Less of a design trend, more a human focus...
In 2022, there are many different takes on a working environment.
The traditional office still has an important role to play in expressing a brand’s personality and culture, and whilst greater flexibility is being enjoyed by many, a coming together as a team and a business is what keeps culture alive.
Here we share a scheme in the making and the Riyadh office of our client Gissah, a home-grown Middle Eastern perfume and Oud brand. The scheme is fresh, minimalist with splashes of lux throughout. The space planning was as important as the look and feel, in supporting the brand values and in creating an uplifting mood that is aligned with the Gissah brand.
Next, we move out of the office and head stateside. There are many industries that don’t ever work in an office but do need a place to connect with peers, enjoy a sense of belonging, share stories, experiences and explore opportunities for potential collaboration to build something bigger.
Here we are excited to reveal a member’s club, which is targeting specifically the manufacturing industry. This sleek member’s club is set to be located in a historic Coca-Cola bottling plant in Dallas, Texas and is inspired by both the heritage and history of its location. The heart of the design reflects an industrial aesthetic, while staying true to its origin, showcasing deep, rich colours, and incorporating raw, historic elements. With a goal of activating the surrounding manufacturing industry, this project features a number of street-facing, publicly accessible spaces including a restaurant, sports bar, and retail shop. This unique concept will serve as a way to reconnect the manufacturing industry to the community and serve as a hub for Dallas locals.
So where do people work when not in the office? Of course the home-office scores highly, as do coffee shops. Both so convenient and allow the modern-day worker to enjoy a sense of balance in their life. A recent article by Forbes stated that “Accenture’s latest Future of Work report is titled “Productive Anywhere,” which neatly sums up the direction of hybrid work models. The report found that 83% of workers felt a hybrid model is optimal. Hybrid workers had better mental health, stronger work relationships, and were more likely to feel better off than full time onsite workers. Safety is only one reason: hybrid workers feel they have better quality of life, more freedom to take productive breaks, and helpful technology. It’s not just about being remote, the study finds. It’s about working in an organization that is intelligent, digitally mature, agile, and supportive. Hybrid gave people connection AND autonomy, flexibility AND secure employment, healthy AND productive. That’s more than a physical change—it’s a cultural change that encourages accountability and innovation on a very personal level.
The likes of WeWork and other such Regal and Servcorp dominate the market of coworking spaces with basic offices. When recently designing an innovative co-working space at the Foundry Downtown, a progressive art gallery and social hub in the expanding area of Downtown Dubai, our design team considered what people would need from the space. Kitted out with long communal tables, small meeting rooms and small stacked reading pods that allow people to feel cocooned and immersed in the reading material- as well as great coffee and hi-speed wi-fi, this type of concept is growing ever popular because sometimes it’s nice to hear the hum of life in the background during hours of concentration.
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