Gaining a deep understanding of our client’s cultural DNA is central to our creative process. It is our responsibility to deliver design that reflects this core essence whilst providing an environment that meets the future needs of the business and their employees. We find that exploring a client’s brief though a multidisciplinary workshop ensures we consider the wider context and can be key to identifying the ‘big idea’ that will lead the design narrative.

But as designers it’s also essential that we understand the market forces and design trends that are shaping the sector, particularly one that is evolving at a pace never seen before. From the rise of the experience economy and co-working, to the impact of new technology and changing demographics, it’s never been more important to have our finger on the pulse.

David Anderson, Board Director and workplace design expert, gives us his views on the future of this rapidly evolving sector.

No longer aimed primarily at start-ups, the co-working sector continues to gain momentum, particularly in Asia, with many large corporates now looking for flexibility in leasing office space or for cost savings. This is driving a new type of intuitive, multifunctional and easy to reconfigure workspace. The benefits are not just financial, it has been reported that 71% of co-working and flex-space users find that their workspaces positively affect the ways they engage in their work. It’s no surprise therefore that the global co-working industry is expected to expand to 5.1 million members by 2022 and that 30% of all commercial office space is projected to be consumed as ‘flexible space’ by 2030.

Designing an environment that supports employees’ emotional, psychological and physical wellbeing has proven to improve productivity, inspire better employee engagement and produce a healthy workplace culture. Wellbeing design is no longer a fad, but central to business strategy for companies of all sizes. The application of light, colour, nature, art, and activity are intrinsically linked with creating positivity and enhancing wellbeing.

A key priority for HSBC in the design of their headquarters in Singapore was to create an environment that reflected their global brand values, boosted energy and creativity levels, reduced stress and supported their environmental ethos. We designed the scheme to incorporate biophilic design by maximising natural light penetration which in turn reduced energy consumption. Live green walls and plantings provide a greater connection with nature.

We used vibrant graphic artwork and colours on walls and furnishings to create dynamic, engaging collaborative spaces whilst using natural woods and materials in areas that demanded a more calm and studious environment. The project was awarded the Green Mark Platinum rating by Singapore’s BCA for sustainable design.

With record low employment numbers, attracting and retaining talented staff is now a top priority for many companies. Many employers are making the strategic move towards lifelong learning, building a corporate culture that values training and career development to give them that all-important competitive edge.

The rapid emergence of new technologies is also having a huge impact on learning in the workplace. According the World Economic Forum, more than half the global labour force will need to start reskilling or reinventing the way they learn a living in the next five years. The need to futureproof the workforce is now, more than ever, a top priority in building a resilient, resourceful and flexible workplace.

From simple flexible spaces that can be used for informal learning, to dedicated training rooms, right through to state-of-the-art purpose-built training buildings such as BP's Upstream Learning Centre, adaptable learners are being enabled and encouraged to thrive.

Information on how people work and how buildings serve them will become ever more important and this data will start to shape more intelligent and bespoke design solutions. We regularly conduct thorough Post Occupancy Evaluation surveys to promote continual improvement.

As we move on, sophisticated smart buildings will reveal more about behaviour and preferences of employees than ever before and AI and wearable technology will be able to analyse and predict how people use space, for example automatically adjusting light levels and ambient conditions to suit preferences.

By using data, we will be able to show how design solutions will be measurably better.