TRANSFORMING WORKSPACES:ONE DESIGN AT A TIME
Dr. Arnab Ghosh, Managing Director - Corporate Fitout India Colliers set the context of the conversation stating, “We tend to describe change as good or bad, rather it’s important to acknowledge and accept the change, understand the reasons for the change and ensure that as a professional your services are in sync with the new ask from your clients.” Dr. Ananya Gandotra, Founder Director, AG Strategic Management & Engineering Solutions Pvt. Ltd said for workspaces, one word that describes the change is flexibility. “Reformatting spaces to suit new manpower needs, incorporating technology in design and keeping space planning flexible enough to accommodate future changes without much effort has become the biggest need of the client, No more static designs & spaces.” Erna David- Project Head Interiors, APICES Studio Pvt. Ltd said she would define change as value for time of every individual. “Time is important and everybody in the hybrid or in-office format is giving a thought on how best to utilize everyone’s time for productivity, time management and mental & physical wellbeing.” Fancy George-CEO, Thomas Workplace Design felt that the choice of space is the biggest change. “There are no more fixed desks, hot-desking is becoming popular. From workstations and collaboration spaces to closed cabins and meeting rooms or even cafeteria, one can work from anywhere.” Gagandeep Kapila- Founder & Principal Architect, Workshop for Metropolitan Architecture expressed that virtual collaborations are the latest workspaces. “Physical space is no longer a necessity and employees can interact and communicate without being in the same room.” Sanober Garda- Sr. Director, Office Leasing Services, Mumbai, Savills India shared that there is now a trend towards repurposing of the space. “In 1950s and 60s we had production driven economy where office designs were rigid, dense and authoritarian. In 1990’s with IT boom and opening of FDI there was an influx of MNCs in India and cubicles gave way to open floor plans for low to mid management for more collaborative environment. The Covid again has redefined our normal that demands optimization of real estate portfolio through repurposing of spaces as per the new normal.” Dr. Ponni Concessao, Founder & Principal Architect, Oscar & Ponni Architects added, “The word that I would use to describe change is dynamic because as a designer, as an architect we work through expansive timelines and many a things change during the project execution, so much so that as designers we have to be very dynamic in our thinking to accommodate the new needs of the client during the course of project execution.” REIMAGINING SPACE AND PURPOSE Dr. Ananya Gandotra stated that office buying is now akin to home buying. “In workspaces also design has become a key and sharp focus. CRE heads and users are quite clear about their requirements. From amenities, sustainability to self-sustaining activities, they have become an important criteria for office designs. Another important factor is the cost of development and maintenance. All these aspects are becoming crucial considerations especially in case of being REIT worthy assets.” Dr. Arnab Ghosh agreed, “These are all valid concerns, whether it’s the occupier or developer and everybody’s working towards it because that’s the only way they can remain competitive in their business or real estate market. Most importantly, to bring employees back to office, the facilities will have to be attractive enough for the employees to want to use them.” Erna David added, “It’s been a journey of transformations for businesses, developers and designers alike. Before the pandemic people were talking about agile working. It was to give more freedom to pick and choose how they wanted to work. For instance, there might be a group collaboration session in a soft seated breakout area in the morning and then a period of quiet individual work during the afternoon. To facilitate various settings, office design had to be highly functional and adaptable. And it could be achieved by having furniture on wheels, or reconfigurable furniture, integration of technology and plug and play kind of environment. Hybrid working is an extension of agile working wherein it refers to more dynamic use of physical office space. When it comes to hybrid working and workspace design it’s really all about doing everything you can to make the office destination of choice for employee, over home office, co-working or local cafe. This could be in terms of ergonomic furniture, relaxation facilities, collaboration areas, sophisticated technology for video conferencing etc.” Fancy George shared her views on flex spaces, “The whole idea behind the Flex offices started because of the pandemic and it has become such a big rage. It all started with the idea of trying to do something different with the space and people caught on to the idea of flexibility in terms of choice of space, the amenities, the cost and the working hours and days. But, it also waters down the culture of the brand of the business.” Gagandeep Kapila expressed similar sentiments, “The pace of change in office design has been phenomenal. Technology systems are being imbibed in the daily activities and the spaces are increasingly being designed to make sure that the workforce is inspired to come to workplace. Old styled boring offices are being replaced by engaging spaces along with exclusive areas for virtual collaborations that have become the norm of our professional lives.” Sanober Garda elaborating on the changing scenario said that offices now have a hospitality element along with technologies for optimization of work desks and meeting rooms. We are dealing with a gen Z’s generation and funky designs entice them. Furthermore, with ESG becoming a mandatory compliance for most corporate now, there is a lot of emphasis on quality of building, wellbeing, accessibility for differently abled, crèches and even prayer rooms to cater to diversity and inclusion. It’s just not about how efficient is floor planning or green certified building.” Dr. Ponni Concessao summarized that the sea change in the build form of office buildings, “Even government buildings today that we are designing, unlike the earlier cramped public spaces, the mandate is to have wide corridors, eco-friendly products and material and sustainability enhancing technologies along with design features and spaces for gender diversity and inclusion. This has been a pleasant change to see that positive transformations are not limited to private offices but are now in the public buildings as well.” Not every office typology can encourage work from home. New workplaces are prioritizing health and well-being of employees. Flexible work environment accommodates various work styles. Thoughtful design approach includes ergonomic technologies and solutions integrated into workstations. Another modern office design concept gaining popularity is activity-based working Lounge areas, outdoor terraces, open office spaces help give work atmosphere as per preferences. Small booths & compact desks offer privacy and a quiet space for work or phone calls. Nature-based office interior design and biophilic design creates a more pleasant and sustainable workspace. Occupiers are evaluating de-densification of their workplace. The average square foot per employee is shooting up from previously 80-90 to 130 sqft. TO BRING EMPLOYEES BACK TO OFFICE FACILITIES WILL HAVE TO BE ATTRACTIVE ENOUGH. DR ARNAB GHOSH SUSTAINABILITY & SELF-SUSTAINING ACTIVITIES HAVE BECOME IMPORTANT CRITERIA IN OFFICE DESIGNS. DR. ANANYA GANDOTRA IT’S BEEN A JOURNEY OF TRANSFORMATIONS FOR BUSINESSES, DEVELOPERS AND DESIGNERS ALIKE. ERNA DAVID FLEX OFFICES PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY IN SPACE, AMENITIES AND COST BUT DILUTE BRAND CULTURE. FANCY GEORGE OLD STYLED OFFICES ARE REPLACED BY ENGAGING WORKSPACES FOR OFFLINE AND ONLINE COLLABORATIONS. GAGANDEEP KAPILA OFFICES NOW HAVE A HOSPITALITY ELEMENT ALONG WITH TECHNOLOGIES FOR OPTIMIZATION OF SPACE. SANOBER GARDA NOW GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS TOO HAVE THE MANDATE OF EMPLOYEE FRIENDLY AND ECO-FRIENDLY DESIGNING. DR. PONNI CONCESSAO
Tags : transforming workspace priority businesses work workspace design designers objectives Dr. Arnab Ghosh Managing Director - Corporate Fitout India Colliers Erna David- Project Head Interiors APICES Studio Pvt. Ltd Gagandeep Kapila- Founder & Principal Architect Workshop for Metropolitan Architecture Sanober Garda- Sr. Director Office Leasing Services Mumbai Savills India Dr. Ponni Concessao Founder & Principal Architect Oscar & Ponni Architects Dr. Ananya Gandotra Founder Director AG Strategic Management & Engineering Solutions Pvt. Ltd