- Before the coronavirus, Gensler was sounding the alarm on the looming challenges with the increasingly common open floor plan in offices.
- Such concerns may be a thing of the past after the pandemic, as organizations look to revamp designs to encourage employees to return to the office.
- Among potential changes ahead are health checkpoints in reception areas and the greater use of ventilation methods to encourage more outside air, according to Gensler co-CEOs Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins.
- "What is really fantastic about this moment is that it is truly going to be a time of transformation for the workplace," Hoskins told Business Insider.
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Gensler's Andy Cohen and Diane Hoskins thought they had seen it all.
As co-CEOs of the world's largest architecture firm for the past 15 years — and leaders in the company for long before that — they have both weathered numerous economic downturns and national crises.
But nothing quite at the scale of the coronavirus.
Now, Cohen and Hoskins are not only trying to make sense of the uncertainty ahead for their own employees, but also for the clients relying on Gensler to help inform when and how their workers can return to the office.
"What is really fantastic about this moment is that it is truly going to be a time of transformation for the workplace," Hoskins told Business Insider. "This is a situation no one has been in before."
Some issues with the "open concept" floor plans commonly used in offices today were beginning to emerge before the pandemic ravaged operations.
In Gensler's annual report on the state of the workplace released in January, the firm highlighted the looming problem posed by companies trying to cram too many employees into shrinking floor plans.
The nationwide survey of 5,000 workers also cited the need for more innovative policies and methods to allow people to do their jobs remotely.
"We could already see massive cracks in the model and pushback around too much densification," said Hoskins. "You were already hearing issues around the maintenance and cleanliness of spaces."
That doesn't mean a wholescale pivot to the virtual world is necessary — or even advised. Some aspects of the physical office, like meeting clients or brainstorming, are still better suited for in-person interactions, said Hoskins.
"We're going to see some rather heavy-handed interim practices that are going to have to be put in place," she added. "But through all this, there'll be an emergence of new ideas and unlocking of trend lines that seemed very set in place."
So with a nearly wide-open runway to innovate and a near-mandate to do so, Gensler is trying to get creative and using some of its own offices as testing grounds for new concepts intended to let workers safely return to the office.
Business Insider talked to Cohen and Hoskins to learn the most significant changes ahead for the workplace.
Configuration of space
The reception has always been an important area for companies.
It's where visitors get their first glimpse at the organization. And the design can be an early but important window into the office culture.
Now, in the age of coronavirus, the space will take on a whole new meaning.
Hoskins is expecting the area to be used as a health screening checkpoint, where visitors and employees alike could undergo testing or other procedures to ensure they are well enough to come in. Such systems are already in place in Hong Kong and other countries.
Floor plans that, for the past few years, grew increasingly crowded as employers tried to cram workers into shared spaces will be more sparsely designed to accommodate new social distancing guidelines.
And conference rooms, where whole teams of workers routinely crammed into for regular meetings, will have stricter occupancy requirements — with more employees dialing in virtually.
Greater use of technology
On top of carving out six-feet circumferences for its employees, Hoskins said companies will also need to infuse technology more seamlessly into floor plans.
While it won't be as easy as eliminating desks or segmenting out when groups of employees can go to the office to make sure occupancies are lower, people appear eager to eliminate as much physical contact as possible.
Contactless payments, for example, are up since the start of the outbreak.
"The future is going to look like touchless everything," said Cohen. "From elevators, to doors, to bathrooms, frictionless space where people won't have to touch things to get things done."
Organizations could also rely on sensors that would indicate when people are in the space and adjust lighting or air circulation accordingly.
A focus on health and wellness
Overlaying all of the new design efforts will be an increased focus on wellness.
From use of materials that are more easily cleanable to greater ventilation to encourage more airflow, promoting a healthier lifestyle among employees will be top of mind for companies.
And it's not just from a physical standpoint, mental health will also be paramount. Employers could utilize more indoor-outdoor spaces, for example, to make it easier for workers to take breaks in the fresh air.
Changes to the office set-up aside, Hoskins said the most critical factor for companies in encouraging employees to return to the office will be trust.
"Can they get the trust of their people to step out of their well-established cocoon," she said. "That's one of the biggest questions."
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