suit the daily needs and programming
of each location.
This focus on wellbeing was also one
of the main drivers behind our design
for the new HQ campus for Czech
software development company
JetBrains, located in St Petersburg.
For this project, we applied a holistic
approach to the design based on
our years of research into optimal
work environments and the positive
impact these can have on the health,
wellbeing, creativity and therefore,
productivity.
As such, the central design element
of the new JetBrains campus will be a
grand atrium where all of the senses
will be engaged. A striking element of
this steeped indoor courtyard is the
biophilic design, in which we have
filled the space with nature and light,
bringing the outside in.
Here in the heart of the campus,
community will be fostered,
communication encouraged,
knowledge exchanged and creativity
bolstered.
Mixed-Use Buildings
Aside from technological
advancements, the flexibility of
buildings will also be crucial for
them to be able to withstand such
global shocks as a pandemic. For
office buildings to remain relevant
and usable, they need to be
multifunctional.
With many predicting that the future
of office work will be a hybrid model,
buildings that only serve a singular
purpose as a place of work are fast
becoming outdated.
Around the world, we have numerous
constructions currently underway
for mixed-use buildings that feature
combinations of work, housing,
culture, retail, hotel and education
spaces, and that are flexible enough
to be adapted to suit the changing
needs of their users over time.
A prime example of this is the new
Booking.com Headquarters in central
Amsterdam, which is one of the
largest urban projects in Western
Europe. We designed the campus
to be a lively environment where
people can meet, inspire, live, work
and play. The aim is to create a
positive experience for all users: from
the city’s residents who will use the
public space and retail facilities, to the
tenants who will live in the residential
building and the young Booking.com
workforce.
FOUR Frankfurt is another key
exemplar. Located on the site of a
former Deutsche Bank building, which
had remained unused for 45 years, this
major development will see a ‘City for
All’ created in the heart of Frankfurt.
The new vibrant urban quarter will
bring together a healthy mix of work,
living, relaxation and recreation, with
large public spaces and incorporated
subsidised housing.
At least 3,000 people are expected to
work in the new neighbourhood, while
about 1,000 people will live there.
Apart from apartments and offices,
the complex will also include catering,
retail, hotels, local shops, a children’s
playground and adventure areas.
Redefined Cities
The potential permanent uptake of
hybrid working models could also
have a profound impact on how our
cities function. This presents new
opportunities to reimagine how our
cities are designed.
According to the McKinsey Global
Institute, more than 20% of the
workforce could work remotely three
to five days a week as effectively as
they could if working from an office.
“If remote work took hold at that
level, that would mean three to four
times as many people working from
home than before the pandemic and
would have a profound impact on
urban economies, transportation, and
consumer spending, among other
things,” its researchers said.
On an urban scale, such a change in
work patterns can allow for central
business districts to be transformed
to accommodate more housing and
cultural sites, and residential areas to
be adapted to include more places
to work. It could also allow for ideas
such as the ‘15-Minute City’ to really
take hold. Developed by Professor
Carlos Moreno at the Sorbonne in
Paris, the concept, also known as the
‘polycentric city’, means a city of little
villages. Within it, everything a person
needs should be located within a
15-minute walk or cycle from your
home, which would in theory reduce
the density of city centres.
A hub-and-spoke model for offices
is also emerging, with some large
companies looking to spread their
workforce across more locations. This
approach would see them keep their
HQ in urban centres, but have smaller
hubs, likely in the form of co-working
spaces, situated in the suburbs or in
nearby cities to enable employees to
work closer to home.
If the volume of office commutes
is also cut down as a result of new
working models and lifestyles, it
also gives urban planners a prime
opportunity to make our cities
greener. With people travelling shorter
distances and spending more time
in their local area, some streets could
be transformed into gardens and
infrastructure for bikes and priority for
pedestrians increased over cars.
With the transformation of our work
lives, our cities and the buildings
within them will also change, but
for the better, with our physical and
mental health, along with the health
of the planet, being the driving force
behind the current revolution in
architecture and design.
