Welcome to the knowledge revolution
Wi-Fi. A desk. A computer. A telephone. Designing a functional workspace is easy, really. However, creating an office environment that maximises efficiency, increases satisfaction, inspires, and – (on top of it all) is environmentally friendly - is no simple task. As workspaces come under increasing scrutiny, companies are looking to ensure that their workspaces are providing maximum employee support - and are indeed working as hard as their employees to enhance profitability. How can you get this right?
To achieve this, you need to consider a range of factors. For example:
- Economic implications,
- Design and architectural trends and practicalities,
- Staff satisfaction,
- Standards and regulations,
- Well-being, and
- Numerous company-specific criteria.
You also need to be looking continually ahead, anticipating future trends and shifts in workplace requirements.
Workplaces are developing at a rate of knots
Although office design has been fairly static for a number of decades - undergoing only a few major changes - workspaces are currently experiencing the greatest changes since the cubicle or the Bürolandshaft ideas of the Quickborner team and Bob Propst’s action office were developed.
So what is the next major influencing factor that’s going to shape our workspaces?
Interestingly, it won’t be ergonomics or technology, but rather a resource that has always been with us - yet has been largely underutilised: knowledge.
Indeed companies are increasingly investing in knowledge to guide their decision-making processes and ensure that decisions are given the biggest chance to succeed. More than ever, it’s knowledge and evidence-based design that are leading technological and ergonomic development, as well as workspace design.
Evidence-based design is no longer a luxury
This concept is a necessity for any company undergoing a space transformation. The areas in which most knowledge investment is being experienced will ultimately drive this change.
These areas are:
1. Links between the physical workspace and the people occupying it,
2. Profitability, and
3. Sustainability – both environmental and corporate.
Companies can’t have their cake and eat it too
Increasingly, companies are starting to see that it’s impossible to reduce a workspace cost to simple rands per square metre, and that staff satisfaction plays an important part in productivity, which impacts the cost of the space. They’re also recognising that no company operates in isolation and environmental considerations are a necessity.
Today, a well-planned office space balances speed, flexibility and the human element. It’s knowledge of these - together with cost - that are transforming office design.
This radical shift will see more mobility, interaction and collaboration. It will engender a reduction in the number of traditional isolated offices and an increase in communal areas such as hot-desks, hybrid workspaces, chill areas, breakout rooms and relaxation spaces. Essentially, more decisions will be made around the office’s kitchen table and fewer around the boardroom table.
While many may not even realise it, the future is already here - and unless companies start investing in and acquiring the specific knowledge that will provide them with the answers they need to develop the most effective workspaces, the future will be seen from the static cubicle.
