Search Results for: creativity

Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces 

Creating the epicentre: unlocking the untold benefits of next-generation office spaces 

Many associate the notion of futuristic office spaces, filled with equipment like sleep pods and beer taps, with companies that have a young workforce or challenger brand identityMany associate the notion of futuristic office spaces, filled with equipment like sleep pods and beer taps, with companies that have a young workforce or challenger brand identity. The association is often linked to tech giants like Google, which created quite a stir when it originally revealed its indoor slides. Whilst the inclusion of playground furniture in the office is not right for every business, the assumption that unconventional workspaces should be limited to unconventional companies simply isn’t true.  More →

From the archive: The role of workplace design in employee engagement

From the archive: The role of workplace design in employee engagement 0

A new report certainly raises the question of what more can be done, including in terms of workplace design, to boost engagement levels amongst these employees

Originally published six years ago, this feature is currently the most read story ever on the website with around 50,000 readers. A global study by my own firm Steelcase has found that one-third of workers across 17 of the world’s most important economies are actually disengaged. The findings make worrying reading for employers around the world, as engagement is so demonstrably linked to business critical outcomes such as employee retention, productivity and even profits. It certainly raises the question of what more can be done, including in terms of workplace design, to boost engagement levels amongst these employees. More →

No one shouted stop, although we all should have seen it coming

No one shouted stop, although we all should have seen it coming

And No One Shouted Stop! seems to me to be an apt phrase to capture these post- pandemic times as we grapple with work and workplace dilemmas. It comes from the little-known but widely acclaimed book of the same name by John Healy. It is set over 50 years ago and it chronicles the decline of an Irish town. The book’s underlying narrative is a train crash happening in slow motion, people see it coming but nobody feels able to stop it. I sincerely hope that this will not prove to be the case for the world of commercial real estate as it grapples with hordes of tenants asking not just ‘where is my office?’ But ‘why do I need an office?’ More →

Reimagining the workplace: three keys to wellbeing, connection, and change

Reimagining the workplace: three keys to wellbeing, connection, and change

Herman Miller has introduce a new framework that helps organisations uncover the purpose of their workplaceMiller Knoll has introduced a new framework that helps organisations uncover the purpose of their workplace. The approach addresses the human needs of employees to improve their wellbeing, fosters a sense of community and connection, and helps organisations navigate, prepare, and design for change. The firm sets out its thinking here. More →

It’s hard to keep dead tech down

It’s hard to keep dead tech down

People are curiously slow to give up on dead tech, sometimes for sound practical reasons and sometimes not so muchIn 2022, Cormac McCarthy published two novels at the age of 89. An impressive feat, doubly so because he wrote them on the same old dead tech typewriter he’d bought from a pawn shop in 1963. Prior to his death, he no longer had the original, a light blue Olivetti Lettera 32, because that was sold at a charity auction for a quarter of million dollars in 2009. A friend replaced it with an identical model for just $11. But one that lacked the cultural imprint, clearly. More →

Projects from Portugal, Belgium and France winners of the 2023 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence   

Projects from Portugal, Belgium and France winners of the 2023 ULI Europe Awards for Excellence   

Three built environment projects that have, respectively, restored an historic market building in Porto, delivered 182 individual school projects in Flanders, and created a hybrid, mixed use flagship development in Paris, have been announced as winners in the 2023 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe Awards for ExcellenceThree built environment projects that have, respectively, restored an historic market building in Porto, delivered 182 individual school projects in Flanders, and created a hybrid, mixed use flagship development in Paris, have been announced as winners in the 2023 Urban Land Institute (ULI) Europe Awards for Excellence. The awards set out to recognise outstanding built environment projects in the private, public, and non-profit sectors, celebrating excellence in land use practice across the entire development process, from planning and construction to economics, management, sustainability and resiliency, community impact, and architecture and design. More →

Amsterdam gears up for Workspace Design Show next week

Amsterdam gears up for Workspace Design Show next week

The Workspace Design Show, an event dedicated to the future of workspaces, is taking place for the first time in less than a week from Wednesday 11 October to Thursday 12 October 2023, at the RAI Amsterdam. The event already has a successful London show. This two-day event promises to bring together industry leaders, experts, and innovators to explore the latest trends, insights, and strategies in workplace design and management. Here is a deep dive into the agenda that will be explored in detail at the conference stages next week. All of the panel discussions are free-to-attend; register here for a complimentary visitor pass. More →

Innovative ideas and artistic expression converge at the Workspace Design Show Amsterdam

Innovative ideas and artistic expression converge at the Workspace Design Show Amsterdam

Discover a unique event experience that transcends the boundaries of artistic inspiration at the upcoming Workspace Design Show, taking place from 11 - 12 October at RAI, AmsterdamDiscover a unique event experience that transcends the boundaries of artistic inspiration at the upcoming Workspace Design Show, taking place from 11 – 12 October at RAI, Amsterdam. This event will bring together the Benelux workplace interiors community in a dynamic exploration of the future of experiential workspaces. The Workspace Design Talks will host 13 panel discussions and over 50 leading speakers. Renowned firms such as UNStudio, D/DOCK, Booking.com, EDGE, MVRDV, Turner & Townsend, KAAN Architecten, CBRE Design Collective, Miro, Cushman & Wakefield, and many others will be there to share their insights. More →

Wellbeing, flexibility and work-life balance top most employees’ wish list in 2023

Wellbeing, flexibility and work-life balance top most employees’ wish list in 2023

around 9 in 10 employees consider wellbeing facilities and offerings are 'critical' when choosing a workplace, and 82 percent expect support from their employers in achieving a work-life balanceThe latest Employee Wellbeing Data Report [registration] from flexible office provider Mindspace claims that around 9 in 10 employees consider wellbeing facilities and offerings are ‘critical’ when choosing a workplace, and 82 percent expect support from their employers in achieving a work-life balance. The report argues that whilst the trend of ‘quiet quitting’ may be abating and the ‘return-to-office’ mandates are increasing, the survey suggests that attitudes towards the workplace and work-life balance continue to shift, with the majority of employees putting more emphasis on mental and physical health and overall wellbeing. More →

Shanghai Design Week announces details of London event

Shanghai Design Week announces details of London event

Shanghai Design WeekShanghai Design Week has announced details of its ‘Design to Wonderland’ event, being staged in London for the first time later this month. The event organisers hope that the inaugural event will serve as a  global platform to spotlight Chinese innovation across a number of creative sectors, including architecture, art, fashion, and beauty. Taking place from 16th – 29th September, China Exchange Centre will host the event, a collaboration between Shanghai Design Week and the London Design Festival. As well as being a celebration of Chinese creativity, D2W is planned to serve as ‘a bridge’ between the design industries of China and the UK. London Design Festival is also hosting an event in collaboration with Insight, details of which can be found here. More →

Working from home won’t last forever… will it?

Working from home won’t last forever… will it?

The so-called return to office and pushback on  working from home seems to be the must-talk topic on workplace strategy right nowHave we all gone a little OTT on RTO? The so-called return to office and pushback on  working from home seems to be the must-talk topic on workplace strategy right now; a heated debate ignited by Zoom’s recent call to reduce remote working days for its employees.  Many have been surprised at how polarising this decision has become. Who would have thought that a global business asking employees to work from the office two days a week could cause such controversy? Even if that business does specialise in video calls for remote work? More →

Why does colour psychology make so much difference to us?

Why does colour psychology make so much difference to us?

In 2013, two Australian academics set out to discover the answer to a deceptively simple question. Why is there such a thing as colour psychology, but not shape, line or texture psychology? The answers they come up with are complex, arcane and wide-ranging but they manage to sum them up to some extent in the conclusion to the paper they published. “No other visual attribute shares such diverse representations”, they wrote. “Study into shape, line, and texture hardly competes. For this reason, there are no proportion-shape-line-texture prediction agencies, and chromotherapy is not challenged by proportion-shape-line-texture therapies. Colour remains special and, given its rich and complex heritage, is likely to remain so.” More →