Design Principles
With a reduction in individual desk area from 55% to 20%, it’s clear that the pandemic has drastically affected the workplace. With home office becoming a staple of buisness-as-usual, what does the “other“ office offer employees? Grabbing a coffee, taking a short walk, tapping your co-worker on the shoulder - the office exists to provide the backdrop for live interactions. The new office should enable a strong feeling of “togetherness”.In our proposed zoning strategy, 3 new types of spaces emerge that foster this feeling- within a team and digitally, formally and informally. The Collsion, Team and Co-focus spaces populate the new building.
Agility and Inclusion
With 30% of the workforce doing home office at any given moment, those present are given a variety of workstations to choose from. The 3 different Spaces (Collision, Team and Co-focus) house both desks and workpoints, both quite and loud areas, so that you’re free to choose the right spot for each workday. The new office concept maintains and grows a strong network of peers, supported by well placed structural and architectural interventions to foster community and exchange. Prominent landmarks and meeting points inside the building facilitate orientation and encounters.
Health and Wellbeing
Users’ needs shift throughout the day at the office. Primarily to enjoy an exchange with others, retreat to a quieter area, concentrate or communicate work results and tasks. To cater best to these needs, the elements that create a more comfortable and human-centric space are considered. This includes lighting, acoustics, smell, and touch. Find the right space for your current mindset. Bringing the inside out and the outside in” was an important goal for the building concept. Crucially, the Collision space becomes a central meeting zone connecting the two courtyards, while the backyard terrace is furnished with outdoor pavilions where people can eat, meet and work.
Sustainability
The New Work office is a sustainable one. Meaning that different layers of the built environment are considered- from the walls to the furnishings and floor coverings. Circularity is also promoted, moving beyond the “reduce, reuse, recycle” model to include “reassemble, refurbish and resell”. Setting up this mindset early on ensures waste is minimized and that each design decision takes sustainability into account.
