With three daughters remote learning at home, the founder and owner of Venture Architecture has found the mornings and evenings start and end later than normal, as he helps his children learn.
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Around Colorado, companies and their employees have had to quickly adapt to working entirely remote. Despite the challenges and occasional technical glitches, organizations are making it work – many are even finding new ways to maximize their productivity.
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“Open office isn’t really a thing anymore. Now it’s more of a blended office. The question is, ‘What’s the right blend?’”
Martin Goldstein
April 20, 2020
The Covid-19 pandemic is forcing company leaders to re-examine nearly every aspect of their businesses, including their office spaces.
No one is sure what an eventual return to in-person work will look like, but experts agree that the current pandemic is likely to have both short-term and long-term impacts on office designs.
Popular trends such as the increasing densification of office space — implemented, in theory, to encourage collaboration (and reduce square footage) — could face a reversal. Others that have been slower to catch on, such as the adoption of anti-microbial surfaces, could see a surge in popularity.
Jon Gambrill, principal and co-managing director of architecture firm Gensler’s Denver office, emphasized that the anticipated changes will evolve as this vast work-from-home experiment continues. And the long-term effect remains the biggest unknown.
“We’re learning through this,” Gambrill said. “Every week it seems that we’re gathering more and more research.”
Denver Business Journal spoke to several local architecture and interior solutions firms to get their thoughts on the possible changes, both big and small, that may be in store for offices.
So, are we all headed for a return to the workplace with single-occupancy offices or high-walled cubicles?
April, 2020
Drawing on observations and experiences gleaned from decades of designing office environments, Martin Goldstein predicts some substantive shifts in what people can expect from the return to the workplace.
An extra 20 minutes of sleep. Daily meetings in shorts conducted via Zoom. Celebrating birthdays and long work weeks with a virtual team happy hour. These are some of our new realities during a global quarantine.
Around the world, companies and their employees have had to quickly adapt to the challenges of completely remote working. Despite the challenges and technical glitches (double-booking the office conference line, forgetting you’re on camera, etc.), organizations are staying connected and, in many cases, finding new ways to maximize their productivity.
That is not to say that any of this feels normal at this point. While we are all making do as best we can, there is a growing sense that things will not be the same after this. The big question is: will we all return to the workplace? What will corporate America learn from the “great distancing of 2020?” And how will this pandemic influence office design of tomorrow?
In addition to the basic human need for social interaction, most professionals’ work makes contact with their teams a necessity. Regardless of size or function, we still have peers and direct reports to meet with. Professional services still need to be completed. Training still needs to occur. The culture of an organization, how people collaborate and develop soft skills that will allow them to advance in their careers – all of these still largely depend on face-to-face interactions. And not all of that can be done via video conference.
Looking to expand to Denver, this tech company wanted a space that would help recruit and retain employees. Working closely with the client, we were able to create this fun and vibrant space. Complete with flexible meeting spaces, open office touch-downs, small group huddles with custom built wood screens, and an employee lounge with soft seating and gaming consoles. The space also included writable walls throughout to encourage brainstorming for this company’s next great invention.
This building supports the school’s primary Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Music activities. Completed in 2017, the project updates an existing building with much needed features and options for students and faculty to study, experiment, and learn. It is a testament to the vision of the school and to its commitment to squeezing the most out of its current facility asset base. The building serves both Lower and Middle School students. We worked hard to craft this project and are proud of the school’s response to all that the facility offers.
Currently in the final design phases, this facility is the first step to recognizing the school’s new Master Plan. Its three stories will allow for an eventual, partial fourth floor. The upper half of the building is tailored to a clustered approach where students from each language tract can interact and share culture. The lower half supports both Lower and Middle School needs. This includes a Learning Center, Design / Maker Lab, Music, Art, and Science spaces. The statement building is a beacon that reminds the staff, students, and families that the school has matured into a robust statement for the best in education.
The school wanted to study and revitalize the campus. Venture had been serving the school’s small project needs and had been learning about their needs prior to being selected for this project. Our approach cast a wide net as we sought to understand current conditions and offer ideal solutions. The concept that was borne out of our process lays the path for a campus that is tailored to the school’s educational approach and commitment to bilingual, global citizens.
On this project, the Venture team took on the rehabilitation of a completely defunct 100+ year old building. Our first step was to analyze each building component and evaluate the best approach for restoring, replacing, or upgrading it. The age of the building proved both a challenge and an asset, and our design revealed the historic character of this unique space while incorporating modern systems that would set the property up for new generation of use.
