The physical environment should drive people to do things better. Javier Mosquera of 3g office explores how design can serve as a lever for change.
The traditional paradigm of a corporate or educational space forces people to perform activities in the same way all day long. It is rigid and uniform, restricting their movement to a series of assigned “containers,” whether they are rooms, desks, offices, or classrooms. From the moment that monotonous model negatively conditions us and condemns us to passivity, the conventional space is outdated. It no longer serves communities because it dampens their initiative. One works better when their place activates and inspires them. There is no longer a one-size-fits-all solution because everyone does things differently.
Typically, the focus of space has always been on operational needs and the resolution of functional and technical aspects, the look & feel, materials, textures, furniture, etc. However, one of the most common mistakes is when design revolves around space renovation when it should really focus on user evolution. It may seem daunting, but in a more flexible, ambiguous, and unpredictable world, the design of physical space can no longer be an end in itself, but an agent of change that drives people to innovate. The transformation of space is no longer an interior design problem or about aesthetics , but about the prioritization of the user who experiences the space.
If the way people do things (work, learn, communicate, etc.) has changed radically, one must revolutionize the way they design a physical environment. People no longer want to be forced to choose between workstations, desks, classrooms, or rooms, but rather want to be able to choose where and how to act. Therefore, the challenge for designers is to stop thinking in terms of defined spaces, but to consider an ecosystem of “diverse environments” with blurred boundaries.
1. The Amphitheater
Drawing inspiration from the concept of an “amphitheater” allows for the creation of a communication configuration that involves users, inviting them to interact in a casual and informal way and stimulating movement. For this, it is important that it is located in a prominent place, in the most vital and accessible area of the environment. And that the boundaries are diffuse, the uses multiple, and the space adaptable by any user. Even the opportunity to work with the topographic relief, incorporating slopes, steps, or self-stacking modules forming a grandstand, helps define a focal point of the environment.
The influence of the “amphitheater” concept broadens the vision of the physical environment, promoting interpersonal capabilities. It promotes the sharing of ideas through presentation, a conference, a plenary, a committee, a forum, and even an event. The concept of an “amphitheater” is essential because it helps develop fundamental skills such as active listening, effectively communicating ideas, expressing oneself clearly, managing emotions to achieve a positive impact, etc. Especially as it becomes increasingly important to have a physical environment where everyone can gather to exchange knowledge and communicate as a group.
2. The Lobby
The concept of a “lobby” can influence the creation of a community configuration that takes advantage of the most strategic place in the environment, where everyone passes through and can suddenly meet and take a break. It is a crucial environment, transitional, diverse, and informal, where unexpected stimuli can arise, giving rise to casual interactions that promote people’s development, a sense of community, and organizational values.
The influence of the “lobby” concept inspires the design of the place, promoting interaction, whether at the entrance, the intersection of circulations, the coffee break, the dining room, an exhibition space, an audiovisual projection space, a stand-up meeting, etc.
The concept of a “lobby” is fundamental because it promotes the ability to develop connections, create synergies, socialize, and allow ourselves to be surprised by unexpected encounters in order to exchange ideas. To carry out activities, people increasingly need to socialize, whether it’s to collaborate, co-create, share, or cooperate. By integrating into a strong sense of community, people are better equipped to face the challenges of a changing world and have a positive impact.
3. The Garage
Many projects and startups started in something similar to a “garage”. That concept can inspire us to recreate a collaborative configuration that brings together a dedicated team for uninterrupted time to tackle a specific activity, with a whiteboard to write and post-it notes. Its adaptability allows the team to regroup, responding to changing needs and scalable teams, promoting design thinking, iterations, or agile methodologies. It can be a table with chairs or an informal layout with audiovisual technology and multifunctional, self-configurable furniture.
The influence of the “garage” concept enhances the design of the physical environment, promoting effective collaboration, and can take formats such as a meeting room, project room, war room, brainstorming room, maker space, etc.
The concept of “garage” is essential because it allows for the development of necessary skills such as collaboration, consensus building, sharing responsibility with the team instead of concentrating it on a single person, co-creating ideas as a team, or experimenting based on trial and error. Especially after losing the habit of working together in person during the pandemic.
4. The Coatroom
The concept of “coatroom” can be reimagined to create a setting for concentration, where one can retreat to a protected corner in silence, but not necessarily in isolation. It utilizes hidden spaces where people can have privacy to focus on their activities, without noise or distractions. These are refugees that can be more or less open to the surroundings, as long as they allow the person to be alone and uninterrupted.
The influence of the “coatroom” concept reimagines the design of the space, by promoting focus without interruptions, individually or with someone else. These spaces can be very diverse, as everyone is different when it comes to focusing, such as a niche in a piece of furniture or next to a window, an individual armchair, a phone room for individual video conferences, a heads down area for reading in silence, etc.
The concept of “coatroom” is crucial because it helps develop fundamental skills such as focusing and reflecting, gathering information, self-organizing, and even respecting the concentration of others. Especially as it becomes increasingly necessary to provide a physical environment where everyone can sit and immerse themselves for a good while without distractions and interruptions.
Driving Human Development
It’s time to stop thinking in traditional spaces like workstations, desks, or classrooms, where people establish themselves during the day to get things done. The challenge is about curating four basic configurations -communication, community, collaboration, concentration-, learning from different concepts that influence each other. These configurations allow for a more fluid ecosystem of “diverse environments,” where people can freely choose from a broad menu of where and how to act. In this way, anyone can, for example, informally participate in a presentation, then suddenly meet a colleague for coffee, then have a brainstorming session with their team, and finally concentrate in a quiet place.
We are social beings, and by interacting with others, we can develop skills such as adaptability to uncertainty, self-initiative, openness to the unexpected, collaboration, and working with others to explore and experiment. These are exclusively human skills that we need to exercise for creativity, our most powerful tool and the spark of innovation.
Learning from other influences helps expand our vision of the physical ecosystem as a lever for change. And it provides the ability to drive our development and the deployment of the necessary skills in a context of continuous change.
