Sharing Gensler’s Take on the Future of Commercial Office Space
Written By: JoAnne Tobias
Humans love to plan. Studies show that you get as much pleasure imagining your vacation as you do from actually experiencing it. Published in the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life, the study showed that “vacation anticipation” boosted happiness for eight weeks.
But when you live in uncertain times, instead of fun planning, you face big questions: When will we get back to the office? When we do go back, what on earth will our offices look like? We don’t have a crystal ball, so we did the next best thing. We looked to our design friends at Gensler for some insight about the future of commercial office space. According to their extensive survey, only 12% want to work from home permanently. Most want to go back to the office full-time or are looking for a balance between the two.
But to feel safe in the office, people also expect big changes. Here are some possibilities that Gensler shared:
Vista Equity Partners designed by Gensler.
Some Immediate Solutions:
Meetings: less crowded
People likely won’t feel OK meeting in small conference rooms with poor ventilation. Fill conference rooms with half of the people it can accommodate according to social distancing and require masks. Others can join meetings virtually.
Cleaning: 3rd party protocols
People expect sanitizing protocols for workstations, conference rooms, reception desks, and social/common areas at regular intervals throughout the day. Objective, third-party standards provide more credibility and more comfort.
Healthy indoors: high air quality
Filter and destroy bacteria and viruses from indoor environments. Among other things, mechanical engineers recommend adding UV lights to air handlers.
Some Long-term Solutions:
A continued focus on health and wellness could involve retrofits or design solutions.
Rethink air-filtration systems
Bring more fresh air into spaces with operable windows. This dilutes the airborne contaminants and gives a feeling of greater control over the office environment.
Add outdoor space
Roof decks and outdoor terraces give workers an indoor-outdoor connection, provide work areas with fresh air and allow for social distancing.
Bring plant life indoors.
Design interventions that incorporate nature are linked to reduced stress and enhanced creativity.
Design a more hygienic environment.
Think door-free entrances similar to airport restrooms. Or doors designed with a foot-contact point.
If you’re working from home, you’ve made virtual as productive as it can be. But nothing beats that in-person experience. As we’ve heard the folks at Source say over the years: “Going to work is like spending time with my friends. We just happen to build great things together.”
Read Gensler’s full post here.