With another 6 months of ‘Working From Home’ mandated by the UK government, businesses need to look at solutions for turning workplaces into future proof environments for people to return to in Spring 2021.

The Covid 19 pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities in our current working world and brought into sharp focus outdated practices that no longer serve us. This period presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to rewrite the way we work & live whilst building safeguards into the design of our future and existing offices.

How can you attract tenants in the Spring 2021?

The move towards Landlord led CAT A +/‘Plug and Play’ initiatives over the last few years has taken the onus off of the tenant and provided them with value-added office space without the prohibitive up front fit-out costs.

Not only does this help to reduce vacancy rates but it allows Landlords to charge increased rents over the course of the tenancy – a win win for tenants and landlords alike.

How can we make vacant space more attractive?

Exciting and creatively designed Cat A + spaces will continue to be key in attracting post-Covid tenants, who not only have increasing expectations of the workplace but who are also seeing the benefits of working from home and will need extra incentives to return to the traditional office.

Hybrid working environments where employees can split their time between home and the office will be the most likely outcome & offices that create a strong sense of culture and community will be the most successful in attracting people back.

• Focus on larger, multi-functional break out spaces
• Less workstations due to hybrid workers splitting work week between the home & office
• Adaptable screens between workstations
• State of the art technology for connecting to remote workers easily
• Large, adaptable meeting room spaces that can be easily reconfigured
• Develop design schemes that are not too traditionally ‘corporate’ to appeal to the home worker
• Dedicated activity/ wellness spaces to support mental health of staff and encourage a sense of community

How can we build safety into our designs?

• Think outside the box: Applying materials that historically may have been used in other settings, for example healthcare, which can help to curb the transmission of viruses and bacteria. Replacing surfaces on desks and in kitchens with anti-microbial materials or coating existing plastic and textiles with antimicrobial barriers.
• Using metals such as copper, brass and bronze for other touch points as they naturally kill harmful microbes in 1-2 hours
• Contactless technology for building access and navigation
• Creatively partitioned open plan floorplates which can be easily modified and reconfigured

How can we help?

• Conduct analysis of existing buildings by assessing elements to replace or modify
• Deliver exciting and creatively designed spaces optimised for the post Covid workforce
• Assess furniture layouts and how to ensure effective social distancing

We are keen to speak with organisations about how they plan to re-evaluate their offices and portfolios and how we might help deliver these new strategies

Contact us now at:  www.emilypenrosedesign.co.uk/contact