Successful companies are, by definition, good at optimizing resources; that’s why space efficiency and staff productivity are vital to our clients. The greater challenge is seeing into the future—the confluence of factors is altering the landscape of workplace interiors—with enough clarity and urgency to re-evaluate long-held assumptions and drive innovation.
I recently had an opportunity to reflect on those change drivers while participating in a “Workplace of the Future” panel at the American Planning Association’s national conference in New York, alongside Jon Pickard of Pickard Chilton, Larry Jones of Atelier Ten, and Doug Mass of Cosentini Associates (with whom IA co-developed the winning entry for the National Association for Industrial and Office Parks’ (NAIOP) Office Building of the Future global competition). Following are some of the key factors forcing our clients—in all markets, not just the office workplace—to reexamine their strategy towards providing space to employees in the future.