New Scenarios: The Office in the Next Future

The office space in the next future: will the workspace disappear or not? How will it have to reinvent itself in order not to disappear?

In recent months, smart-working has made you discover the slowness, the pleasure of working from home, without moving, and therefore with more time to devote to family and hobbies. So is the office going to disappear? Are there already the conditions to return to work in the office respecting the rules of distance, hygiene and safety?

“The pandemic has not only changed the patterns of personal interaction – with an increase in health measures, social distancing and the rise of digital communication – but has also radically changed the way we work,” writes Nora Fehlbaum, CEO of Vitra. “Although the medium to long-term development of Covid and its impact on the workplace are still uncertain, we need to develop and test new post-pandemic solutions just as quickly.”

It is assumed that open space solutions will not disappear, but instead will adapt following a process of innovation that has already begun some time ago and that now will have to be accelerated and redefined.

In any case, in the open spaces will have to be created niches through glass partitions or screens that guarantee privacy and, above all, distance.

As far as the classic office is concerned, from now on there will no longer be multiple workstations, but individual ones, and there are already plans to incorporate a sanitizing system to disinfect the surfaces after use.

“The office is a place that provides the necessary interactions to encourage and encourage innovation,” stresses interior designer Sevil Peach. “This is where you can gather in groups, meet colleagues, communicate, collaborate, share experiences, learn from each other. For these reasons, I think, the office will survive…”

It is almost unthinkable to have to give up the office forever; designers and companies are working to find solutions compatible with the health emergency and the consequences that this emergency will cause in the long term.

Now we have to make do with working mostly from home without being able to deal directly with colleagues, without being able to meet clients and therefore without being able to grow professionally as before. The important thing, however, is to be able to create a small office, a small corner at home all for us that separates us from the family environment and that facilitates concentration as much as possible.

If you liked our blog post “New Scenarios: The Office in the Next Future” have also a look at Smart Working at Home