The new workspace is the college campus

DAte

October 20, 2021

Category

Research

In the university, learning and working is a fluid state that blossoms in a network of set spaces (library, auditorium, dorms) which, even though physically distinct, all operate in a seamless and interconnected way. Think about it: to collaborate with your colleagues, you would probably go to the student hall, an unoccupied lecture room, the studio, the lab or hit the university's cafeteria - however, when it came to studying for a test, preparing a presentation or writing that report that you had delayed for forever, you would probably stay at the dorm or find a very quiet corner in the library.

It is painfully clear that, when we were at the university, completing a project was not synonymous to staying at just one specific place; we were choosing locations based on the nature of each task.

Our university experience was a plethora of places, all tied under the notion of "studying".
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We believe the same should apply to our workplaces.

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The Office will be just one instance of the Workplace

The "Workplace" will be a constellation of spaces for all different work activities, serving what people actually need to be more productive.
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The Challenge

The challenge presented here is simple: the executives and the employers need to be able to sense the aspects of work that the physical office truly serves, through understanding the behaviors it fosters.

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Start by asking yourself: when coming to the office, do your employees tend to meet in the conference room, holding long meetings, or prefer to focus on their desks with minimum interaction? This is a first step in understanding why your employees choose to come to the office aka what needs does YOUR office cater to YOUR people.

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So, how does one cater successfully for the "right to choose" model?

Every workplace is different because every team is different. For some, this new constellation of spaces will require heavy investment in sophisticated tools for virtual collaboration while others will need spatial rearrangements, changes in your office's layout and more carefully designed communal spaces.

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Knowing exactly where to invest first requires us to accept the fact that we no longer design offices - we design the experience of working, which is heavily influenced by the ways the employees are using both the digital and the physical spaces of a company.

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The new workspace is the college campus