Every year, new technologies and trends are adopted in office and commercial spaces around the world. This constantly changing landscape offers new and exciting design opportunities and workplace innovation to business owners, and 2019 is no different. The trend towards optimization of office and business spaces is increasing exponentially this year, and are helping successful companies to gain a competitive advantage while improving their bottom line. Over the past year or so, we saw design trends that tended towards a focus on innovative workplace designs and creative use of workspaces, and 2019 is building on that focus while zeroing in on employee and customer happiness and a commitment to all things green.
Here are a few trends to keep in mind when considering upgrades and renovations to your commercial property:
- Experience. This trend incorporates many characteristics that all relate to human potential and the employee work experience. Specialized enhancements to workspaces are directed towards developing overall wellness, cultivating happiness, and building community, all of which boosts morale (and productivity). A few of the offerings here are:
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- Massage therapy and chiropractor consultant spaces
- Meditation space
- Walking and running trails
- Rock climbing walls
- Espresso bars
- Gaming rooms
- Co-working Spaces. This trend was popularized by tech startups, but in its inception still closed various business entities off from one another, even while bringing them together under one roof. In the latest trend, these are coming down, and companies now are sharing the same spaces, resources, and even the same talent, vastly expanding the creative networking possibilities and idea generation for people from all kinds of business areas. This trend includes:
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- Open office plan design
- Multi-use meeting space
- Unconventional creative space
- Lots of glass and green living things
- Desk space, not cubicles
- Lightweight, comfortable and portable furniture
- Old and New. This trend is focused on bringing new life to old space by renovating and re-using older existing buildings. Areas such as old warehouses and manufacturing buildings and abandoned buildings on waterfronts and railroad yards are seeing transformations into workspaces that benefit many while veering away from adding to the footprint of the city. A few hallmarks of this trend include:
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- Weathered surfaces and textures
- Old World craftsmanship
- Glass and metal
- Modern furniture and artwork, often abstract
When it comes to the latest trends, the team at Ascension General Contractors is here to help you make them happen during renovations to your commercial property. Just give us a call!
