How can we create workplaces in which people and their wellbeing are at the heart of the project?  This was the big question that ORGATEC 2022 attempted to answer.

The event has returned after being put on hold due to the pandemic and this year, its focus was how to get talent back into the office and offer the essentials that will allow them to combine remote and onsite work.  The fair included a lot of very different ideas, from open space to other, more rigid frameworks, so we made a list of our five main takeaways from the event:

 

The homification of the workplace

After the last edition of the fair, prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, we were already telling you about the progressive homification of the office.  Food, a healthy lifestyle, and physical activity are now part of the workplace in both design and in individual job descriptions, all in the name of productivity.  The office can now be a restaurant, hotel, and a home all at once, and all in exactly the same space that was always available to us.

 

Orgatec 2022: The office as connection

If we are going to get so many different uses out of the same area, the big, white spaces that are void of any character must be done away with.  Instead, a single room can be converted into a casual meet room, a training room, or a hang out spot.  The office will act as a hub, both physically and virtually thanks to the metaverse, a platform that is seen as in its infancy within the sector.

This new workplace model means we will be seeing more and more flexible third spaces that will help us get back to what to we lost during the pandemic, improving on places designed to foster collaboration between the whole team.

 

Collabaration, co-development, co-working

Collaboration as a core value was also a part of ORGATEC 2022 thanks to some of the projects on display.  One of them was Finsa&simonCoLLab, a plug & play architectural mural that combines panelling with lighting technology.  This solution is suitable for offices and other sectors and shows that the co-development and channelling of ideas between different departments and sectors is the present and the future of the new labour models and workplaces.

 

Connecting the indoors and the outdoors

Another trend we saw at ORGATEC 2022 was how interior and exterior spaces are being connected and, as a result, the increasing demand for products and solutions to use in open-air spaces.  The pandemic accelerated this process, and the market is full of options like the ORIXE modular outdoor furniture, co-developed by the Stone Designs and SAVIA, which can be used outdoors in many different ways.

 

Natural materials to improve staff wellbeing

Back to the question we asked at the beginning of this article: how can we encourage people to return to the office and improve their wellbeing in this environment?  First, it’s important to ensure that we meet the standards set by the WELL certification.  Then, choose good lighting and materials that create a sense of coherency when it comes to aesthetics and comfort.  Textiles, timber, stone, and metals are the natural choice for achieving this.  Naturalness is the main core value common throughout the workplaces, although some spaces such as canteens have really taken it and run with it, with that refurbished aesthetic we mentioned earlier.

 

What do you think the workplaces of the future will look like?  Share your thoughts on social media using #ConnectionsByFinsa.