How Office Design in Melbourne will Change in the Post-COVID World
Post-pandemic…that is a phrase that is incredibly appealing to people all around the globe. A world that has made it through the current COVID-19 pandemic sounds like a much happier place, but it is undoubtedly going to be a different one. This is particularly true when discussing commercial design. If considering an office outfit for a Melbourne business, there is much to know.
The New Workspace
The pandemic has not only disrupted the office space but permanently changed how office design in Melbourne will be done. As an article from Architect recently noted, previously, “design firms, industry specialists, and academic researchers speculated on the efficacy of open offices, team-based workspaces, self-employment and co-working, occupant loads, real estate efficiency, mobility, flexibility, communications tools, and artificial intelligence.”
With the emergence of a hybrid workforce (one that will put in time at home as well as the office), it is anticipated that there will be a reversal of many of the trends just noted above. An office fitout in Melbourne will have to reflect those reversals, and most particularly, the density of work populations. Instead, a major trend will be the de-densifying in office design in Melbourne.
New guidelines mean greater physical separation throughout a workspace, and this means larger work stations, more space in meeting or conference rooms, larger tables, space-dividing partitions, and even a workforce that operates on a rotating schedule.
A prime example of this is the trend in employees using rotating shifts, with one group appearing one day and another portion on alternate days. Any office fitout in Melbourne will have to embrace this sort of change and determine methods for using space most effectively.
Real Estate Questions
Interestingly enough, as all of these changes play out in real-time, many wonder if larger firms will question the need for enormous offices and expensive real estate. There could be a shift to much smaller office spaces and a larger remote workforce.
Alternately, many argue that some firms will double or even triple-down on their real estate to accommodate the need for greater social distancing within the workspace.
And what of co-worker spaces; those shared by individuals operating on a freelance capacity? There are some trends in office design in Melbourne relating to this group, too, though they reflect the same trends in traditional office design. In other words, individual work stations rather than group tables or spaces are the new norm.
Will the Office Return?
If you are concerned about just how to go about a new office fitout in Melbourne, and wonder if it is even a wise investment, take a few words to heart. The office is not going to “go away”. Instead, it will transform to reduce chance encounters, limit face to face exchanges, and curtail larger assemblies. That means that office design Melbourne will have to reflect the need for traditional office function and interaction while upholding health and safety standards.
Needless to say, commercial interior design and office spaces will be different in the next few years, but that doesn’t mean they won’t also be exciting and inspired spaces, too. To discover what you can do with office design in Melbourne, contact us at Aspect Commercial Interiors, specializing in inspired commercial space.
