Covid-19 got all the architects and designers around the world wondering and reimagining how the post-pandemic offices would look and operate. As we are all well into the new year, the big question that arises is, how can office space support physical distance and ensure safety, without compromising the productivity and well-being of all employees returning to office?
Here are a few ideas and trends, to align your office space with, that will play an important role in the year 2021.
1. Resimercial design
Resimercial designs are a combination of residential and commercial features to make employees feel at home in the workspace. The trend started emerging when millennials grew to be a majority in the workforce. Covid-19 acted as a catalyst, making resimercial could be one of the office design trends to watch out for. This design includes decorative touches associated with the home environment and comfortable furnishings, particularly in breakout spaces. Some of the features of this office design are:
Flexible spaces
Comfortable seating
Natural light/ambient lighting
Natural fibers, rugs, large curtained windows
Classic house plants
Durable upholstery
To improve the resimercial design aspect, include natural elements into your office space. The natural world has inspired not just poets and philosophers throughout human history, but also scientists and entrepreneurs.
For example, Max Towers runs on the philosophy of biophilia. From the façade that modulates sunlight to the purified air inside Max Towers, everything you experience is designed to enhance the effects of nature on creativity, productivity, and wellness.
2. Videoconferencing provision
According to a PwC survey, over half of employers are planning to offer remote working in the near future and the majority of employees are wishing to work from home, at least part-time. We’ll likely be interfacing regularly with remote employees. There are multiple offices that are providing flexibility to their employees by enabling video conferencing.
As per McKinsey’s estimate the more advanced an economy, the greater is its potential for remote work. For advanced economies, 20-25% of the workforce may work remotely 3-5 days a week whereas that for countries like India is estimated at 5%. Irrespective, key to note is that moving forward, remote working in the overall mix will be a reality though mix may differ from country to country. While 2020 may be considered the year of remote work, it is just the beginning as we see the trend continuing in 2021. More than being just an option, it is going to be mandatory for an office to provide these. With dispersed teams becoming the norm, videoconferencing will play a major role in maintaining connections. This trend comes with:
- Cameras and microphones that automatically set in on speakers
Multiple screens for large in-house meetings
Smart interactive whiteboards
Therefore, allowing teams to leverage videoconferencing to its full potential is one of the design trends to align your office space with. Several of tenants who decided to upgrade their office space and moved in to Max Towers post COVID have meticulously taken care of these aspects in each of their meetings rooms, lounges as well as provisioned for zoom pods to enable one on one and one to many virtual sessions.
3. Workstation neighbourhoods
Large and open workstations have proven to be popular in recent years. However, in light of the pandemic, office designers are having to re-think layouts. Office architects are grouping desks into ‘neighbourhoods’, which are also known as pivot spaces, for when teams need to co-locate. These ‘neighbourhoods’ are specific areas containing movable furniture that can be reconfigured with ease, which is one of the easiest design trends to align your office space with. Office neighborhoods are typically organized based on people who have similar jobs or work together more than other departments. Instead of being assigned a desk, employees become members of groups. This supports impactful ways to work while enhancing collaboration and boosting productivity. While this does put people with similar work functions in the same space, physical distancing protocols can still be followed with strategic desk placement. In addition, this also enables implementation of ‘hybrid’ work model where not every one may come to the office 5 days a week
4. Sustainable offices
Today’s talent prioritizes companies or employers whose moral values align with their own, particularly when it comes to important issues like sustainability. Companies that are committed to reducing their carbon footprint, prioritizing employee wellbeing, and promoting inclusivity and diversity (Can add a link to the recent article we completed on inclusivity), are more likely to attract and retain the best talent.
According to a survey, which was the result of conversations with 1,000 employees at large US companies, nearly 40% of millennials choose a job based on the company’s vision and approach to sustainability. A few of the steps to follow this are:
- Eco-friendly ways of waste disposal
Water-saving bathroom fixtures
Energy-efficient lighting
Environmentally friendly cleaning products
Recycled or organic fabrics, e.g. raw/organic cotton, linen, hemp, bamboo
Having sustainability policies is a way for companies to demonstrate a commitment to environmental causes and this is definitely one of the design trends to align your office space with. Max Towers is LEED Platinum Certified and is a thought leader in sustainability. With features such as ground-water recharge, unique vertical-fin shading system on the façade to conserve energy, open to sky landscaped courtyard to enable natural lights in all parts of the building, tech partnership to upgrade air filtration to Mer 13 equivalence, and a comprehensive waste management system, Max Towers aims towards minimizing its ecological footprint.
5. Hands-free office design
Technology and workplace design go hand in hand. Think of beacon technology and wireless systems for presentations in shared work environments. One of the big office design trends in 2021 will be the implementation of hands-free technology to limit surface touching, and thus the spread of a virus in the workplace.
This technology includes touchless check-in solutions for visitors, who can simply scan a QR code at the front desk or access control points like doorways or elevators. We will also see more voice activation communication tools, artificial intelligence, and other hands-free controls used throughout the office. At Max Towers, we have deployed high speed destination controlled elevators accessible by employees ID cards to enable touchless experience.
6. Wellness and Relaxation
A work environment that is good for people is great for business. Regular exercise keeps employees more energetic, motivated, and happy when they are at work. Employees with enhanced energy, lead towards a better overall performance. Including a fitness center can improve the health and productivity of your employees and is one of the best trends to align your office space with.
Best-in-class trainers at Max Towers help curate and oversee a comprehensive solution towards the wellness of your employees. In-house leagues across various sports promote competition, enjoyment, and community, while high grade air filtration and well-lit office and common areas make sure fitness isn’t just restricted to the gym.
Gym, Salon, Creche, F&B, Café, meditation room, 130 seater state of the art auditorium clubbed with Cube, a pre-functional area enabling community and collaboration events and many more spaces within Max Towers serves as a unique confluence of amenities bringing to life Max Estates’ ‘WorkWell’ philosophy.
Relaxation is inextricably linked to wellness. The decompression spaces allow occupants to take short breaks from their overstimulating lives. This is an easy and effective way to boost alertness, productivity, mood, creativity, and learning, whenever you need it.
7. Consulting with employees on office design
When it comes to designing workspaces, you need to follow a step-by-step engagement methodology that enables companies to address office design challenges in a meaningful and inclusive way. Every employee is a creative collaborator. You need to ask “What do you need to do your job? What are your constraints?”. With the sense of responsible ownership, you should listen and analyze carefully so that before you start sketching, you know what the real challenges and opportunities are.
The new normal might not be easy to get used to. Some of these trends to align your office space with, should hopefully help create safe and flexible spaces when you go back to the office.
There are some working spaces such as Max Towers and Max House that are providing top-notch features for a safe working space. To know more, you can head over to the Max Estates website.
