The Office of the Future
The office of the future is a topic that is being widely discussed among developers, designers and corporations worldwide. Many of us have finally been able to reach some kind of healthy work life balance thanks to working from home. But for others, WFH hasn’t been a walk in the park. These differing realities suggest that we are likely to see an evolution of working arrangements and office design.
We decided to get some feedback from different kinds of companies, on whether WFH has been beneficial for their company, and how they see the office of the future shaping up. Andy is from Hoare Lea, a large international engineering firm, James is from IDK, a growing innovative architectural partnership based between Paris and London, and finally, Jared who represents us, Greenway Associates, a small and established QS practice in London.
Andrew Peggram, Hotels MEP & Parter at Hoare Lea
”WFH for me personally was initially great - less travel, nice sunshine and a better work life balance. Then fatigue kicked in, team meetings became a little monotonous and impersonal. There are many benefits and efficiencies of working ‘virtually’ however strong relationships are only truly developed in a more personal environment.
We had just started to reoccupy our offices when lockdown two was announced, but general feedback from colleagues and staff who have also managed to work from the office again was very positive and general consensus appears that people want to be back in, at least for a significant part.
Health and wellbeing will almost certainly become a driving force behind future design. Workplace buildings will be human centric and designed with lots of data gathering, allowing buildings to intelligently adapt to occupants needs and perform to their optimum.”
James Pockson, Architect & Partner at IDK
“The hardest part of one’s working world becoming the size of one’s London flat is maintaining separation and, for a somewhat obsessive architect, walking away from the work. Thank goodness for Eva, my partner, she makes me snap out of it! That’s a danger of the new normal - that ability for temporal and energetic drift.
Against all the odds we have taken on a handful of wonderful collaborators. In doing this, it felt wrong to keep hiding in the cloud. So, we have taken a small studio in Iliffe Yard - a long gated yard, flanked by small workshops, studios and tenement housing. We don’t have a conventional office. No one has “their” seat - the boss doesn't sit “there” - the sooner we disinherit that hangover of surveillance factory planning, the better.
As for the office of the future, perhaps we could look to precedents like Iliffe Yard and bring work and home closer together again.”
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Jared Mensah, QS & Director at Greenway Associates
“We were all in the habit of working from our office, 9-5 so to speak. But after the first lockdown, we realised that everyone was able to establish a suitable home office. Having more flexibility with time is great. Many of us are using it to enhance our wellbeing. For me, WFH with 2 kids is all about compromise, but I’m enjoying it a lot! Generally, there are less disturbances, meaning a greater level of accuracy and productivity, but also more time for ‘free-thought’ - the blue-sky, outside-the-box type. We haven’t found any negatives yet.
We got rid of our office just 1 month ago, leasing it out to someone who would use it! We migrated everything to the cloud, put in protocols for more regular communication and sharing of where you’re at.
Our office of the future will be predominantly from home, coupled with a flexible co-working space in a location where our building sites are based.”
Thankfully, forums such as the NLA (New London Architecture) have been exploring the concept of ‘the office of the future’. Some of the most established architectural and engineering firms in the UK have been involved in proposing the redesign of office spaces, by looking at public spaces, local neighbourhoods, high streets, business parks and existing office buildings with a fresh perspective. These blue-sky ideas dream of office spaces that incorporate fun, family, flexibility, health and nature - all the aspects we’ve enjoyed about lockdown, combined with the practical aspects that a dedicated office space provides. The ideas being generated not only make sense, but create excitement for what lies ahead for London, the UK and beyond!
Foster and Partners proposal: ‘Tomorrow Business Park’
The proposal from Foster & Partners suggested reconfiguring public parks to include shelters or kiosks with work stations, recharging points, wifi and cafe’s. Imagine scheduling in a meeting with a colleague at a communal office-station in Hyde Park? We love this idea, and can see it encouraging start-ups and freelancers who often only require a flexible space for solitary working and who respond well to being in green space.
Wilkinson Eyre’s Proposal: ‘In-Between Place’
Wilkinson Eyre proposed that the office needs to be redefined as a place for collaboration or meeting, and focused on the notion that technology has freed us all from compulsory office attendance. Their proposal underscored the importance of a space that is ‘in-between’.
Perkins + Will proposal: ‘Mixed Mode’
Perkins + Will suggested that repurposing our local neighbourhoods might be the way forward, with work hubs in the suburbs and major transit zones alongside neighbourhood work points, both privately and publicly funded. ‘‘Why build new when the fabric of our neighbourhoods can be repurposed for work and local events?” their designer, Linzi Cassells said. Retail units could be reconfigured to different kinds of workspaces for writers, makers and a myriad of other job types, with an emphasis on community living and shared services and spaces. With ‘the death of the High Street’ still a pertinent issue, we couldn’t agree more.
At Greenway Associates, we’ve seen this trend unfolding for some time, particularly among our Hotel clients, like The Hoxton. For example, The Hoxton Southwark, features Working From_, Ennismore’s new shared workspace concept. The Hoxton’s hotel lobbies have long been used by locals, freelancers and creatives, so this was a natural progression.
Still, many aspects that remain up for discussion. Must the need for better office spaces come at the expense of raw materials and the environment? Can existing buildings be repurposed? Or should we build new buildings that have a proportion of the floorplate given over to external space?
How do you see your future office?