Columnists
April 5, 2019
Brexit, Brits and blending: what MIPIM told us about the state of corporate real estate
by Anna King • Comment, Property
MIPIM celebrated its 30th anniversary during uncertain political and economic times, yet the mood was positive and even the backdrop of an impending Brexit decision failed to derail the UK contingent. However, the one thing missing from MIPIM in 2019 was British politicians. They were all back home, participating in decisive votes in the House […]
April 4, 2019
Workplace art can draw the distinction between branding and corporate identity 0
by Helen Owen • Comment, Workplace design
One of the many traps that lies in wait for unwary organisations is to confuse corporate identity with their brand. The visual aspects of an identity may reflect the firm’s personality and values, and a change may go in hand in hand with the development of a new strategic direction or culture, but a mismatch […]
April 2, 2019
A quarter of a century ago, the newborn Internet set office design on a different path
by Colin Watson • Comment, Furniture, Workplace design
Because we are now so immersed in technology, we can sometimes forget just how young the Internet is. It was only in 1995 that the final barriers to its full commercial development were removed. In 1994, the number of people using it worldwide was estimated at around 20 million, there were under 15,000 company websites […]
March 29, 2019
Co-design is an old idea, but it belongs to the 21st Century like never before
by Jonathan Hindle • Comment, Workplace design
As with so many apparently new ideas that resonate in a contemporary context, co-design has a long history. Originally referred to as cooperative or participatory design, it was first applied in Scandinavia in the 1960s and 70s, especially as a way of engaging stakeholders in the public sector in the design and development of IT […]
March 28, 2019
The rise of the digital workplace is transforming the physical office
by Giles Fuchs • Comment, Coworking, Workplace design
A recent survey by Gartner predicts that one in five workers will have an AI bot as their co-worker by 2022. It’s almost impossible to talk about the future of the workplace without mention of AI or robotics, and is therefore hardly surprising that there is a feeling of apprehension amongst workers. PwC’s 21st global […]
March 21, 2019
Interiors are not enough to win the war for talent
by Ben Capper • Comment, Workplace design
I often refer to Google and Facebook in my blog, due to their influence on workplace design. Many consider them to be workplace interior’s holy grail. But today’s big employers are competing with one another on a much broader set of principles. Cool interiors alone just won’t cut it. Zürich, like many European cities is […]
March 18, 2019
Artificial Intelligence is transforming the workforce as we know it
by Dennis Spaeth • AI, Comment, Technology
It may seem like an inevitable fact of administrative positions that anyone who fills them will be subjected to a never-ending litany of repetitive tasks. Employees in these jobs often don’t receive work that engages their brains or peaks their interests. Rather than flexing their critical thinking skills, these workers are resigned to completing the […]
March 17, 2019
Time to unlearn the time management system you learned at school
by Steve Hartert • Comment, Technology
Picture a workplace where everyone follows rigorous to-do lists. Employees are told what to do, how long to spend on it, and in what order to tackle their projects. Then, picture a workplace where there are no to-do lists, no project deadlines, and no estimations of how long projects will take. Employees tackle work in […]
March 15, 2019
When exactly did busyness become a sign of status?
by Francesca Langton Kendall • Comment, Wellbeing
When exactly did “busyness” become a status? At work, in our personal lives and online, the competition to “live our best lives” and “hustle harder” is being taken to the extreme. Neuroscientists refer to busyness as a state of “cognitive overload.” This state can hinder our productivity, as well as our abilities to think clearly, […]
March 14, 2019
The negative entropy of workplace design and management
April 8, 2019
Navigating organisations through digital transformation
by Ian Tickle • Comment, Technology
It’s hard to escape the digital disruption that is reshaping not only the world we live in, but the fundamental way that businesses operate. Greater levels of data exchange and automation are creating new layers of innovation, shifting functional workflows to agile systems. And to prosper in this upheaval, leaders must look at how they […]