The Evolution of End-of-Trip Facilities Around the World

At lunchtime along the Embankment Thames path, you’ll find hundreds of runners with one thing in common: it’s a working weekday, and they’re on their break.

Amongst a sea of JP Morgan challenge t-shirts, large groups chat about their weekends, pairs run interval sessions, and lone wolves look to reset and escape the office. 

But, I hear you ask, surely they’re going to be hot and sweaty for this afternoon’s big meeting? Not if they’re able to shower and freshen up beforehand. 

Running during work breaks is just one way office life has evolved in recent years. And it’s End-of-Trip facilities that are helping enable the change. 

Whether it’s a Pilates class, a cycle commute to work, a gym break, or the aforementioned team jog, having lockers, changing rooms, and showers is changing the game in modern office buildings.

It’s a global shift, but one with key differences in office buildings from L.A. to London, and Paris to Melbourne. To learn more, we spoke with Josh Kimberley, the Design Manager at Australian industry leaders Five at Heart.

The Importance of End-of-Trip Facilities to Tenants and Employees

End-of-Trip facilities began with cycle parking. Coming at the literal end of your trip to work, these areas provided a safe place to store and park your bike. Showers, changing areas, and lockers were quickly added, all with the purpose of catering to the active commuter.

Fast forward to today and you might even find saunas, gyms, and even a barber’s chair.

So just how important have these facilities become? “They have become a standard inclusion in buildings and are something tenants just expect to have,” says Josh.

“They play a huge part in the tenants’ wellbeing and fitness by making their active journey and/or lifestyle easy to incorporate into their day in the office.”

Amidst a post-COVID office landscape where hybrid working is the norm, it’s no surprise that EoTs have quickly evolved.

The Continued Evolution of EoTs

It is perhaps time to move on from thinking of EoTs as simple, box-ticking, functional parts of a building.

“People tend to think of End-of-Trip facilities as being mainly aimed at cyclists, but this couldn’t be further from the truth,” explains Josh. “There is a higher percentage of users who run, go to the gym, freshen up for drinks after work, or do yoga and Pilates classes. This has led to the incorporation of a whole host of new additions.”

Some of these new features might surprise you, with the list including:

• Wellness/multi function space which can be used for exercise classes or hired out for other functions.
• Rooms with spin bikes.
• Designated spaces and equipment for yoga and reformer pilates
• Treatment rooms which can be hired out for physio, massage, beauty treatments.
• Barber chairs for haircuts.
• Saunas or steam rooms, and plunge pools.
• Sports halls for Basketball and football
• Open gyms with equipment

All these, of course, require space within the building—space that could perhaps replace unused cycle parking.

Josh has seen many buildings that have had to install a very high number of bike racks due to council or external certifications requirements.

“When these projects are refurbished, we see them reduce their bike parking because the demand isn’t there and they are not even close to being at full capacity. Having your bike parking number be in line with actual usage allows the building to fit in these amenities mentioned above,” says Josh.

Once in place, these extra features can make a big difference in leasing out office space, as well as luring more workers back into the office.

Josh outlines a real-life example where a building includes a reformer Pilates room. They’re able to hold classes every day at lunch, with the price subsidised by the building (so it’s half the price compared to elsewhere). This class will almost always be fully booked, compared to the bike parking, which is not even half full.

“Amenities like this add value and benefits to tenants’ lives and are a big draw for getting people back into the office,” says Josh.

Global Differences within End-of-Trip Facilities

When it comes to End-of-Trip facilities, the key difference between cities boils down firstly to commuting habits.

“With America being so vast, the market varies drastically. Bike parking is common in major cities, but the numbers are drastically smaller compared to the UK and AUS,” explains Josh.

“Generally, the majority of facilities have small bike rooms (these tend to be bike cages in the car park) with minimal provision of lockers and showers. EoTs are not on the same level when it comes to usage as well as fit and finish compared to AUS and the UK”

In London, there is a much greater focus on cycle parking capacity numbers compared to other major global cities.

“The numbers required for bike parking are astronomically high and are not in line with real life usage. This often leads to the facility providing a very high percentage of two tier racks in order to meet the required number.”

Furthermore, this can lead to a lack of variety in cycle rack options, harming the user experience, according to Josh.

“London appears to be focused on bike riders/parking, with locker and shower numbers being lower, not catering for active users who run, go to the gym, freshen up for drinks after work, or do yoga and Pilates classes.”

“These amenities are currently lacking, but we are starting to see more of them appear in designs.”

That shift from purely cycle parking to the wider opportunities of EoTs is something Australia has been an early adopter of.

“Australia has a much lower and flexible requirement when It comes to the numbers required for a facility,” says Josh. “This ends up providing a facility fit for purpose as it’s based more on real life usage.”

“The bigger standout buildings have been providing extra amenities for some time now. In Australia, facilities are focused more on the well-being of users and encouraging different forms of activity, not just amenities for bike riders.

As well as higher locker numbers, and more realistic cycle parking numbers, some buildings in Australia are also moving beyond the idea that EoTs belong only in the basement.

“In Australia we also have facilities moving onto ground level, or above ground, making use of natural light. It’s common for facilities to have their own dedicated ground level entrance like the main lobby has.”

Bringing EoTs onto the ground floor further cements their growing importance within a building. Making the main entrance the same as the regular lobby tells tenants this is a welcoming, active building.

It’s clear that End-of-Trip facilities are rapidly evolving, and perhaps starting to outdate building regulations and the needs of tenants.

The continued push to look at office buildings as more than just desks and meeting rooms brings with it amazing potential for developers and employees alike, and presents an important opportunity to revolutionise office working.

Image credits: Five at Heart