What will the post-pandemic workplace look like? Industry conversation is abuzz with predictions about what that space will be and how it will look.

Led by technology, the last two years has seen one of the biggest workplace changes since closed offices transitioned to open-plan as people embraced the perks, opportunities and flexibility afforded by working from home. Not to mention the attire. 

As office workers return to the city, and with safety and wellbeing front of mind, the traditional workplace setup needs to adapt to this modern lifestyle shift and adopt flexible office fitouts to accommodate and support the needs and expectations of a remote or hybrid team.  

This changing corporate landscape will reduce the overall space required and bring fewer workers into the workplace on a daily basis. 

The third space, a communal area where people can come together outside of the home (first space) or office (second space), will be a key element of the post-pandemic workplace. 

With more people working from home, blurring the lines between first and second spaces, the office could provide the external social stimulation that is now lacking in digital team interactions. 

Employees will increasingly want a workplace that earns their commute, which means the office will primarily become a destination to support collaboration and social interaction and create a sense of community that is much missed after months of working from home.  

Hotels were able to maintain relevance during the pandemic by offering their third spaces – lobbies, restaurants and cafes – as work-from-home alternatives to meet the demand for flexible workplaces and co-working hubs, complete with in-house catering.  

The office fitout needs to be more aspirational, taking cues from hotel design to create opportunities for engagement that bring people together again and ultimately strengthen workplace culture.

Practice

At Scott Carver, we can draw from our hotel expertise to look at workplace design from a fresh perspective.

Hotel design now comprises one quarter of Scott Carver’s practice and we have worked on projects in Australasia with major hospitality groups, including IHG Hotels & Resorts, Accor, Marriot Hotels & Resorts and TFE Hotels. 

Through our practice, we have developed an in-depth understanding of developer and operator requirements to question the traditional hotel model and reinvent the status quo.  

The evolution of the hotel industry is underpinned by intelligent design solutions that are responsive to human behaviour and our ever-changing lifestyle and can be adapted to the places where we live and work. 

Scott Carver applies this hotel design lens approach to envision and design places by redefining the mix of spaces to cater for shifts in modern lifestyles. 

The ultimate challenge of hotel design is to elevate the experience and make it more appealing than what people have at home.  

Likewise, the office fitout will need to up the ante and create an environment that is better than an employee’s home office situation. It is about creating a welcoming space and providing an inviting reason to go into the city. 

Workplace interior design, with a focus on furniture solutions, will enable spaces for people to collaborate in groups, escape for creative time, or create a buffer for privacy and protection during Zoom conferences and phone calls. 

In our recent The New Disruptors in Hospitality Report, workplace trends show the provision of alternative working environments is becoming an important consideration in supporting new ways of working.  

According to a study by the International Workplace Group (IWG), nearly 50 per cent of Australian employees work remotely for at least half of the week, while more than two-thirds work outside the office at least one day a week.  

As a result, tenant briefs are increasingly asking for up to 40 per cent of their workspace to be flexible, causing an uplift in demand and competition among co-working operators.  

Co-working is a saturated market; however, hotels have again differentiated themselves in this space by offering a hospitality level of service to activate lobbies as unofficial co-working spaces where visitors can enjoy a sense of community and ambience. 

Food and beverage and concierge services are all hotel staples that the commercial market is starting to adopt to offer amenities that entice employees back to the office. 

Project

Leveraging this expertise in hotel design and trends, we can create spaces where people want to be, designed with purpose, while being responsive to future needs and considering the requirements of a hybrid workforce.

The use of hotel communal areas as informal and flexible co-working spaces that provide opportunities for people to work alone or collaborate can be translated into office fit outs and commercial-use buildings. 

Blurring the lines between the lobby, bar and restaurant encourages guests to stay longer and fluidly move through these spaces, as well as increasing their spend within the venue. 

Scott Carver recently implemented this environment in an airport hotel concept with the aim to capture a local audience during the typically quieter daytime of airport hotels.  

The Ross Smith Hotel Precinct at Sydney Airport is a dual-branded hotel designed with an integrated double-height ground floor that connects to an external courtyard with bar and dining offerings for co-working or meetings. 

In our vision for the Mercure Cairns refurbishment, the hotel lobby, restaurant and outdoor dining and lounge area also provide ample opportunities to dwell, work, dine and relax. 

Another project, the Design Excellence Competition-winning 197 Church Street Parramatta mixed-use development, which includes the InterContinental Hotel Parramatta and commercial offices, is designed to leverage the proximity of the hotel, retail and commercial elements to encourage the activation of food and beverage spaces and function rooms as alternative work areas. 

Likewise, the 141-room Adina Fremantle apartment hotel is an example where we have considered how function rooms and conference facilities can be repurposed and transformed into a welcoming third space when not booked for events.  

Hotel Indigo Auckland, currently under construction, will also include a range of food and beverage offerings, including a Club Lounge overlooking the lobby that can double as a destination for co-working and meet-ups. 

New Zealand’s first Hotel Indigo is part of a 43-storey, mixed-use development that includes 24 luxury branded residences on the top 11 floors, blending residential and hotel design to meet demand.  

51 Albert is afforded all the amenities of the hotel below, such as housekeeping, concierge, valet parking, a bottleshop and gourmet grab-and-go food offering, to provide a true branded residential experience for its inhabitants. 

By infusing the post-pandemic workplace with hospitality-inspired design, finishes and services, organisations can create a purpose-driven space that empowers employees, nurtures client relationships and attracts (and retains) talent.  

People

Hotels use psychometric profiles to define the ideal guest of a particular brand or property. This allows designers to envision an experience that is suited to the guest profile and aligned to the hotel brand.  

Similarly, we can define the behaviours, attitudes and values of an organisation to use alongside an understanding of the employee workweek to develop a hospitality approach to workplace design through the creation of bespoke offers that encourage and enhance the time spent in the office. 

These onsite amenities could include a third space, such as library, lounge, wellness area, rooftop garden or cafe, which gives workers the opportunity to step away from their desks and engage with colleagues.  

Dispersing these throughout the office and adjacent to workstations allow these spaces to become alternative work settings, like those in our homes and neighbourhoods. Similar to hotels, these areas must be planned and designed so they can be managed by minimal support staff.  
 
Replacing the traditional office reception with a concierge is not a new idea, but the evolution of the corporate lobby may include the inclusion of a cafe – complete with a barista – and flexible gathering spaces with the latest technology for internal and external events. 

Again, ultimately human-centric design is about creating spaces and places where people want to be, which in turn nurtures workplace culture and prosperous enterprises.

Conclusion

The way we work will continue to evolve and influence where we want to work. 

Companies need to consider and balance the dual provisions of flexible work and team culture to support the requirements of a digitally savvy hybrid workforce with an office fitout that is adaptable and scalable to current and future needs. 

Corporate buildings with sterile lobbies, open-plan cubicles and bland interiors will not be able to compete with the convenience and comfort of a home office. 

However, we can approach the future of workplaces through practice, projects and people, using the evolution of the traditional hotel model as a blueprint for responsive office spaces. 

A hybrid model that blends the always-on hospitality and concierge services of hotel lobbies with a welcoming office environment will provide the connectivity and culture that the post-pandemic workforce craves – and a third space to escape to. 

People still want to be a part of something, so it’s up to us to shape the places where people want to be and create a compelling reason for people to return to the office again.