Transformation of the Work Environment

In recent decades, virtually no other area of life has changed as much as work. The shift from an industrial to a knowledge society has created an increased demand for workplaces in office buildings. At the same time, work itself has changed. Globalisation, the invention of the internet and the digitalisation of many processes are accelerating our everyday lives. Technification through electronic media is making work flexible in terms of time and location independent. Home offices and mobile devices are blurring the boundaries between work and leisure. Work can thus theoretically and practically take place anywhere, leading to new typologies. Creativity will be the key resource of the future, so how can architecture foster creativity and innovation?

Creativity can only flourish in an inspiring environment. In addition to corporate culture and identification with the employer, spatial quality is an adjusting screw for well-being and thus the determiner of creative, innovative processes and future viability. What factors create or prevent spatial quality and what influences the atmosphere and authenticity of a place? What are the most important factors for good spatial design and thus progress? How can spaces be read and what design means can be used to implement different spatial structures and qualities?

Today, a wide range of concepts exist, all of which with their own justification. There is no general patent remedy for the perfect working environment. It is time to take a look at the range of new working environments.