16 California Buildings News • Q3 2020
Top California Architectural Firm on Pandemic Workplace Design California-headquartered Gensler has emerged as the world’s foremost architectural authority on how workplaces should be reimagined during and following the 2020 Pandemic. Its comprehensive raft of studies and recommendations constitute blueprints for healthier and more productive ways to work and live indoors, where most people spend 90% of their time. Here are some highlights of Gensler’s studies. F Most people want to return to the traditional physical workplace: 44% surveyed want to do all their work there, 26% want to work only one of two days at home, 18% want to work three or four days at home and only 12% want to do all their work at home. F We won’t step back in time, simply “returning” to our former offices. Instead, we will be moving forward to a new place. It might look similar in many ways, but it’s going to be modified in strategic ways, incorporating new practices, new protocols, and new technologies. F One idea that is rapidly gaining traction with commercial real estate investors is the “hub-and-spoke” model, in which companies are looking to move away from a single centralized headquarters in favor of multiple, smaller satellite offices that are strategically located in new and emerging markets. F Now more than ever, (public) spaces are poised to become the grand lobbies and public waiting rooms of our neighborhoods and cities. At a time when crowds will be metered and access controlled like never before, public space is where people will spend a lot of time, waiting and doing all the things people do when they’re idle—socializing, debating, checking their phones, shopping on-line, listening to music, and finding space for recreation. Just consider the value of parks in this time of pandemic. F We have to define new norms and patterns. The deepseated behaviors we had before COVID-19 will need to change, as will the interaction models we’ve had with the people and environments around us. This is a challenge that designers are particularly well-suited for. It’s up to us to invent new spatial typologies and imagine the new products and services that support these environments— all with Offices show creative solutions for physical distancing. Images courtesy Gensler. This content originally appeared on Gensler’s Dialogue Blog.
the goal of elevating the human experience. The one thing most of us will be looking for when we re-engage with our communities is an underlying trust in the environment that we’re emerging into. There’s been much written about the need for screening checkpoints at the entries of buildings. For many, these checkpoints represent barriers to entry where one is confronted with a myriad mix of temporary tech equipment, signage and queuing lines. It doesn’t have to be this way. F We can find creative solutions to integrate physical distancing measures and safety cues within a space. These measures, designed to improve the physical safety of occupants, can also help make them feel emotionally safe. Solutions that convey a thoughtful approach cause the least disruptions to daily routines, will help put people’s minds at ease. Activating a space through activities and physical or digital interaction points can set the tone of a space. Activations are points in space that offer occupants an opportunity to pause and interact with a variety of pre-programmed content, such as small video and art installations, informational digital displays, posters, various branding opportunities, and at a larger scale, programmed events. F The movement to a more permanent work-from-home reality has raised the possibility that residential design will need to offer new solutions. At the very least, multifamily buildings may need to rethink amenities to better suit the at-home worker. The need for flexibility in residential units could also boil to the surface. Future designs could allow people to add office space or master bedrooms (in case college-age children need to return home for remote learning during another health crisis). In the meantime, with planning underway for new long-term real estate strategies, following are factors that companies should consider as they plan for the operational mechanisms necessary to permanently support new workstyle habits, which requires multi-disciplinary support (Complete reports are accessible at https://www.gensler. com/back-to-the-office )
