Future office layouts for large organisations: workplace specialist and design firms’ perspective

What is it about?

Challenged by the effects of flexible workplace strategies, organisations are increasingly seeking flexibility and functional efficiency in their office space and its layouts. Motivations to change their work environment, include increasing collaboration and engagement, reducing CRE costs, increasing employee productivity and efficiency, enhancing the brand, introducing new organisational cultures, introducing new technologies and attracting and retaining skilled employees. Once an organisation decides to change their office layouts, an office design firm or, a workplace strategist, can be employed to implement new workplace strategies. Understanding the client’s requirements, as well as constraints, are key to creating an efficient office environment for occupiers. Since office layout arrangements have a significant influence on many important aspects of the organisation, design firms need to liaise with the client to determine the most appropriate design concept for their clients. In dealing with tenants over the years, design firms and workplace strategy firms have a broader understanding of what the common requirements are for tenants and landlords regarding requirements in workplace design. They have a good understanding of what clients’ requirements were previously and how they have changed over time. Thus, design and workplace strategy firms have a better understanding of the requirements of future offices. This research, therefore, explores the factors which design firms consider when designing new office layouts and the nature of future offices from the design and workplace strategy firms’ perspectives in the Australian context.

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