Categories: ArchiSpeak

Workplace in the Post-COVID World

Architecture must have something that appeals to the human heart. Creative work is expressed in our time as a union of technology and humanity.

~ Kenzo Tange

A Union of tech & Humanity he says. We all have experienced in the last few months that working from home is more tech & less human. It is vice-versa for in-office working. We know for a fact that there is no stopping the tech, so our focus has to be on the human side of it.

The argument of choosing between work from home or work from office is a no brainer as far as my opinion is concerned. All of us working in the industry have always strived towards leaving our work behind when we go back home every evening to our families. The primary reason is we do not want work encroaching our family time & space. The work from home concept is exactly the opposite of it. Also, it is being argued that the cost-saving from lack of commute and lack of real estate separately for office is enormous, but on the contrary, how many of us can afford a separate room in our own house and convert it into a dedicated work area. Also, the trust, comfort, and confidence a physical connect gives cannot be achieved on a virtual call. Yes, the tech is a great enabler for how we work, but it cannot be a disrupter of how we work. So, let’s talk about moving back to our workplaces.

Everyone has been talking extensively in the last few months about how returning to working from offices is not going to be all the same as it used to be, and it is the bottom-line truth.

The major reason behind this is going to be the priorities of what will be expected from office space for employees. Till early this year, offices were expected to provide the employees with a comfortable space with fresh and calm ambience, ergonomic furniture, and collaboration promoting areas. This has changed now. “SAFETY” is the no. 1 priority.

The global pandemic has made a significant impact on the future of workspaces in a post-pandemic world. Over the years, the focus was always on increasing the space efficiency of a work floor rather than looking at ways to enhance the efficiency of a human in the work environment.

The offices may seem familiar, but they will undergo substantial modifications to ensure a safer environment for its employees. A lot of new protocols, practices, strategies, and spatial integrations will be implemented in the physical workspace to ensure the highest standards of health and hygiene are being maintained to re-integrate employees back to the office.

While there have been several pros and cons of ‘Work from Home’, one cannot deny the power of collaboration and trust that is built on face-to-face work. Interaction with colleagues and a dedicated work area are the two main reasons why employees prefer to return to the office. For many people, it is not just a place of work but also a social environment that connects them with other people over a cup of coffee. You just cannot experience that over a skype call.

This situation has paved the way for designers & other CRE experts to rethink the office spaces, to not only ensure the maximum efficiency of the space but also maintain a healthy ratio between the amount of space allotted per person. Designers are looking at multiple seating arrangements to open up the floor plan and regulate the distance between people while they are working. Integration of wider circulation areas, collaboration spaces, and a relaxed layout for workstations will drive the qualitative aspects of the space which in turn will instill a sense of safety and trust for the organization in the minds of an employee.

Remote working has impacted the focus-level and concentration on an individual level as every individual does not have access to a private work area in their respective households, so the physical office must look at providing more private areas for its employees via focus-pods, thinking rooms, or relaxation areas. A staggered attendance plan will also help manage the flow of people in the office with smaller groups coming on alternate days and shifts that avoid peak traffic hours. Employees will have to be provided with a choice-based seating arrangement along with a flexible work schedule.

Increased virtual meetings have led to re-thinking the use of meeting rooms. As more and more companies switch from conducting meetings in-person to digital meetings and webinars, the need for larger meeting rooms has declined paving way for huddle areas and smaller digitally integrated meeting spaces. Similarly, the existing meeting rooms can be utilized as co-working spaces or huddle rooms to compensate for a decrease in the number of workstations. Technology will play a vital role in not only connecting people for virtual meetings but also for maintaining safety standards in offices through touchless technology indoors, elevators, and coffee machines. A rapid shift can be seen on the dependency of physical workspaces on technology and its seamless integration in various sectors such as biometric screening, voice-activated applications, contactless transactions, air filtration systems, and virtual assistance.

Equal attention must also be given to the more public areas of the office such as the cafeteria or dining room to ensure a safe experience for the staff. Dining spaces can either be divided into smaller sections to facilitate smaller groups of people or can be expanded to ensure social distancing protocols are upheld. Wayfinding and signage should be integrated into more public areas of the office to demarcate safe zones in elevators and corridors, facilitate navigation, and prompt employees to maintain an appropriate distance while waiting in queues. Integrating biophilic elements in the design of the offices such as external terraces, balconies, natural light, and indoor plants will also contribute to reducing anxiety and boosting the creativity of the staff.

The role of a physical office is being questioned in the current times with the dependency of companies on the work from the home module, but the hybrid workplace will continue to exist to facilitate the newer functions and roles of an office. Our approach should not focus on maximizing the occupancy of an office building but to mold a space after understanding the needs of its employees as they gradually return to work. While there may not be a certain outcome yet of how the offices will look like in a couple of years, the current times are certainly challenging, exciting, and full of innovations.

The coronavirus has reminded us that we can see many challenges coming if we pay attention and listen to the experts. We cannot wait until we’re overwhelmed. We need to be proactive, not reactive. Do we want our response to be as flat-footed as the world’s initial response to COVID-19? Let us learn from this tragedy. Let us find the silver lining.

Every trend discussed here comes back to the information and the ability of information to drive improved designs.

The digital age is defined by information access. Ultimately, the trends we see in digital architecture revolve around the basic premise of digital technologies — improves sharing, access, and analysis of information-rich datasets. Digital innovation is an ongoing process. The more that architects can rely on digital solutions, the more effective they will be at pushing the boundaries of architecture and design. 2020 has been a transformation year, but it’s also following the path that we all could have predicted.

I started with Kenzo Tange, let me end it with him.

I like to think there is something deep in our own world of reality that will create a dynamic balance between technology and human existence, the relationship between which has a decisive effect on contemporary cultural forms and social structure.

~ Kenzo Tange

Deben Moza

Executive Director & Head Project Management Services Knight Frank (India) Pvt. Ltd. Deben has over 24 years of work experience in architecture, construction/ project management and corporate relocations. He has lead teams delivering projects totalling more than 30 mn sq ft across multiple sectors, including hospitality, residential, commercial, healthcare, education, retail (food and non-food) and renovation, as well as refurbishment projects as a business leader and consultant.