FOCUS 51
HAS POST-PANDEMIC hybrid working changed office design, and if so how? We talk to three leading workplace designers to find out, while in the round-up of recent office projects that follow their opinions, natural materials, biophilia and a variety of work settings are among the themes that shine through.
Opinion Jonny Wong, director, dMFK
THE GROWING acceptance of hybrid working wasn’t a surprise to us, nor to the flexible workspace providers. We were already seeing a shift before Covid in the 10 or 11 projects we’d done for flexible workspace providers Te Office Group over the years. Ten Covid shocked the rest of the market into it.
Our most recent The Office Group project at
Chancery Lane finished about half a year after Covid, and was fully let within six months at a time when everyone was struggling to get staff back and debating whether the office was dead. We’ve shown so many clients and tenants around that building, and have ended up working with other operators to create flexible products, including Storey for British Land and MYO for Landsec. Tey’ve all realised that bog-standard CAT A space
isn’t going to cut it anymore. Savills did a report on the key changes in the office market recently and noted a significant increase in focus on wellness and sustainability. Tere’s a shift to prime, and a big focus on character of the space. People have got tired of working in their kitchen and getting disturbed by their kids, or of working on their own in a shed in the garden. Tere’s a lot of psychology involved. We underestimated the importance of day-to-day conversations – even just small interactions like a ‘thank you’ in a coffee shop contribute to mental well-being. As well as actually being in the city and around people, I personally missed the threshold between home and work and the decompression of the journeys to meetings. dMFK has always had a clear focus on amenity-rich spaces. We’re designing spaces that people want to be in; occupancy by attraction. Companies realise that a well- designed space not only attracts people but is key to
maintaining a good office culture. You can’t do that when everyone’s working from home. People want good design. Tey don’t necessarily want offices with ping pong, or free prosecco. Tey want a nice, stylish space that you want to be in, where the amenities are good.
Right and top right The client wanted a space that would bring together its different teams while offering a variety of work settings. Throughout, dMFK’s design complements the client’s art collection
Project – Mayfair headquarters, London dMFK’s 6,500ft2
headquarters for a private client in Mayfair sought to
introduce character and nuance into the blank canvas of a Cat A fit-out. Taking inspiration from the traditional materials of the locality, the interior is designed with warm, earthy tones and extensive oak joinery and furniture. Tese include bespoke boardroom furniture and sit-stand desks designed in collaboration with Rawside, and a marble-topped table in the café area by Andreu World. Te client wanted a space that would bring together its different teams while offering a variety of work settings. Tese include soft meeting rooms, drop-in offices, and phone booths. Troughout, dMFK’s design complements the client’s extensive art collection.
Te biggest change is understanding that the working day isn’t linear. You need to have adaptable options for the time when you need a think tank for a large meeting, a room for small meeting, or when you need to be on your own. We did research with Te Office Group in which we identified that there were three or four different depths of focus that you need. So, in our own new offices we’ve created smaller meeting rooms, bigger meeting rooms like boardrooms, and also focus areas with good ventilation and good acoustics where you could sit there with your laptop – similar to but bigger than phone rooms. We also have to work a bit harder to make sure that we maintain the moments where everyone’s together. We’re borrowing ideas from the co-working in our work for traditional landlords including Grosvenor Estate, Great Portland Estate, and Dorrington. Tey’re recognising they need to provide more, like end-of-journey facilities, such as bike storage and shower facilities, and are also including a bit of flexible space, as well as tea points outside tenant’s domains to foster a sense of community in the building.
Workplaces now need to be adaptable for different work needs and approaches – and I think we’ll have much better spaces as a result.
dmfk.co.uk
PHOTOS: ED REEVE
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