Earlier this year, I presented at a roundtable with other designers and space planners on the future of the office. I didn’t offer a one-size-fits-all answer, but I’ve gathered some strong clues to help sketch a picture of what influences businesses and employee behaviour when it comes to office functionality and layout.
Why Will People Go Into the Office?
Lockdown in 2020 was the great experiment that revealed the power—and limits—of remote work. As Susan Chang (SVP, Workplace Design Advisory, JLL) shared in her NeoCon talk, the return to office has two driving perspectives:
- From the employee: We’re innately social beings. We crave connection and a sense of belonging—not just tasks, but tribe.
- From the employer: While admin tasks can be done remotely, shared energy fuels real innovation, problem-solving, and growth. It’s much harder to spark that synergy virtually.
Gensler’s post-COVID research showed that people came back for a blend of reasons:
- Young parents craved a focused, distraction-free zone.
- Many valued face-to-face collaboration.
- Interns and new staff needed mentorship and visibility.
In South Africa, the return was accelerated by a uniquely practical challenge: loadshedding and costly home internet. Offices offer more stable environments for productivity.
What Spaces Will Offices Need?
These are here to stay:
- Workspaces: Hot desks, private offices, dedicated workstations, privacy pods.
- Meeting spaces: Formal boardrooms, spontaneous zones like coffee bars, patios, and hallways.
- Welcoming zones: Reception and client-facing areas.
As for what might fade:
- Training rooms? With AI and pre-recorded onboarding, will we still need them?
- Call centres? Are bots set to take over?
Have you noticed other spaces losing relevance? I’m curious to hear your thoughts.
How Should the Future Office Look & Function?
Initially, post-COVID design focused on individual comfort—ergonomic furniture, adjustable desks, and personalised controls for lighting and temperature.
Now, the shift is toward group wellbeing and collaboration:
- Designing for social health to create a shared sense of identity.
- The right furniture and tech to foster meaningful group engagement.
- Spaces scaled to support productive synergy and casual connection.
Meeting dynamics matter too:
- Optimal group size for in-person synergy: 5–7 attendees. (Fellow)
- For virtual meetings: 4–6 people max. (PeopleManagement)
- Round tables promote problem-solving and creativity.
- Small meeting rooms keep energy focused. (The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters)
Forward-thinking workplaces nurture a growth-oriented mindset:
- Celebrate wins with gratitude.
- Stay adaptable and self-aware.
- Be humble in victory, hungry in setbacks.
- Share credit, learn from failure, and keep evolving.
My Tools for Future-Facing Design
When designing the office of tomorrow, these are the principles I bring to the table:
- Neighbourhoods, not open plans: Smaller zones for close-knit teams encourage real connection.
- Ergonomics that matter: Comfort drives productivity.
- Smooth connectivity: Tech shouldn’t be a barrier.
- Colour psychology: Choose tones that boost focus, calm or creativity—depending on the purpose.
- Structured social calendars: As Susan Chang says, “Design a calendar that reinforces culture.”
- Flexibility for individuals: Especially for talented parents—structure should elevate, not exclude.
