August 18, 2023
A number of apparent truisms about work and workplaces entered mainstream consciousness in the wake of the pandemic, and the shift to more flexible and hybrid working cultures. One of them is that people are better off carrying out focussed, quiet work at home, and creative and collaborative work in the office. And that this might suggest our approach to office acoustics would shift in particular ways. More →
August 14, 2023
Following on from its successful launch last year, the Sustainable Design China Summit returns for 2023. The event, an evolution of Design China Beijing, is held at the Beijing Exhibition Center from 21-23 September 2023 and is a must-visit for designers, architects, developers, and decision makers looking to design a sustainable future. More →
August 14, 2023
It’s a banality to point out that futurism is nowism plus either a robot butler or blasted landscape. So, I was taken with a press release we had last week from Studio Alliance which shows an AI’s depiction of the office of the future at various points over the next quarter of a century. What is most striking to me, if you set aside the Jetson-y outside views, is how much like the office of the present each is. More →
August 10, 2023
Zoom has opened a new London ‘Engagement Hub’ which the firm claims will spearhead the shift from traditional office spaces to ‘experiential working hubs’. With the demand for hybrid working and remote capabilities giving rise to unconventional ways of operating, Zoom says it has designed its new office to support the changing nature of the employee experience, marking a new era of modern work. More →
August 9, 2023
In the ever-evolving discussion around the landscape of work, one established industry event stands as a beacon of knowledge and innovation for workplace professionals: the Workplace Trends Conference. The 2023 conference on 18 October, in London and online, promises a day of enlightenment, inspiration, and connection that’s not to be missed. Workplace Insight is pleased to be a media partner for Workplace Trends Conferences. Our readers may claim a 20 percent discount on their ticket price by using promo code INSIGHT20 when registering at https://workplacetrends.co/events/wt23/ More →
August 9, 2023
The key driver for employees wanting to go into the office is the need for socialisation and collaboration, according to the latest quarterly Workplace Index from Eptura. The report claims that this is an acknowledgement of the desire to be part of a community and the potential isolation of working at home. More →
August 7, 2023
…talking of Orwell, I recently whiled away an idle hour checking which of the more deranged pronouncements from the period of peak workplace hysteria in late 2020 have been memory holed. There was some weird, wild stuff, often coupled with a feverish response to anybody urging caution. At one point somebody (I know who but won’t say) suggested I should be banned from LinkedIn for pushing back on the idea that any firm that didn’t go fully remote would be out of business within five years. More →
August 4, 2023
We are part of the London Design Festival for the first time this year, developing an exciting new project that promises to mark a significant shift in the way we think about workplaces and sustainable design. We have partnered with Material Matters to create a space that will showcase the latest and most innovative thinking on sustainable office design, circularity, new materials and innovation. Known as The Works Place, products and ideas will be presented in a range of working settings so that visitors can see how they might be applied in their own offices and other spaces. More →
July 27, 2023
Over the last few years there has been something of a loud and widespread backlash to the idea that we need to have constant access to information and our colleagues to work effectively. The touchstone for this pushback is of course the open plan office which has become something of a scapegoat for the universal problem of interruption and distraction and a renewed interest in the complexities of acoustics in office design. It is also one of the main reasons people prefer to work anywhere other than offices some or all of the time. More →
July 25, 2023
It is now a truism to suggest that the traditional ways we think about office design need to be rethought in response to the new and emerging challenges businesses now face. Most people accept this but are still trying to work out the implications for the way we design and manage the physical workplace. The office needs to tell a new story. And one way to structure this narrative this is to borrow ideas from the movie screenwriting process. More →
July 25, 2023
Responding to reports from property management platform, Re-Leased, that UK office lease lengths has fallen to the lowest on record and that vacancies rates had soared, office designers Unispace are suggesting firms should be wary of making ‘rash decisions’ regarding their office footprint over the long term. A study published by the firm – Returning for Good – which surveyed 9,500 employees and 6,650 employers from 17 countries worldwide – claims that while employees in the UK spend the least amount of time in the office compared to any other country, there is an expectation that this will increase as workers face limited access to career progression opportunities while working remotely. More →
August 22, 2023
Advancing accessibility and reaping the rewards of disability inclusion
by Katy Talikowska • Comment, Facilities management, Workplace design