DESIGN & INTERIORS


THE NEW OFFICE LANDSCAPE


A shift away from focussed, individual work is a game changer for traditional open plan offi ces. Jonathan Hindle, KI Europe’s Group Managing Director, talks to Tomorrow’s FM about why facilities managers should take note.


As Britain gets ready to return to work post-COVID, one thing is certain – the offi ce environment will never be quite the same again. But according to one of the nation’s most successful furniture manufacturers, it will instead herald the start of something even better – a change they are calling “an acceleration of human-centric design to support agile working” - it’s already starting to happen and it is going to be a challenge for facilities managers.


The company is KI Europe and it is talking about lifestyle changes which refl ect the growing nomadic culture of leaseholders who are no longer prepared to sign long term rentals. These are companies demanding shorter term lets who don’t want the cost of writing down or leaving behind existing offi ce furniture, but simply ‘want to take their stuff with them’ when they are ready to move on.


54 | TOMORROW’S FM


It’s a revolution supported by Chaucer, the world’s largest dedicated furniture logistics company, who are helping to coordinate this growing movement, transporting components from KI factories across the UK ready to be assembled into fi nal products prior to delivery and installation with the end client.


But what exactly is this new offi ce landscape going to look like? In simple terms it is a development which should not be confused with conventional partitions. It is instead a series of standalone work settings, or islands that can include desks, chairs, cabinets and any other accessories needed for collaborative, rather than solo work.


This shifting emphasis away from focussed, individual work changes the landscape for traditional open plan offi ces with fewer rows of traditional desks and more


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