Home Away From Home
Date Posted: July 2, 2019
Posted In: Ideas,
From Green Operations: Today’s workforce is a mix of multiple generations — from baby boomers to Gen Z — who desire workspaces that cater to their evolving needs. Employers are, now more than ever, driven to meet those needs to find/retain a skilled workforce. The growth of hospitality- and residential-inspired designs within the corporate setting to entice those candidates is evident today, which has ushered in what some call the “resi-mercial” trend.
“People spend the majority of their lives at their workplace,” said Tina Li, designer, Bialek. “If you really let that sink in, it is then a natural progression for employees to seek the comforts of home while at work. As the workplace trend shifts from formal to informal, the addition of more variety of workspaces and workplaces having a variety of work type options, the residential influence will only continue to increase.”
In the past, designers said workplace concepts differed greatly. “I think previously we might have looked at design as more of a one-size-fits-all solution,” said Mackenzie McCulloch, senior project designer, HOK. “I think as companies are becoming more individualized and trending toward individualized brands, we are understanding that no one’s identity is the same. We are also looking more at hospitality, being warm and inviting and less formal — removing formality to make people feel more relaxed. When you are relaxed and comfortable you are doing your best work.”
John Sadlon, managing principal of workplace, Perkins+Will New York, agreed that work styles have shifted significantly in recent years and, in response, companies are dedicating more square footage to amenity spaces and collaboration areas as a means by which to encourage greater interaction amongst employees. “Integrating elements of residential and hospitality design creates a more unique and inviting workplace,” he said. “There is frequently a mix of commercial and residential or hospitality aesthetics within a single space.”