The New Office Designs - Trends*

 Not really offices exactly, but flexible spaces and products that move and change their place and function so that they can serve us better and  longer.

Най-новото предложение за работно място, отговарящо на изискванията за присъствие на природата и използване на естествени и дълготрайни материали в обзавеждането на модерния офис – дизайн на работно място от известния японски дизайнер Naoto Fukasawa за KETTAL, представен на Панаира в Милано през април. Колекция A включва маси и елементи на столовете от естествено и тъмно дъбово дърво, а разделителите за бюро са от естествена ракита

Business leaders around the world are redefining their workplace strategies to create flexible, technology-enabled and future-oriented workplaces. The office as we knew it has changed dramatically.

 Cache atelier офис пространство за Alumina Elit 

Digitalization and the pandemic have revealed new challenges, but also new opportunities: physical presence is no longer necessary to be part of the team and be productive. At the same time, the requirements for office design are increasing – those who go to work want to feel completely comfortable and relaxed. As a result, our concept of the modern workplace has also changed. The office of the future is a place for collaboration and exchange. Structures of open rooms with meeting islands and spontaneous conversations encourage solidarity and creative work. Of course, there are also retreats for focused work and video calls – key is the room design, which allows for as much flexibility as the hybrid work models.

The big question organizations are asking themselves right now is: will we all go back to the office full-time, or will we move to a 4-day work week, or even a system where the days - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday - become new days in the office for most of their teams?

To answer the question we need to rethink work in terms of place and time: whether it is important to be located in the same place and whether the work we do requires us to work synchronously or asynchronously, each working independently.

 Ambiente на един от изложителите на офис обзавеждане - VARIO, Germany

The other major factor shaping new office design trends is that after long months of remote work from home, employees are reevaluating their relationship with work. According to a survey by technology consulting firm Gartner, 65% of employees say the pandemic has made them rethink the place work should occupy in their lives, while 52% say it has made them question the purpose of their day job. And Accenture revealed that 83% of the global workforce identified the hybrid model as the ideal workplace scenario.

All this requires a different approach in designing and shaping the workspace and a design that corresponds as much as possible to new trends. The constantly changing environment requires flexible interior solutions and informal workplaces, with opportunities for optimization. The design of the new offices includes flexible furniture that allows for spontaneous reorganization and the creation of meeting areas, new workspaces or places of solitude.

Last year, LinkedIn opened its new office space with more than 75 different types of seating, a design where desks were no longer the primary focus. It is designed to encourage hybrid working and is in many ways an answer to "what would the office look like in a post-pandemic world". And since there is no certainty where exactly things will develop, the designers have included as many different workplace options as possible, and instead of a large lobby at the entrance, there is a cafe where people can meet and relax. This is the most social part and the further you go, the more the environment allows for privacy and independent work in different corners with different ergonomics and design. Even conference rooms often have the air of a living room.

Like all over the world, the co-working and flex office model continues to gain ground and grow here. Many companies are already looking for an office for 50% fewer people than the available staff and are introducing rotation so that their people can work from home or completely remotely. And the companies that offer such offices are increasing and the working conditions there are significantly better. WorkBetter tenants, for example, also have the option to work and play outdoors in an urban park setting. The Business Garden Office X complex has over 6,000 square meters of green spaces with a strong Wi-Fi signal.

Other trends are also observed - companies are increasingly looking for small rooms for offices, where the employee can concentrate for a short time, with desks with adjustable height and good noise insulation.

And as office markets adjust to the new normal, more and more clients are asking about private offices, which have essentially disappeared from many workplaces over the past few years.

The office is increasingly becoming a service rather than an infrastructure

An interesting but also logical trend – office furniture on a subscription basis

An example is NORNORM, a Danish startup that offers a fully circular subscription-based furnishing model. NORNORM offers companies and co-working spaces the opportunity to have a fully furnished office for a subscription. For €3 per month per square meter, NORNORM will fully equip any office with all the necessary functions, chairs, desks, tables, sofas and telephones. By producing a minimal amount of waste and reusing a large proportion of equipment elements.

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* Part of my article published last week in the special annual edition of the Bulgarian Manager magazine  - "Construction and Investments"

* Откъси от статията ми  във Второто специално годишно издание „Строителство и инвестиции“ на списание “Мениджър” :