2030: Office of the Next Decade

The past decade has been revolutionizing in terms of workplace design and in the next decade, the office of tomorrow will continue to change and be more agile. Baby Boomers will be on their way out of the working population and by 2030, millennials will make up for 75%. They will be the business leaders and decision-makers, which will bring a significant change in the idea of an office. Gen Z will also be a significant part of the working population. The future of office design will have to cater to the needs and aspirations of the younger generations.

So where do we go from here? And what will workplace designers consider when creating the office of the next decade? Here’s looking at the influencing factors in office design for years to come.

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Sustainability and circular design

For years, the construction industry has followed a linear model with materials sourced, manufactured, used and then thrown away. With the global demand for resources surging, raw materials becoming harder to extract and the threats of climate change increasing, this status quo cannot hold.

The circular design model offers an alternative, more sustainable approach, prioritizing the retention and refurbishment of buildings over demolition, and designing for the separation and reuse of materials. Hence, companies having sustainable and recyclable products will get preference by buyers and influencers.

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Data-enabled collaboration and customization

There’s a growing need for flexible workplaces designed to bridge the gap between New-age and more traditional workspaces. The shift to more agile working is influencing the design of the future office, where a range of formal and informal areas for meeting and collaborative work are interspersed with quieter areas, providing a wide variety of task-specific workspaces.

In the future, sensors in workplace furniture, fittings, and equipment will help offices to adapt to their users’ needs, for example through learning and responding to people’s individual preferences.

Millennials will be in the hot seat

Millennial leadership and technology integration will have a radical effect on the composition of the workplace. They will be 75% of the workforce from the current state of 35% and will increasingly be assuming leadership positions. They are digital natives and agile workers who value engagement and creativity in their work environment. Offices of the future will be a purpose-driven work environment that needs to deliver on the needs of our future leaders by optimizing spaces that support activity-based working, intuitive technology and collaboration.

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Co-Working will be the norm

The co-working environment will continue to thrive. Today, this office style is used not just by small start-ups, but also established businesses who enjoy and promote the flexibility and convenience that shared office spaces allow. Expect the millennial generation to crave community and a group of like-minded people that challenge and support them to do their best. As this style of working becomes the new norm, this will make the internal company culture that much more important.

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The future is all about well-being

With the latest research showcasing the dangers of sitting, our offices of the future will place an even bigger emphasis on employee health. For instance, sit-stand desks will be the new norm and not just a specialized facility like today. This trend can definitely cater to flexible and changing work-forces, where a desk per person may not be required. With the continued prevalence of smart technology, we might even see real-time health monitoring to further optimize our health both inside and outside of the office of the next decade.

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Phoenix, AZ

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At the end of the day, we will have to wait until 2030 to know for sure what the future office will be like. One thing for certain is that it will be quite different from the office we know today. Whichever way it goes, careful consideration needs to be given to the overall environment, color scheme, furniture & fittings and above all the acoustic signature of the environment.