Workplace design and dynamics have been in a constant state of evolution for the last few years and emerging from the pandemic, the only guarantee is that there are no guarantees. We are living in a world of constant beta where change is the new normal. We test and fail fast, and the traditional method of office space making isn’t flexible enough. That’s why Spacestor is ushering in the new landscape for work, which you can experience in our brand new London Design Centre.

The new landscape for work focuses on the importance of ultra-flexibility, agility and sustainability as a solution, enabling businesses to be responsive to change, employees to choose how and where they work and the working world to become greener and future-proof.

Yet, the new landscape for work is not only about flexibility as a means of business resilience, it is focused on amplifying the employee, client and brand experience. Flexibility can be achieved through a kit of parts furniture that offers spaces within a space, zones of activity, hubs for collaboration and areas for relaxation. The new landscape for work is experiential, using design to create landmarks in the office. Design that needs no walls, the landscape is constantly in motion, moving with the quirks of its occupants, taking into account individual working styles, preferences and needs. Unique, yet highly personalised; this is the workplace of the future.

The value of different spaces

The physical office has a leading role to play in talent attraction and retention, which is why 2022 saw businesses fighting in the war for talent as employees increasingly chose to change companies, industries or careers completely. This led to a renewed focus on providing amenities in the workplace, as an experience multiplier to enhance workspaces.

This saw the rise in coffee shops, gaming areas, bars and gyms in the workplace, offering leisure activities and social areas to combat the disconnect and lack of community reported throughout the pandemic by newly remote workers. 

While it’s still important for businesses to provide areas that promote a great company culture, moving forwards, meaningful experiential spaces go beyond amenities. As noted in the 2022 Gensler Workplace survey, a great workplace experience provides a diverse variety of areas which empowers people to choose spaces that optimize their individual performance.

Activity based zones and spaces that are critical to providing a great workplace experience can largely be categorised into three areas:

1. Spaces for Individual Work: Quiet zones, tech-free zones, libraries or focus areas.
2. Spaces for creative group work: War rooms, innovation hubs and scrum spaces.
3. Spaces to reflect and restore: Outdoor space & biophilia, meditation areas, rest and recharge areas.

When a workspace provides a space for all of the above tasks or needs, employees have access to the greatest workplace experience, are more creative and innovative as a result and report higher levels of productivity and happiness. 

Kit of parts to create a new landscape

Spacestor defines the new landscape for work as design that brings together an inter-compatible and highly customizable kit of parts that work together as a system of micro-architecture, creating spaces within spaces. Furniture is no longer defined by the space it is in, it creates it.

Kit of parts furniture consists of modular components that can be easily assembled and reconfigured to suit changing needs. This flexibility allows organizations to adapt as requirements evolve, the business grows or needs change. As new employees join, additional furniture and zones can be added seamlessly. If teams leave or become remote, this kit of parts allows furniture to simply be reconfigured, reducing waste, improving sustainability and improving scalability for growing businesses.  

With modular furniture, existing office space is maximised efficiently. Different configurations can accommodate different work styles, team sizes, or specific tasks. Collaborative spaces can be created or dismantled on a case-by-case basis, allowing businesses to encourage collaboration and accommodate changing work dynamics.

Kit of part furniture is intuitive, meaning it can be used for any and all of the three aforementioned categories of spaces that workplaces need to provide for their employees.  Spacestor’s family of Residence office pod and booth solutions are interconnectable; moving, connecting and working together in unison to create spaces that solve human issues, providing quiet focus zones with low light and soundproofing for solo work, small groupwork or one-to-ones. 

The modular Bleachers seating system encourages creativity through collaboration, providing a space for groups of any size to hold impromptu meetings and facilitating a space for chance encounters. The completely adaptable Verandas is a modular meeting room system, offering a reconfigurable space for creative collaborative work or team scrums on a scalable network.

The Aeonica enables the effortless creation of a cosy, relaxed vibe by embodying biophilia through its softer, rounded shapes and earthy tones, perfect for creating restful and restorative spaces. From zones for solo reflection to small groups, Aeonica’s one kit of parts has almost unlimited configurations and forms, demonstrating the flexibility of Aeonica to work as enclosures, semi-enclosures, space-makers and linear separators.

The combination of kit of parts furniture allows products to be joined up to create cohesive combinations or landscapes in the workplace, unique to every need and highly personalized to the whims and requirements of every day.

Businesses can redefine the office by introducing kit of parts furniture that serve as landmarks, defining a new landscape that prioritises the human experience. Through utilizing these, businesses can create an endless choice of spaces that best suit the task in hand. Whether focus, privacy, collaboration, acoustic separation, visual separation. All of Spacestor's products have a recurring theme - they are built to flex and grow with you, wherever you go.

We see the need for furniture to become space-defining elements, not walls. And to achieve this, furniture needs to work together. Compatible, joined up, working in harmony. Find out more about the new landscape for work by visiting our new London Design Centre.