Balancing Acts: Corporate Real Estate in 2026

The Year Ahead for Occupiers According to Knight Frank

2026 will be a year of paradox, not resolution. The four forces dominating occupier thinking — cost, volatility, workstyles, and geopolitics — will converge. So too will AI and energy, whose interdependence may prove the most powerful disruptor of all. CRE leaders will be asked to cut costs while enabling transformation, mitigating volatility, and preparing for growth. Balance will be essential. But bravery will be decisive.