Workplace

The days of treating workplace design as an afterthought are officially over. Recent global research reveals that strategic workplace improvements deliver measurable returns of 15-100% in productivity gains, fundamentally changing how we think about office environments.

Picture this: it’s 1975, and you’re walking into your new office job. Fluorescent strips buzz overhead, casting a sickly pallor/ annoying relfection over endless rows of identical desks. The carpet is burnt orange shag, the walls are wood-panelled with a cold green hue, and your “workspace” is defined by shoulder-high fabric partitions in varying shades of brown and beige. Welcome to the golden age of corporate conformity.

In 2024, offices must offer more than just a workspace. They need to compete with the comfort of home, enhancing both business efficiency and employee well-being. When Consult Recruitment asked us to update their iconic loft-style office, we jumped at the chance. Set in a characterful building within the lively Britomart Precinct, their office was ripe for transformation.

Auror is at the forefront of preventing retail crime, reducing losses, and enhancing safety for staff and customers. With their team rapidly expanding, they needed to evolve their Auckland office space to keep pace. Our task was straightforward: reimagine their environment to mirror Auror’s commitment to safety, collaboration, and community. We began by listening to their team’s needs, a critical step to ensure the new design truly supports their growth and values.

A decade ago, workplace design meant rows of beige cubicles, harsh fluorescent lighting, and the occasional motivational poster. Today’s employees would laugh at that setup—and rightfully so. The past ten years have witnessed the most dramatic transformation in workplace design history, accelerated by a global pandemic that forever changed how we think about where and why we work.

What drives a successful architect who’s designed workplaces around the world to return home and start a mission to “un-boring” New Zealand’s offices? For Gwynn Hoskins, co-founder of No More Boring, the answer lies in the untapped potential he saw across many New Zealand workplaces.

The workplace transformation we’ve witnessed over the past decade is just the beginning. As we look toward 2030, emerging technologies, changing demographics, and evolving employee expectations are reshaping how we think about workplace design. Based on recent industry research and expert predictions, here are the ten trends that will define the next era of workplace design.

We recently sat down with the incredibly talented Max Arshavsky, Founder & CEO of Zenno Astronautics, to talk about workplace culture, productivity and design. Zenno is an incredible NZ start-up known for its innovation and foresight to bring life beyond Earth. We discussed the broader positive impact of great workplace design and Max’s thoughts around their recently re-imagined workplace designed by our co-founder and lead designer, Gwynn Hoskins.