BSBG design for DMCC Uptown Phase 2 unveiled
Designs for the two new towers which represent Uptown Phase 2 have now been revealed, as construction…
19 Feb 2024Experience Loading
Suggestions: architecture engineering design
Words by BSBG Media Team, Sunday 10 May 2020
Even before the onset of coronavirus, rapidly developing technology and evolving workplace requirements were contributing to an ever-changing architectural landscape, a landscape in which the concepts that worked in the past would not necessarily have relevance tomorrow.
Building flexibility was already seen as a central component of successful modern design that would truly stand the test of time. This flexibility, combined with a need to incorporate sustainable and smart solutions, as well as to cater for the health and wellness of the building’s inhabitants, represented goal posts perpetually in motion.
These were core concerns generally at the top of client wish lists over the last five years, before aesthetics were even considered. And now the impact of coronavirus looks set to present a whole new set of additional challenges for designers. Most forecasters agree that humanity will certainly recover from this decline, but that life will change – in terms of values, habits and social interaction. It is only logical that the design of homes and workplaces will follow.
The quarantine measures have forced companies to embrace widespread remote working. For many, the experience has been resoundingly productive, although not without its challenges. Some benefits to remote working, as reported by staff at BSBG, include a personalised working environment, less distractions, saving money on the commute and food, and more time spent working rather than travelling.
“Working from home allows a company and individual to be more flexible and agile,” BSBG Lead Interior Designer, Georgia Stevenson, comments. “There is the potential for people to work productively from anywhere in the world, collaborate anywhere and vary times of working. I think the success of remote working that we’ve seen for many businesses is hugely positive for the future. It means offices may need to be more like a creative/social hub with hot desking and breakout spaces, predominantly used for client meetings, presentations or social gatherings.”
Remote working has presented a new set of challenges, however. Managing teams of individuals each working separately and remotely is extremely time consuming, and often there is no substitute for one-on-one interaction to ensure tasks are understood and acted upon promptly. There is also the impact that working in isolation has had on individual wellbeing. “No human interaction has been quite difficult, particularly in my case where the only person I’ve seen is my own reflection in the mirror,” says Alia Soufan, Senior Interior Designer. “There is also not really a time to switch off, and because your files and data are right there in your living space, you find working hours tend to be longer.”
Certainly more attention will be given to the concept of working from home, or potentially a hybrid of remote/office-based work, in many industries within which it was previously disregarded. Granted, there will be many employees simply desperate to get back into the office and mix with their colleagues, but there will be an equal amount who would prefer to work remotely – for productivity more than anything else. In many cases, for those working from home there are far less distractions than in the workplace, and when you cut out the commute to and from work, the lunch breaks, unnecessary meetings, etc., it’s easy to see how for some the benefits of remote work begin to outweigh those attached with coming to the office.
Commercial architecture will need to adapt to help maintain the attraction and wellness considerations of coming in to work. Spatial organisation in particular must surely be addressed, while the likelihood is that many companies will look to embrace more innovation-founded, creative office layouts that focus on ergonomic use of space and increasing employee morale and communication.
Some of the most popular viral images during the coronavirus have been those depicting the clear skies above high density industrial zones and other global metropoles, as mass production was temporarily abandoned, and fresh air was in abundance. The stark contrast with the smog-laden environments we had become accustomed to sent ripples across the world.
Will the outcome of this lead more people to question the origin of the materials they incorporate into design, and into their daily lives? Are they made naturally, is their production harmful to the environment, are the materials relevant to health and wellbeing? Is there virus/germ control, a reduction of VOC’s during manufacture?
These were questions already largely at the forefront when considering architectural design, however the importance of these factors has reached a level of mainstream affirmation which makes it impossible to brush to one side, at least for the time being.
Once a sense of normality returns to life, how long the wide ranging impacts of coronavirus - both positive and negative - will remain at forefront of the human consciousness and influence the decisions we make, only time will tell…
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