Dynamic Offices: Workplace Design For Individual Autonomy

Abstract

The hybrid work model, whereby workers divider their time between working remotely and in the office, has become more prevalent through recent years, largely accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In contrast to the conventional way of working where all employees come into the office everyday, employees have more flexibility in their schedule on how, when, and where they want to work enabling them to optimize their productivity. Reducing the number of staff in the office when implementing the hybrid office approach can result in under-utilized spaces as the office infrastructure remains designed to accommodate a larger workforce. As a result, there is an opportunity for businesses to work in a smaller office footprint, reducing the number of supporting spaces and enabling them to be repurposed for highly collaborative program. Furthermore, a hot desk system—where employees share and use any available workstation—can be implemented to optimize space utilization. However, the implementation of hot desks leads to a disconnect between the user and the workspace. Staff members will not arrive to the office to use the same personal desk every time. The lack of consistency requires employees to adapt to spaces that are available on a given day. As the space is shared, occupants lose control of their environment and become unable to customize it according to their preferences.

This thesis explores how a shared workplace can be designed to make use of the efficiencies of the hot desk model as implemented in response to a hybrid work environment while allowing the space to feel personal and familiar by leveraging qualities from design that is both flexible and adaptable. The exploration is carried out through design exercises exploring three scales of intervention. An existing building is selected and reimagined to accommodate multiple tenants operating on hybrid schedules with attention to space optimization and shared programming. At the intermediate scale, a modular system-based approach to floorplan layouts is introduced, allowing the space to be reconfigured while maintaining design cohesion and accommodate constant changes occurring within an organization. At the smallest scale, a workstation with automated reconfigurable elements is designed to provide familiarity and personalization within a hot desk system approach. These interventions are unified through a carefully balanced integration of technology that enhances user experience while providing valuable insight into how the space is performing. These interventions extend beyond the scope of efficiency; it improves the experience of those working in the space which leads to enhanced productivity, collaboration, and a stimulating working environment.