Despite visions of everyone working from home (or the beach) in the 21st Century, and the technology now being available to achieve this vision, it’s swiftly becoming apparent that the corporate office is still very much in demand. Companies and employees value the physical space, both as a representation of brand and somewhere that encourages collaboration and a sense of community.

The office has no doubt evolved in terms of design: few and far between is the office where rows and rows of desks are now dominant; instead break-out areas, kitchens and social spaces are now almost the baseline minimum. But while design has changed, one thing remains the same: more often than not an office will lie empty for more than half the day, costing the occupier money and playing no role in the surrounding community.

So what can be done to extend the utility of an office? Firstly, there is the option to integrate retail and leisure uses. Many large offices already contain cafes for business-related meetings. Is there the option to extend their working life and make these accessible to the public outside standard working hours? The restaurant industry has already looked at their quiet times of the day and some operators are exploring how space could be used to accommodate mobile workers. The same could also apply to office gyms, boardrooms, or lecture theatres: can these be adapted for evening or weekend events?