DIA News 04.2018

Workplaces of the Future – the Big Picture

Headlines are appearing everywhere, lectures are being held, and people are discussing and prophesying about: how and where will we be working in the future? That's no wonder, after all, this topic affects the majority of people. Like all other fields of life, the way we work will be changing dramatically in the coming years. This is due to the high speed of change – a decisive characteristic of the modern era.

Digitization, globalization, and demographics are the biggest drivers for making workplaces more dynamic, more volatile, and more creative: we are living in an age with a wide variety of models for working. As architects who design office buildings and spaces, we need an overarching macro-view, in addition to having a good sense for the specific needs of our clients. Because, in order to adequately answer the question of »what the office of the future will look like«, there’s no way around taking a look at the big picture. How and where will we be working in the future? What is our client’s vision? And what does that mean for architecture, space, and design? In our series of articles, we share our experiences and views on »the office of tomorrow«. This is part 1: the big picture.

HOW WILL WE BE WORKING IN THE FUTURE?

Flexible models of work, agile organization, human-technology interfaces, and multiple collaborations – there is an unending list of terms that are commonly heard within the context of Work 4.0. It is therefore essential to focus on the core issues. We believe that the following aspects are the central determinants for the workplace of the future.

They have something to laugh about: desirable, well-trained employees. © iStock.com/peopleImages

Generation Z

Generation Global, Generation Y, Z, or the Millennials – sociologists and trend researchers use these terms to describe the generation that will shape our future. These typifications are strong generalizations, but they do allow us to make interesting realizations and recognize connections. This is a generation that has grown up with digital technology and permanent networking, one that can travel the world and wants to live an independent, individualized life within this freedom. The logical consequence is that work also becomes an area that will be adapted to this independent lifestyle.

Gig economy

Pioneering spirit and project-centered work lead to independence and short-term employment. This way of working is described as »gig economy«: independent employees go from one »gig« to the next, from project to project, looking for jobs that will fulfil them; a long-term loyalty to a company is no longer a desirable goal. Short-term employment is a challenge for employers because they need to store the knowledge of their employees in order to safeguard it against these fluctuations. Another aspect that is connected with this is the globally increasing shortage of skilled workers. In Germany, the number of unfilled positions is higher today than it has been since the reunification. Employees are gaining self-confidence and are sought-after by companies.

Work-life integration

Diverse family backgrounds and flexible concepts of life demand alternative models of work such as home office or »hoteling«. »Third places« are gaining importance. Communications technology and a well developed infrastructure have paved the way for this freedom across time and space. Work-life integration emphasizes the fusion of professional and private life and is now considered to be the successor to a work-life balance that separated both areas. The freedom across time and space also requires employees to have good self-organization skills. Companies must consider the fact that employees now expect flexibility in the workplace.

Startups and collaborations

The startup boom is a logical consequence of the generations who are currently working and growing-up: they want to create something world changing and realize their full potential. Many of the catalysts of change have fostered this strong innovative force: digitization, individualization, globalization. Startups with their flexible structures are the perfect breeding grounds for new ideas. Large companies with hierarchic structures and slow-moving processes are trying to keep up and are becoming more aware of the benefits of external expertise. They are showing up as incubators at universities, looking for creative young talents in »makerspaces«. They are practicing »open innovation« and/or sending their own employees to »creative places« (e.g. Daimler Car2Go). Collaboration and competition now take place in a variety of dimensions: birth of the term co-opetition.

Digital transformation

The pioneers of the digital transformation are referred to as additive manufacturing, industry 4.0, alternative energy, smart mobility, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, neural technology, digital twins, virtualization. Big words with a big impact. On the one hand, there is the dystopic vision that robots and artificial intelligence are endangering workplaces. On the other hand, people recognize the potential in the human-machine interface. Because technology not only has the potential to relieve us from physical labor, it can also assume cognitive tasks and thus free up the capacity of employees for new challenges. According to the author Daniel Pink, creativity, empathy, and holistic thinking are skills that will be in high demand, even if technology will be better at some cognitive tasks. The information age will be replaced by the conceptual age. Today, service providers, information experts, and creative workers have already become the epicenter of the worldwide business.

WHERE WILL WE WORK IN THE FUTURE?

Connected and urban in future worlds of work. © iStock.com/Wenjie Dong

Everywhere

This question can be answered quite simply with everywhere. We will work in our home office, in hotels, at a client’s place of business, in the train, and on the plane. We will temporarily rent spaces (hoteling) or join a co-working space for a specific project. Team meetings will take place online, mobile devices will replace the fixed desk. These alternative models of work, which have been made possible through technology, will reduce the costs for offices, increase their efficient use, and will somewhat ease the shortage of space, which we will discuss later.

In cities

Because not only is the population growing, the majority of people are moving to urban areas: in 2050, almost 70% of the world’s population will live in cities. Since industrialization, one of the biggest motors of urbanization has been the workplace. While urbanization in western countries has been relatively slow, cities with a population of several million have been developing rapidly in the newly industrialized and developing countries. Maintaining and establishing a global quality of life is one of the main topics for the future on a social, ecological, and economic level. The resulting shortage of space is a serious challenge for architects who are promoting concepts to combat overcrowding such as the »vertical city«. An awareness of this is very important when planning new office buildings.

In work villages

How should work, life, and recreation be distributed in urban design? Within the context of the International Congress of Modern Architecture (CIM) in the 1960s, most people agreed that cities should be built with a strict functional segregation into industrial, residential, and recreational zones. Next came new urbanism with the consistent avoidance of this strict segregation. This philosophy is still dominant today. In »work villages«, which are dominated by companies, most widely known within the context of Silicon Valley, the work-life integration has been taken to extremes. They offer desirable employees everything they need for everyday life, so they can connect family life with work, have short commutes, and benefit from services in these villages. Critics see the intended loyalty to companies.

In attractive offices

We will continue to work, communicate, and be creative in office buildings in the near future – regardless of whether at fixed or temporary workplaces. We are convinced that communicative zones will increase and the quality of offices will improve. Because employers will invest in the comfort of their employees by designing high-quality offices. Finally, this brings us to the decisive question: why and how should companies invest in spaces?

»THE POWER OF PLACE« – HOW AND WHY TO INVEST IN SPACES?

Anyone who is keeping an eye on our changing society will be aware of two facts:

Employers have to establish new models for business, work, and offices.
Employers have to fight for the good employees.

The feeling of being in the right place. © Nina Uhlíková

With the transition from an employer to an employee market, the comfort of employees becomes essential. Numerous studies have analyzed the productivity of people and confirm that, in addition to corporate culture and values, the nature of office space also has a huge impact on the productivity of individuals. We also believe that physical space will become even more important in the age of mobility. »The power of place« will be expressed in office design that gives employees the feeling that they are in the right place. A relatively small investment can have a large impact. Because personnel costs often account for more than two thirds of a company’s entire expenditures – the effects of discomfort carry a great deal of weight. Occupancy costs, by contrast, account for a maximum of 10-20%. Investing in an office that creates harmony and comfort will quickly pay itself off and as a result companies will save money in the future.

The important question of how

But how must the office be designed so that the investment pays off and »the power of place« can take effect? As always, the solution is in achieving a balance: between trendsetting planning that sets no boundaries to creativity and innovation and taking the actual needs of the users into consideration. The following sections will show how we can achieve this balance.

Corporate culture

Corporate culture is so individual that it must be re-analyzed for every new construction project. It is the most important factor because it is the foundation of every well designed office. It is not our job to adapt the corporate culture to our designs (even if we would sometimes like to), but instead the reverse is true: corporate culture must be reflected in the architecture, be tangible for the senses, and – as is often said and also true – create identity. Blind copycats of trendy Google offices fail when it comes to honesty if the corresponding culture is not authentic. Hardly anyone knows that the individuality and creativity of their offices developed in an absolutely natural process: Google provided their employees with free space that they could design themselves. The process was only later professionalized and thus lost a degree of authenticity, in our opinion. We can only work successfully if employees can sense the implicit characteristics of the company in a physically tangible space.

„Corporate culture must be reflected in the architecture and be tangible for the senses.“

Modern work environment for the headquarter of Husqvarna Group in Germany: the office design speaks the language of the company with its materials and colors. Various seating options and a lounge character encourage conversations and relaxation. ©DITTEL ARCHITEKTEN GMBH

Timeless standards

Lighting, air circulation, nature, ergonomics, and acoustics are fundamental standards that make up the quality of a workplace. While we can optimally apply them in new buildings, existing buildings are a much bigger challenge. The intensity and color of light plays a decisive role for the atmosphere. Daylight and an outside view are proven to have benefits for health and performance. If there is too little daylight, we look for lighting concepts, which nowadays have a great deal to offer. Workplaces that are close to nature are a luxurious exception. It is therefore that much more important to design green courtyards and offices. In addition, acoustics are also an essential issue with the increasing number of open-plan offices and multifunctional spaces. Furthermore, ergonomics should be the basis for designing every piece of furniture.

An outdoor view has health benefits but cannot always be realized. A well-designed office can compensate. © iStock.com/baona

Spaces for new workers

Based on this concept, todays work environments should all be examined with regards to the availability of flexibility, communication, and creativity – these are factors that have a direct impact on the motivation of employees and determine the success of a company in this competitive environment.

Flexibility and safety. The flexibility of a space is expressed in multifunctional design. It not only increases the efficient use of a space, it also reacts to a flexibly socialized society. Because employees today are used to having many different experiences in one place – this has a positive effect on motivation. If spaces can also be used for conversations, concentrated work, and by various different renters, it is important to ensure that tranquility and safety also play a role while aiming for maximum adaptability. We think highly of room-in-room concepts and see a great deal of potential in innovative furniture and acoustic solutions. A decisive factor is whether multifunctionality is well thought-out and ensures the standards mentioned above. Because there is a good reason why some people claim that the attractive sounding term »open space« is just a way to save money.

„A decisive factor is whether multifunctionality is well thought-out.“

Communication and concentration. People are social beings who enjoy being in a social and aesthetically appealing environment (e.g. café, restaurant, living room) and chatting with one another. So it’s no wonder that productivity in companies increases when communicative zones and aesthetic sensibility are integrated into the office. Because these »break-out zones,« in particular, are often the place where the best ideas develop. Creativity is needed for good concepts that maintain a balance between communication and contemplation zones in a physically limited space.

Creativity. It is well-known that creativity has a decisive effect on the success of a company. The interesting question is how. Neuroscientists have been asking this question for some time now and are constantly publishing new studies. As we see it, they have confirmed that attractive environments promote creativity more than an empty white room. The option to move around encourages people to speak aloud, music creates new connections, and much more. Our conclusion is therefore that creative spaces should offer one thing in particular: diverse options for creativity and movement. We aim to inspire and instill new ideas with our designs.

„Creative spaces should offer one thing in particular: diverse options for creativity and movement.“

Digitization. Digitization has two decisive functions in a room: efficiency and experience. It makes us physically more flexible and optimizes work conditions thanks to smart technologies such as intelligent lighting or air conditioning controls that we invisibly integrate into our architectural language. It is important not to underestimate the fact that technology demonstrates the innovative power of a company and thus strongly appeals to the technophile generation. The fusion of real spaces with digital information (augmented reality) and the creation of virtual spaces provide essential experiences and play an important role in modern work environments.

CONCLUSION

To us, understanding change means security for advising our clients and the certainty that we are contributing to optimizing the world of work. Because as architects, we are helping to shape the future and carry responsibility. We develop the office concepts of tomorrow.