Hybrid environments provide a mix of enclosed and open work spaces that are available for users to occupy on an as-needed basis.
The mobility we now have allows individuals to choose how and where they work best. A flexible work environment can balance the needs for individual work with the need for interaction. The advent of untethered technology and mobile ways of using space has all but eliminated the challenge of deciding between openness versus enclosure when designing a workplace.
Hybrid work spaces offer both open and closed environments that can be useful in a variety of ways. In a hybrid workplace, employees have the option of working individually in a quiet space or working with their colleagues in open, collaborative team areas or rooms. Furthermore, the hybrid workplace can take advantage of technology to combine face-to-face and virtual collaboration — both within the office and remotely.
What is on the horizon for the workplace? It’s fair to expect the following:
-Continuous change in the way workers collaborate brought on by new technology
-New cultural norms and protocols for virtual working
-More opportunities to plan for shared work spaces with third party organization
-New demands for cities and city governments to create space to support new ways of working
All of these changes will present challenges to the way in which workplaces are designed and built by developers, architects, landlords and suppliers of all kinds.