Vancouver tower developer offers free shoe shines to workers in nearby offices

Downtown Vancouver is undergoing an office tower construction boom, which will add a combined 1.2 million square feet of space and go a long way toward rectifying a shortage in the business core.

But all that construction bodes poorly for workers in neighbouring offices, who will have to put up with noise, dirt and other major disruptions for at least two years.

Oxford Properties Group, which is developing the 35-storey MNP Tower at 1021 West Hastings, is trying to make things easier for tenants in its surrounding office towers while the construction is underway.

Marta Jackson, vice-president of operations for Omni Warranty Corp, which leases a floor and a half of the Marine Building, at 355 Burrard, is particularly grateful for the 25 noise-cancelling Bose headphones that Oxford gave to her staff.

There was a time when it was really, really noisy, said Ms. Jackson, whose company provides after-market warranties for the auto industry. [The headphones] were fantastic and they let us keep them. You can listen to nothing or listen to music.

Some of the steps Oxford has implemented include modifying construction schedules around tenants client meetings, providing complimentary shoe shine stations to tackle dirt and dust, moving tenants to temporary office spaces when anticipating higher noise levels, and offering the Bose headphones to minimize disruptions during the work day.

Near is an understatement, added Jackson of her companys proximity to the construction activity. Literally, my office wall is immediately next to the building they just took down. Thats how close I am.

Theyve been very, very proactive in giving us notification of when the noise would happen, she said. There were four weeks of heavy drilling and, literally, our walls were vibrating.

They really tried to leave a solid window of quiet in the middle of the day. And that was an important thing for us, having the flexibility of a solid block for a full days work.

Derek Page, Oxford Properties director of real estate management for Vancouver, said that keeping tenants happy is very important during the construction stage. It [MNP Tower] is a great new addition, but the last thing we want is a shiny new tower with a bunch of unhappy tenants in our adjoining towers.

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Vancouver tower developer offers free shoe shines to workers in nearby offices