“Assuming we haven’t reached singularity with robots, human work will emphasize creativity and innovation. So offices in 2050 will promote interaction, keep people engaged, and unlock their potential—not unlike Burning Man, without quite so many chemicals.”
Denis Hayes, Bullitt Foundation, “Life Inside a Living Building”
“The office of the future mostly will be about the quality of the general office space and the type of culture that is being fostered above all else. In an increasingly collaborative and global workplace, the focus is on creating and encouraging connections between people. Innovation drives growth, and the workplace of the future will be one that finds new and creative ways to connect people, both physically and virtually.”
Sheyla Conforte, Solomon Cordwell Buenz
“Offices? Daylight savings time will be abandoned for ‘Zulu’ time. Feral packs of freelancers with high (social) influence ratings will create ad-hoc alliances for specific projects. The space in which they work will be the surfaces they imagine. LinkedIn will be pounding semi-weekly ‘one month free’ offers directly to our brains.”
Robert Benson, 4240 Architecture
“Delimited to architecture, what if the premise of the question is misplaced, and the practice of working in a studio represented a collaborative ideal? The workplace will evolve with technology and culture. What if the ‘good’ practice of sitting around a table sketching was the model for any future collaboration?”
Chris Wise, Andersson-Wise Architects, “21 and Up”
This question was posed by guest editor Zurich Esposito. Read our conversation with him here.
