historic buildings.鈥�

With the shift in preferred work environments, Christiansen said traditional perceptions of office buildings are becoming less relevant.

鈥淚s it Class A, Class B, C, creative, historic? It almost doesn’t matter,鈥� he said. The classification of buildings is becoming archaic.鈥�