Eiu ricoh future work q&a 6 - graham mc clements v1

The EIU: What is the biggest trend shaping the future of work from an architectural standpoint?

Graham McClements: The big trend over the next 10-15 years will be agglomeration. We’ll see more employers, neighbourhoods and even whole cities returning to the idea that people do a better job and are more productive if they are surrounded by like-minded individuals. And we’ll see more of them competing with each other to offer that kind of work environment.

What is the driver behind that trend?

Ten years ago everyone was talking about the death of the office. It was assumed that information and communications technology would remove the need for proximity. You could live and work in your converted croft in the Shetland Islands and still be a City trader.

In recent years we’ve seen a backlash against that idea. In many sectors, the most effective employers are looking to agglomerate talent in close proximity. People thrive on opportunities to exchange ideas; it’s one reason why places like Silicon Valley and the City of London have been so successful.

Why do you think the “death of the office” hasn’t happened?

I think there’s just greater recognition that people are fundamentally social animals. We need social engagement to do our best work, to achieve creative productivity and innovation. And at

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Centres of exCellenCeThe need for social engagement at work will lead to industry-focused communities and to buildings designed for spontaneous interaction

A common vision for the future of work is that, thanks to digital technology, we will all work remotely, perhaps from our homes. Graham McClements, director of architecture and head of workplace practice at the global architectural firm BDP, has a different view.

As he explains in this interview with The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), Mr McClements believes that as creativity and innovation emerge as the key skills for business in the 21st century, workers will favour environments that offer the opportunity for social engagement with like-minded peers.

He proposes, therefore, that we will see more areas develop local specialisations – as can already be seen in Silicon Valley or the City of London – and that buildings will be designed to promote spontaneous interaction.

This interview is part of an investigation into the future of work by The Economist Intelligence Unit, sponsored by Ricoh Europe. For more, visit http://bit.ly/eiufuturework Graham McClements

BDP

the same time, society has changed. We all like to think that we’re a bit more sophisticated and knowledgeable. Our expectations are higher.

There is a much wider range of experiences that people now expect from their working environment. Smart, well-educated people will not tolerate a space that makes them feel like nine-to-five office drones, sitting at their desks.

Is this just about keeping office workers happy?

No, creativity is becoming one of the key currencies in the business world. There is so much value now that can be codified and delivered by technology – but creativity is still a human attribute, and its contribution, in terms of innovation, is crucial. Environments that appear creative and support creativity are the ones that succeed and that people aspire to be part of.

We’re working on a project now in the English university city of Cambridge, which is emerging as a biosciences sweet spot. The aim is to tap into the benefits of agglomeration. If you put a medical research facility next to a hospital and a university campus, you deliver faster innovation – just by putting these things together in one location.

Do you expect to see more “sweet spots” like that?

Lots of cities are now trying to brand themselves as agglomerations of expertise – whether it’s for scientific research, communications technology, finance or something else. The idea is that their identity as a location is at least in part defined by the fact that they can attract specialists in that field – they have an agglomeration of talent and are supporting its development..

How will agglomeration influence architectural design?

The office building is not dead, but it must evolve in response to this social trend. It’s no longer good enough to have an office campus that is a sterile, stand-alone entity. People are looking for authentic environments where there is a sense of vibrancy and the possibility of spontaneous encounters – where the unexpected can happen.

Buildings will be more diverse, and the way they are occupied will change. The building itself might be mixed-use, with cafes and shops, and there will be a range of work settings, with less emphasis on personal workspace – the traditional desk – and more on different kinds of spaces and collaborative areas. People don’t want something that is very controlled and monocultural. The challenge is: how do you create a development that gives you that?

What do you think the wider implications will be?

To nurture the social nature of work, we need to rethink how we design everything from individual buildings, to neighbourhoods, to entire cities. It affects architecture on a big scale, because more and more people will want to be in a few specific global sweet spots – to work, play and live.

This is causing huge pressures in a place like London, for example. The city is great at attracting talent, but you need to house people, to make sure they are cared for in education and welfare and health and social services. And you need transport in place to allow them to move around as easily as possible. It has a huge bearing on just about everything we do as architects.

What happens to cities that don’t have what’s needed?

There should be a healthy turnover of regeneration. Cities that don’t have the characteristics they need to succeed will look to transform themselves. Areas that succeed and ride the wave will get more expensive to work and live in, so other areas will respond by offering similar qualities at a lower price. There will be a constant need for places to reinvent themselves.

People are fundamentally social animals. We need social engagement to do our best work, to achieve creative productivity and innovation.

Graham McClements BDP

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