Thetechindustry tried to change all that by infusing some fun into the office.
The pandemic proved they were wrong.
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One of the main challenges offices face is that theyre filled with people.
People who all expect something different from their workplace.
Meanwhile, those who are high on neuroticism struggle with open floor plans.
Aside from these differences, new workplace and technology trends are continuously cropping up and shifting attitudes.
So can you actually build a workplace thats flexible enough to work for everybody?
I visitedMiele Xs new home in Amsterdams modern new office building The Valley to find out.
They decided to take an agile approach to the problem.
A team of project managers began breaking up the project into dev-style sprints.
To ensure everyones voice was included, they collected feedback on the must-haves and nice to haves.
During an architect cafe, they recruited interested teammates to vote on the final designs.
Of course, not every suggestion could be taken on board.
So what features made the final cut?
All these digital marvels are wonderful, but how do they solve the office personality problem?
The layout follows a circular design, snaking around an open central atrium.
As you walk along this pathway, youll come across a combination of meeting rooms and open office spaces.
Most important of all, its circular shape means noise doesnt travel.
The best part is, the layouts arent permanent.
Walls can be moved to make new rooms of different sizes, for different purposes.
The challenge offices face today is competing against the comforts of home.
Peoples needs change as social factors, technology, and the way we work change.
Just a few years ago, social distancing was a major need when bringing people back together.
In the future, emerging work trends like the use of generative AI may present new needs.
The point is, you always need to be rethinking, redesigning, and checking in with your team.
Thats why Miele X is already thinking about the next iterations moving forward.
