Workplace design is evolving into a living system—flexible, human-centered, and ready to adapt to the unpredictable needs of the future.
Designing an office today is a little like teaching a class in the future—you’re guiding people through possibilities they haven’t yet imagined. When I start sketching a new space, I’m not just thinking about what it needs to be today; I’m envisioning what it might need to become five years from now. Who will be working here? How will technology evolve? What happens when a company grows, contracts or completely redefines what “coming to the office” means?
That mindset drives every project, and it’s the same philosophy I share with my students at the university. Good design solves problems. Great design anticipates them. The most successful workplaces don’t just respond to change; they’re built to stay ahead of it, anticipating how people will work, connect and thrive long before those needs arise.
Designing with Foresight
Design foresight is about translating imagination into infrastructure. Before we ever finalize a layout, my team and I are already planning for change—modularity, flexibility and the freedom to adapt. We often plan in modules allowing us to reconfigure, swap or expand spaces without starting from scratch.
Maybe an office becomes a collaborative zone. Maybe a cluster of workstations turns into a meeting pod. The goal is to make change easy, not disruptive.
When we ask clients where they see themselves in five years, they often don’t know exactly, and that’s okay. The point is to design a space that can flex no matter what the answer turns out to be. That’s what I call designing for the unknown.
Designing for the Unpredictable
If the past few years have proven anything, it’s that the workplace is unpredictable. Hybrid schedules, shifting team sizes, evolving technologies, no one has a crystal ball. So instead of trying to guess the future, design for change.
Interestingly, when companies “shrink,” their spaces don’t necessarily get smaller. Hybrid work means rethinking, not reducing, square footage. Those same square feet can evolve into hybrid meeting rooms, community hubs, or amenity areas that encourage connection.
“The space looks and functions differently than it did when people came in five days a week.” The magic lies in that transformation—how the same environment can serve new needs without losing its identity.
Innovation in Motion
That kind of adaptability is only possible with innovative products. Steelcase’s Campers & Dens is one of my favorite examples—a modular system that allows designers to drop flexible meeting spaces or private offices into any floorplan.
You can start with a single Den and build an entire neighborhood from there. No permits. No construction. Just evolution. That’s foresight in product form.
I also rely on height-adjustable workstations and mobile power stations. Two essentials for teams that thrive on movement. If we want people to get up, collaborate, or shift from deep work to dialogue, we need to give them power wherever they go. Portable energy is freedom.
Even demountable partitions and modular panels serve as quiet heroes of change. Every reconfiguration we do without tearing down walls or rebuilding sends a clear message: flexibility is sustainability.
The Human Side of Flexibility
Design begins with purpose. The “why” behind a design will always outlast the aesthetic “what.” A well-designed space should feel welcoming, safe, and productive. Those principles may sound simple, but they shape everything – from how light defines a room to how furniture encourages connection and focus.
Furniture, too, is a powerful expression of culture. Traditional organizations often favor classic materials and structure, while innovative or tech-driven companies lean toward movement, writable surfaces, and open collaboration zones. Both approaches work, the difference lies in intention.
When the Classroom Meets the Studio
Teaching design keeps me connected to what’s next. Students bring fresh eyes, bold ideas, and an eagerness to experiment with tools like AI. We explore programs like Midjourney to generate visual concepts that evoke emotion and energy. They use AI-assisted modules to map floorplates and test layouts in seconds.
It’s not about replacing creativity; it’s about amplifying it. AI helps us visualize futures we might not have seen otherwise. And it’s teaching the next generation of designers to think dynamically—to design spaces that can evolve, not just exist.
Looking Ahead: The Office of 2030
When I think about the office of 2030, I don’t see a radical departure from where we are today. What I do see is integration—technology so embedded in the environment that it feels invisible. Screens, cameras, and connectivity will support collaboration seamlessly, whether you’re across the table or across the world.
Sustainability will be another major driver. Across the industry, there’s growing momentum toward refurbishing, reusing, and reconfiguring what we already have. Adaptability itself will become a form of sustainability.
And one product I believe will be standard by then? Mobile power. Today it’s a luxury; by 2030, it’ll be as expected as Wi-Fi. We already have solar packs for camping—why shouldn’t we have them for work?
The office of the future isn’t a fixed destination—it’s a living, breathing ecosystem that evolves with the people who inhabit it.
