As vaccines continue to be distributed, both employers and employees are readying themselves to return to the office. However, these spaces must undergo changes unlike ever before.
โWhat is the appropriate office design?โ and โWhich features will make occupants feel safe?โ are just a few of the questions racing through the heads of project management teams at the moment.
One thing that is certain is the office will be less about serving as a productive space, and more about nurturing collaboration, community and wellness.
This means designing and equipping offices with technology-centric meeting spaces, private booths, improved HVAC systems, more outdoor space, plenty of natural light and more.
For instance, Fiona Haulter and GBT Realtyโs development team were in the midst of finding a construction loan for the $141 million office project One22One in Nashvilleโs Gulch neighborhood when the pandemic started to become a real concern.
Instead of scraping their plans, the team shifted their goal to become the cityโs first major development of the pandemic era.
The development now features thermal-imaging cameras, UV lighting to kill viruses and elevators with a โdestination dispatchโ system to avoid overcrowding and high-touch areas.
โItโs not like weโre designing something today and then tomorrow we decide that weโll go back to the old way because the virus is under control,โ said Lee Zoller, CEO of Nashville-based firm Division Street Development. โI think thatโll be the new norm, because you donโt want to have to say your building doesnโt do what it can to protect its tenants.โ
