65% occupiers rank brand and culture as the top office design priorities: CBRE

National, September 17, 2026: The Indian office is being reimagined as an expression of corporate culture, with brand identity and culture-led design emerging as the leading workplace experience priority for occupiers, according to CBRE South Asia Pvt. Ltd.’s 2026 India Office Occupier Survey.

65% of respondents said brand and culture-led design is their key focus area in improving workspace experience. This was ahead of accommodating hybrid work at 50%, holistic well-being at 40%, and hospitality and holistic well-being at 39% respectively.

Global Capability Centres are pursuing the trend most aggressively, with 70% saying that they are prioritising workplace design and identity as a branding and talent-attraction tool as they compete for specialised talent.

Anshuman Magazine, Chairman & CEO - India, South-East Asia, Middle East & Africa, CBRE, said, “The office has become an active expression of who a company is, not merely where its people sit. We are seeing occupiers, and GCCs in particular, treat workplace design as a strategic lever for culture and talent on par with compensation or location. This is a decisive move away from viewing fit-out as a cost line and towards treating it as an investment in organisational identity.”

Rebalanced, not reduced

The survey added that workplace settings are being reallocated rather than cut back. Enclosed, soundproof spaces for video calls recorded the highest uptake, with 52% of firms adding capacity, followed closely by investments in WorkTech (such as seat and room booking applications and occupancy sensors), where 50% of occupiers are likely to allocate more capital. Both of these, point to offices being optimised for hybrid collaboration.

Flexible workspace is maturing into a deliberate portfolio strategy alongside this shift. 67% of occupiers said they expect flexible spaces to be a part of their portfolio over the next two years, up from 58% today. Private managed offices emerged as the most preferred format at 42%, reinforcing the demand for brand-controlled environments.

Ram Chandnani, Managing Director, Leasing Services, India, CBRE said, “Occupiers are asking us for space that reflects their brand from the moment someone walks in, and that is changing everything from fit-outs to flex allocation. Design has become a genuine business priority rather than an afterthought once the lease is signed. For landlords, this raises the bar considerably: base build quality alone no longer differentiates an asset.”

On the technology front, smart building systems including sensor-driven utilisation monitoring and predictive maintenance topped occupier wishlists for Artificial Intelligence-ready offices.

The survey also said that while the integration of AI is highly anticipated, a sharp "education and readiness gap" has emerged between corporate aspiration and physical workspace capabilities. When asked about the most critical workplace features for an AI-driven future, 38% of occupiers said they prioritise smart building systems - including sensor-driven utilization and predictive maintenance - while 30% demand adaptive, reconfigurable floor layouts to support fluid work patterns.

However, the report also revealed in contrast that 38% of corporate respondents have not yet considered or linked AI in their actual workplace settings. This disconnect represents a significant first-mover advantage for institutional developers and real estate advisors who can actively handhold occupiers through the process of building tech-enabled, future-proof assets.

Part 3 of “Inside the Occupier Mind” reported that 70% of occupiers view commute as the most important factor to decide their office location.