Workplace Wellness New

Frontiers in workplace wellness

With employee well-being as a guiding light, health-promoting elements shape the new office.

BY Colleen Arria

Almost a hundred years ago, the world of work was shifting radically as Americans became city dwellers, automobile owners, and office workers. Today, we’re amid anther dramatic upheaval in work. A new generation of workers who have grown up with digital technology—using computers online for their entire adult lives—are stepping into the working world, and a new set of expectations and preferences is emerging and reshaping the office. Technology is pushing innovation in the workplace. But its consequences are still emerging—making it worthwhile to periodically evaluate the trends shaping the new office.

Flexibility for a workplace that’s always evolving Designing a future-ready and flexible facility is more important than ever in this time of change. The office must be designed to be flexible so that it can change for daily and weekly needs with built-in adaptability over the long-term. Increasingly, we need to be aware that things change in unpredictable ways and the influence of technology, for example, doesn’t resolve as it first presents. For example, not long ago it seemed that destops and monitors were going away, but now massive monitors are emerging as the preference. Despite the availability of small portable technology, big screens are in. Culture and data-driven design There have been many articles published over the past couple of years on the pros and cons of open workspace. The only point of clarity from that raging debate is that open office isn’t for everyone. It’s important to understand what organizations do, how their employees like to work, and what makes them happy doing it. More than ever, observation and research of the workplace on site must inform our design innovations so that the workplace ultimately reflects the client’s culture and supports its business strategy. Design must strike a delicate balance between incorporating existing culture while embracing new ways of working. Furthermore, how we educate our clients to best use their spaces (otherwise known as change management) is critical in matching culture and new workplace.

The one constant in the workplace is

change

Branding Branding throughout the office, not just the entryway and lobby, is emerging as a key aspect of office design. That’s because the audience for branding can be both internal or external today. Every client has a past, present, and future, as well as heritage, culture and values. As design professionals they look to us to help create a space and brand that reflects their narrative best. In our tech-enabled era, experiencing the brand itself takes an increasingly important role in reflecting culture, mission and morale, giving people reasons to want to come into the office every day and to connect their individual work to a greater purpose. Lobbies as multipurpose and showcase spaces Where can a firm host a Thursday happy hour or a massive annual holiday party with its clients? The lobby! Once a little used, transitory void, the lobby has re-emerged as a showcase space for many companies. We’re designing the lobby as ‘gathering space’ that can be flexible workspace for visitors, guests and staff, then switch to event, all-hands meeting or party space as needed. Homelike and hospitality-inspired options The tech industry and its open, collaborative offices changed the way we look at offices. But it’s the emergence of the homelike and hospitality-inspired elements of workplace that are defining design today. A big part of this shift relates to offering a variety of options in seating and work style ranging from formal and informal collaborative to focused and heads-down and private meeting space. Wellness and fitness Healthy food options, natural light and air quality, spaces that allow for movement, even standing desks are all part of a new standard in office design that, when employed wisely in design, creates places that enhance our well-being. As we design with the welfare of end users in mind, we help reiterate that the company is looking out for their office users’ best interests. If the users are st up to live their best and healthiest lives, then that will be reflected in their productivity which allows the company to flourish. War for talent New generations entering the workplace want to work for innovative companies. They want flexibility. They want to tap into digital culture for inspiration. They want the opportunity to keep learning. They want a company that reflects their values and provides a space that reflects the way they live. Thus, designed spaces must have the mix of amenities, aesthetics, flexible spaces, light, and air that help employers compete for the best, brightest and most selective talent. In many cases, the quality of the office environment and its ability to attract talent can be directly connected to corporate success and innovation. It’s all about the people!

Homelike and hospitality-inspired options The tech industry and its open, collaborative offices changed the way we look at offices. But it’s the emergence of the homelike and hospitality-inspired elements of workplace that are defining design today. A big part of this shift relates to offering a variety of options in seating and work style ranging from formal and informal collaborative to focused and heads-down and private meeting space.

Smart buildings, smart office The smart office and building. Smart spaces will connect to users through seamless tech and apps—everything from room reservations to audio-video conferencing, desk and room reservations, climate control and lighting, elevator access and security will be intelligent and personalized for the user. But smart building benefits go beyond the individual employee. On the owner and employer side, detailed data on building and room use allows for better decision making about investment and office design going forward. And that means continuous evolution and improvement in design and operation. And when design automation connects into smart building infrastructure, the possibilities for the future of workplace are unlimited. Now that makes for an interesting future. Smart buildings technology is here to stay. One of the most tangible benefits of smart technology is reduced energy use (or production) with sensor data informing operators and users about building efficiency and use. But smart buildings can do more. They can also foster connections with people in the workplace to provide a better user-experience. Picture this: You enter the building after parking your bike or car in a space reserved prior to arrival. The building senses your presence via an app on your smart device. At the elevator lobby, an elevator is waiting to take you to the location of your morning meeting. In the meeting room, the blinds are drawn, the room temperature is set to your preference, and the audio-visual and video conferencing set up is enabled and your clients in New York, London or Beijing are ready to greet you and start the meeting. After your meeting you return to an office or a workstation, whether it’s assigned or unassigned, and your personalized desk height, lighting and thermal comfort settings are pre-set. This technology-enabled exper-ience can also be programmed for clients and guests on their next visit. The office of the future. Seamless. Personalized. Smart.

BPX Energy Denver, Colorado

117 Kendrick Street Needham, Massachusetts

What’s next?

MORE WORKPLACE DESIGN Interior Designer Helen Reed, based in San Francisco, is passionate about applying influences from the digital realm to designing spaces that meet today’s corporate workplace needs. Chicago-based Angie Lee applies three decades of experience in leading teams on workplace strategy and headquarters design solutions to her role with the Stantec's Commercial Workplace Sector.

Both clients and tenants are increasingly aware of biophilia. People in general are more mindful about what types of materials are being placed in their space, where they're coming from, what they're made of, do they off gas, and how they affect the quality of the interior environment. People are much more responsive to our suggestions about healthy materials. Most of us respond positively to materials with natural properties. As a result, we're designing with a lot more wood, because it has biophilic properties—our brain associates wood with trees and that feels good.

I'm working on a huge 800,000 square foot campus right now and we're collecting data on the quality of the existing workspace. The number one request I’m getting relates to wellness at work. More specifically, 95% of the people polled expressed a desire for direct access to daylight. That desire for daylight occurs in every project that we design today. Even with traditionally windowless spaces like labs, we're organizing space to maximize access to windows. In our project, we’re making sure that the office spaces have access to the sun’s rays.

Ultimately workplace wellness should translate into happier staff that is ready to bring their best selves to the office. The clients that do it best, naturally, are those that foster a positive culture in the office. They are interested in the well-being of their employees because they have seen from experience that if you invest in people in all aspects of their life, they stick around.

Giving the weekends back with services If we think more broadly about wellness, we begin to think about work/life balance. That’s where services come in. With the BEAT or suburban office campuses, we see the need to create small town centers or small urbantype environments and campuses that bring all the food, fitness, fun, as well as services closer to the workplace. You may not think of having dry cleaning in a workplace development as healthrelated, but it contributes to wellness. As one of my clients put it, it gives them their weekends back. If you can do small little day-to-day, personal things while you're on the corporate campus or your workspace offers services like car tune-ups or dental cleanings, that helps folks gain some balance. Bringing in services can alleviate stress and contribute to workers' well-being.

Eating right, even on islands Corporate campuses, academic institutions, new office developments in urban areas all host lots of people working in offices. Generally, they need the same things. At the BEAT we are creating a corporate campus in the former Boston Globe headquarters. But the location is locked in by transit and geography, so despite its urban setting it doesn't have access to typical city amenities like great food. So, the design conversation for the BEAT is about building in access to really good local and healthy food options beyond the fries and pizza typical of some corporate cafeterias. The transformation is widespread within the industry, we’re seeing existing corporate cafeterias transforming themselves too to compete for patrons—we’re seeing existing corporate cafeterias transforming themselves as well to compete for patrons—taking inspiration from the dynamic food halls you see in vibrant urban centers.

Boutique fitness on demand Essentially, the on-demand fitness space is a room that enables employees to access a variety of different fitness programs digitally, take instruction from a big flat screen, and workout in a flexible fitness space. It’s a concept that started in the hospitality world and transferred over into residential that’s now entering the workplace. People are working longer hours at the office, while some also often have the option or obligation to work at home. This puts pressure on the workplace to offer some of the advantages available at home for those in the office and make it a destination for those that have flexibility to work elsewhere. Amenities like on-demand fitness offerings make the workplace more appealing. Workouts are likely to be done with co-workers. So, on-demand fitness spaces are an opportunity to build culture in the workplace, which is as important to a sense of well-being and mission as it is to productivity.

Flexible programmed spaces We're also seeing wellness incorporated in the workplace programmatically via flexible spaces that can contribute to people's wellness in multitude of ways. For example, small privacy rooms meant for a single person can be used for anything from a mother's room to a meditation space, to a room for rest or focused work, and of course to make private calls. Programming these rooms for multiple uses isn’t hard, but it can have a big impact on how employees perceive wellness.

Working outdoors Traditionally mechanical equipment was predominant on rooftops for residential buildings, but recently we’ve been designing to condense and minimize mechanical systems. We’re now collocating them in one corner, fencing it off, and turning the rest of the rooftop into amazing outdoor space that everybody can access. Now, we're now we're doing that with office spaces. We're creating these amazing outdoor rooftop areas that everybody in the building can access. Thus far, however, these rooftops are used for eating lunch and for parties. But, why can't we actually work outside? How can we make these rooftops four season spaces that employees can use throughout their day?

What’s next?

Wellness in the workplace is just getting started. Whatever we can imagine that may enhance a day at the office and promote innovation and productivity is possible.

Rooftop pods What’s intriguing to me is really truly blurring that line between the outdoors and our workspace. For instance, imagine having a little rooftop pod outside where you can go have a meeting, even while it's snowing. Sitting outside on a rooftop is a different experience than sitting somewhere very deep somewhere inside the building. That's small scale, but it's a hint at the next wave in designing for wellness. The next wave will be all about connection to nature and the outdoors into work environments that are typically closed-off glass and steel.

Natural Materials and Biophilia

Culture Building

Daylight and Views

Making nature tangible Food is really this tangible experience meant to be tasted, not experienced on the screen, and yet today we are often taking pictures of our food. Our interior environments are very much like that. We're still designing very glassy buildings, but I think there's this yearning to utilize more natural materials and elements that are tactile. Green walls are indicative of this desire to connect with plants. We’re going to see more natural materials used inside and out at the workplace.

Mass timber as a structural material Wood is coming on strong in interiors, but now it’s showing up in structural systems through its laminated timber form. It can be strong, durable, and sustainable. That’s another way we will be looking at bringing more natural, more biophilic elements into the office and exposing them.

We’ve only just begun to see where wellness is taking us. Keep an eye on the Design Quarterly for more workplace well-being.

Approaching the office as a place that should enhance the health and well-being of its occupants has changed how and what we design for our clients. The following are the elements that are influencing wellness-oriented office designs, as I see it, and some possibilities for what comes next.