Spec Finish

Feature 22 www.thefis.org climate crisis. New, green technologies are being developed and the sector is rapidly becoming greener, driven both by occupiers’ demands and the industry’s own desire to do even better. In particular, we are seeing the growth of refurbishments, with old, often disused buildings – from dated industrial parks to dilapidated factories – turned into new, vibrant offices. It is a more sustainable option than building from scratch and something explored in a recent interview with Nicola Rutt, partner at Hawkins Brown and a refurbishment expert, as part of our The Office Briefing YouTube and podcast series. These are just some changes we are seeing, driven by our new context. Clearly, the office has a bright future. Its use might change, but its importance will – if anything – increase. As we spend more time working at home, having a truly great place to come together will be nothing less than vital. www.bco.org.uk Opportunity to build a better future Matt Blowers, ISG’s Chief Operating Officer for Global Fit Out, says: “The post-pandemic workplace needs to nurture a safe culture and flexible space where people feel emotionally connected to an employer’s brand and values through its design and functionality – and the right technology.” As part of ISG’s ‘Sustainable Spaces’ series, Matt was interviewed for WIRED magazine, to discuss some key findings from their latest research paper, ‘The power of place’. ( www.isgltd.com/en/campaigns/ the-power-of-place ) which indicates that achieving the right blend between remote working, technology and high-quality space is key for organisations. He said: “We now have an exciting opportunity to build a better future. It’s unthinkable that we’ll return to the same inflexible work schedules and office buildings – so what the workplace of the near future looks like is still very much up for debate.” Chiming with BCO’s opinion, Matt said: “The primary reason that people will be coming into the office is to collaborate. The emphasis has to be on the right facilities to do this, so the purpose and the flexibility of space will need to change to ensure people get the experience they need. “We firmly believe that discerning employers are going to be thinking about revolutionising meetings places into creative, compelling and inspirational places that people will want to travel to use for an experience that you can’t get at home”. “It’s a big challenge that we’re facing as a community. If this experience has taught us anything, it’s that by coming together we can solve the big challenges we face.” www.isgltd.com Optimism, productivity and positive mindsets JimSmith, Managing Director at Komfort Partitioning, is looking ahead with fresh energy and a new perspective. He acknowledges that many of us are now acutely aware of how adept we are at working fromhome, so how offices function in the future will determine who is willing to commute to and engage with their office space. He said: “With new habits having been formed over the past year and a realisation of what we have been missing, expectations have been raised about what an office needs to deliver. I doubt that office utilisation will ever be the same again, but I am confident that the future of workplaces will be buoyant, and designers and manufacturers will pivot to engage their audience in new and refreshing ways. “This remote way of working was always intended to be temporary. And whilst things may not return to five days a week in the office with “72% wanting a hybrid remote-office model moving forward”² the workplace is the lifeblood of many businesses. Especially, within the construction and the built environment – nothing compares to sitting around a table with your team, discussing project ideas and coming up with a well-balanced result. These interactions allow companies to innovate, evolve and thrive, a lot of which has been missing in the past year. “The return to the workplace will be gradual, but it will be filled with optimism, productivity and positive mindsets. There is a certain buzz in the air, in anticipation of a ‘boom’ across all sectors within the next few months. I can already see this being reflected by the levels of enquiries and future projects currently undergoing the design stage. “The vision of office design has always adapted with the changes, priorities and viewpoints of our environment, and this is an exciting shift. I am treating this as an opportunity to take what I have learnt about the value of our office space over the last 12 months and apply this to an exciting future.” Office design shift? Jim anticipates offices being smaller and for many, he thinks they will move out of cities to towns and business estates and retrofitting existing spaces will be more common rather than investing in new premises. He said: “With this in mind, any design evolution will benefit our industry. “The future of office design will undoubtedly adopt some of the key principles of home working. During the past 12 months, we have all had a dedicated eating space, working and time out space during the day. This type of division of space for different activities is exactly what we need to bring to our future workplaces, we will need less dedicated space for individual desks but more collaborative and interactive areas, which our homes can’t deliver. “I can also see the aesthetics of future offices reflecting some of the comforts of home. Being surrounded by soft furnishing, warming tones, décor and features, and also the option for quieter dedicated spaces such as pods.” Positivity Providing comfort and safety will be essential to engage office occupants, and the concept of ‘division’ is also key here. Dividing spaces provides reassurance and creates safe boundaries within the minds of the occupants and shows that employers make the health and wellbeing of employees a top priority. Jim said: “While this has been a challenging time and we will be glad to see the end of it, there are certainly positives which can be taken forward – our sharpened focus on people, productivity, wellbeing and, importantly, our environment. For the construction industry to thrive, all parties involved in the design and build of workplaces need to work collaboratively to create buildings for the environment, as well as the occupants.” www.komfort.com Let us back! Some 58% of workers want to return to the office in some form following a year of working from home, new research³ from Deloitte has confirmed. However, attitudes towards the office are changing says Laurence Barrass, Managing Director at commercial interior design and fit out company APSS. He said: “Back in March 2020, no one really knew what to expect. No one knew how long this pandemic would have businesses closed or working at reduced capacity for. “Many of our customers still wanted to invest in their offices, although in a very different way to before the pandemic, now, with social distancing being very much normal practice and many businesses adapting to both working from home and in the office, the focus has shifted to making economical use of space for meeting rooms and creating more efficient and safe environments for their employees.