Work, Learn, Grow

Work in the 21st-century involves being able to handle change on a scale our 20th-century counterparts would have found unimaginable – and, perhaps, horrifying. From tech to big pharma, companies around the world want to hire people who are adaptable, thoughtful and willing to rise to the challenges of a fast-moving world. In other words, they want to hire learners.

Thriving in this new landscape demands different skills. Critical thinking, communication and being able to learn on the job are at a premium. But what does this mean for the workplace? Most of us still work in the open-plan layouts introduced in the mid-1960s, despite the fact that they are often not conducive to learning and development. (Back then, the idea was that open plan offices would break down hierarchies and improve creativity.) So, how can workplaces support a learning culture? How can we design new buildings and repurpose old ones to nurture these new skills? And where in the world can we look for inspiration?

For Yassir Osman, Class of 1982 (1979-80), founding partner of Zurich-based architect practice MOKA, flexibility and a cooperative approach are vital. Housed in a former factory that once manufactured supermarket scales, MOKA embodies the changing world of work. “The growth of European cities forced out heavy industry, leaving large, vacant lots,” says Yassir. “Converting these former industrial buildings into office space or mixed use was how MOKA made its name.” MOKA’s office is designed for sharing; its light, voluminous spaces feel more like a workshop than a formal workplace. “There’s no walnut veneer here,” he jokes. “The walls are covered in industrial screed so that we can build models and stick stuff to the walls.”

The drive for openness – physical as well as mental – was what originally fuelled the move to open-plan offices, but, as anyone who has worked in one knows, they can have major drawbacks. To reduce noise and provide privacy, Yassir takes inspiration from village communities. “Breaking down large, open-plan spaces into different neighbourhoods and public squares, in the same way that a village works, lets people move around depending on whether they need privacy or interaction,” he says.

It’s an approach that’s worked well for many of MOKA’s clients, from insurance giant AXA to SBB Swiss Federal Railways. For AXA, the project involved transforming a 1960s heritage-listed building from small offices into a more flexible, space-efficient open-plan design. Fixed furniture was removed and relocated to the building’s core, noisy copiers rehoused, and the bulk of the space fitted with rails supporting heavy-duty curtains.

At SBB, where MOKA redesigned the offices of Swiss Federal Railways’ IT department, the brief was shaped by its staff’s love of Post-it Notes. “I had this idea that IT staff are supremely digital, but I’d never seen so many Post-its,” Yassir recalls. “This meant they needed lots of space to put them up, so we introduced grooved cladding and magnetic panels that double as whiteboards. These can be carried between workspaces, so teams can cooperate.”

To facilitate serendipitous meetings, double height spaces were added to act as social areas. Linking these every two floors lets staff move through the building without using the central stairs, allowing space for an atrium staircase with double-height steps that serve as seating. “It encourages people to meet and exchange in informal ways, helps build connections between departments and creates a sense of community in the company as a whole,” says Yassir.

Dr Peter Bacevice, a social scientist at the University of Michigan in the US and director of research at HLW, a global architecture and design firm, agrees that to design good workplaces, architects need a deep understanding of businesses and their staff. “Well-designed workplaces can help attract talent, promote health and wellbeing, and symbolise commitments to sustainability,” he says. “Start with developing a shared understanding of the business and then think about how the work environment can support it.”

Peter believes that variety in a workplace – in seating, space size and social areas – is important, and says that a learning culture, too, can be fostered by design. “Put work on display; every industry can do this in different ways, but showing prototypes and finished products, and displaying information and metrics, helps everyone learn,” he says.

According to Jim Childress, an award-winning architect and a director of Centerbrook Architects and Planners, it’s all about achieving a balance between sharing and being able to escape: providing people with spaces in which they can work alone, alongside breakout areas to work on projects with colleagues.