Flexible, smart and cosy

From remote work to health at the workplace, the office routine has dramatically transformed in recent years. Digitalisation and pandemic have revealed new challenges and chances: physical presence is no longer necessary to be part of the team and productive. At the same time, the requirements of office design are increasing – those who do go in to work want to feel completely at ease. You can find out what the office of the future will look like live at ORGATEC. You can have a first look at the new trends here!

"Digital nomads" is a term that now applies not only to many self-employed. Mobile work is advancing everywhere. This is because the pandemic has permanently changed the perspective on remote work: flights from Düsseldorf to Berlin for one-hour meetings now appear as dated as the assumption that productive work is impossible in home office.

As a consequence, our conception of the modern workplace has also changed. The office of the future is a place for cooperation and exchange. Open room structures with islands for meetings and spontaneous conversations promote solidarity, agility and creative work. Of course there are also possibilities to withdraw for concentrated work and video calls – key is a room design that allows as much flexibility as hybrid work models.

Creative approaches to solutions are more in demand than ever in the world of work. This is because, in addition to digitalisation, societal changes like inclusivity also offer new chances and challenges. An open design for space and work promotes creative thinking – thinking outside the box in a dual sense of the word. Instead of renting their own office spaces, an increasing number of companies therefore use co-working spaces or innovation hubs like MotionLab-Berlin, Creative Space Zurich or Second Home Hollywood. From the complete outfitting through multi-functional furniture to office design with a well-being factor, everything has been thought of here – even 3D printers, sound studios and workshops are part of the concept. That not only saves costs but offers employees a highly modern infrastructure for working and networking.

Airport lounges, hotels and cafés also follow this approach. Comfortable armchairs with extra high rests shield from noise, integrated charging stations enable hours of work on the laptop or smartphone. The new work office is everywhere and open around the clock.

Smart technologies play a decisive role when furnishing the office of the future. The maxim: creating optimal work conditions, thereby keeping sustainability and cost-efficiency in mind. With intelligent sensors, the ideal room temperature can be automatically controlled, for example. Air conditioning and heating only turn on when rooms are being used. For virtual meetings, the right light and pleasant room acoustics are just as important as the latest technical equipment.

Health at the workplace has also acquired new significance. In addition to ergonomic and sustainable office furniture , protection against infection must also be ensured – for example, with clever ventilation systems, automated cleaning and mobile apps, in order to, for example, monitor the occupancy of the rooms. The challenge with the smart office thus consists not only in creating connections but also allowing distance.

Because the future of work will increasingly take place at home, clear boundaries between living and work need to be set. modular furniture systems are therefore in demand for home office furnishing. Those who don't have a separate room for work should be able to redesign the living room or bedroom with little effort, for example, with the s shhh 3 home office from Evavaara Design . The desk thus disappears behind two cabinet doors at the end of the day to make space for dinner with the family.

In contrast with the old notion that work at home means free time, many people even worked more than otherwise during the lockdown. The trip to work and the group lunch were dispensed with. Ergonomic furniture is therefore also recommended for at home to compensate for the long hours at the computer. Technology and rental furniture offer companies a good possibility to provide employees with health-enhancing home office furnishings.

From the smart office to home office: modern office design manages the balancing act between openness and concentration, connectivity and distancing. Hybrid work models and decentralised structures are defining the future of work – and the workplace of the future is also flexible and oriented to needs. It will remain exciting to see how manufacturers implement these requirements. At this year's ORGATEC, you can also let yourself be inspired from 25 to 29.10.2022 and set your own impulses.

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