Connections

Guest blog

Connections

Jun 17, 2020 by Carolyn Ames Noble, ASID, WELL AP, WELL Faculty

COVID-19 forever changed the world. After a period of extreme isolation and social distancing, people are eager to reconnect. My hope is that many communities, families, friends and colleagues will come together stronger as they seek purposeful connection.

In the workplace, there will be a shift away from typical office plans into spaces that are meaningful and intentional, and the greatest value will be placed on time. The workplace in the 2020’s will become a hub for connection and exchange.

Many of us already worked remotely prior to the pandemic. In fact, according to a recent study, some 14.6% worked from home. In the first week of following COVID-19 closures, 34% of the workforce pivoted to working remotely. So, during the period of state and local mandated closures, nearly ½ of the workforce was working from home. (source) Kate Lister, president of Global Workplace Analytics, estimates that 25% – 30 % of the workforce will work from home multiple days per week by the end of 2021. (source)

In the next chapter of workplace design, technology and augmented reality will continue to empower our ability to communicate locally and globally. What has been a rising swell of remote work is now a tidal wave.

The home office is ripe for thoughtful redesign. Residential design was a driver in workplace design in the previous decade. Now it’s the workplace that will strongly influence the residence, such as ergonomic and/or active furnishings. Considerate acoustic planning will also be central to facilitate virtual communications.

All the while, we yearn for the sense of camaraderie, mentorship and creativity that only being together in-person can bring. In the coming decade, the workplace becomes a company’s connection site. Conference spaces, collaborative areas and areas for focus, concentration, meditation or quiet preparation will dominate. The need for open or closed offices will be dramatically reduced, since all task-oriented assignments can be completed remotely. Expensive real estate costs and carbon footprint will be reduced. Two or three companies may even share one headquarter space, alternating days of the week with one another and sanitation schedules. Instead of going to the workplace to work, we’ll go to the workplace to connect.

Photo credits; Image 1 - Source Material from the Streaming Collection, On Line. Image courtesy Interface, Image 2 - Courtesy of Turf Design

About the author

Carolyn Ames Noble is the founder of Ames Design Studio, where she focuses on workplace and lifestyle interior design and design research. Carolyn has a passion for the role of materials in design and is a consultant for several commercial product lines in architectural solutions, flooring, and paint & coatings. Carolyn contributes the North American trend viewpoint to Colour Hive’s international trend forecast magazine, Mix. Carolyn is a Director on the National ASID Board of Directors and the incoming Chair-Elect for 2020 - 2023. And as a WELL AP and WELL Faculty, she is passionate about creating and selecting materials with intention that can improve human health, beauty and delight in the built environment. Her career has been entrenched in materials and research, and she enjoys delivering dynamic and interactive presentations on these topics. An interior design graduate from the University of Akron, Carolyn began her design journey at HWH Architects Engineers & Planners in Cleveland, Ohio, and subsequently joined the Sherwin-Williams Company, where she held several positions of increased responsibility, including hospitality & corporate interior designer, Southeast U.S. designer marketing manager, and North American color marketing & design manager for the Sherwin-Williams Consumer Brands Division.