Session 10 / Chicago Live Program: The Adaptive Workplace

Luke Rondel
Senior Director of Channel Partnerships
Saltmine, San Francisco

Covid 19 has up-ended decades of social-spatial conventions. Knowledge workers are ensconced in their homes. Restaurant seating moved entirely outdoors. For the first time in recent history, there’s a migration from large cities to small towns. As participants in this transition, we have the opportunity and mandate to reinvent how we interact with each other in space.

Recognizing the limitations of a digital work environment (Zoom, Teams, Slack), the physical environment will have a meaningful role to play in the future of work. Progessive companies are doing everything in their power today to understand the drivers and constraints of a “return-to-the-office” and developing their plans. The most successful of which will marry the great parts about working digitally with the elements that cannot be recreated on a screen.

This presentation examines a variety of companies and themes that embrace the benefits of digital transformation, both in process and place, while planning an evolved future for the physical workplace. It’s still early days, but those who will be leaders of the future are already exploring hyper-localized use protocols, employee-centric planning, seamless connectivity, and an expansion of the definition of Workplace. This includes real-world examples of planning at scale, approaches to workplace health and safety, and data-driven design.

The workplace of the future is both physical and digital. The experience of its occupants is the primary driver, and it is increasingly adaptive to constantly changing environmental and business demands.