Before the pandemic, no one would have expected such a rapid switch from the model of phyical office presence to remote working in the home office. Some 18 months later, a number of companies, including the architectural firm Marazzi + Paul Architects, have arrived at a hybrid working model - and this is also having an impact on future office and residential buildings. We spoke with Alfred Paul, co-owner of Marazzi + Paul Architects, about the transformation of their own office and how the pandemic will impact the architecture of tomorrow.
Alfred Paul, Co-owner von Marazzi + Paul Architekten
Mr. Paul - you seized the moment and remodeled the office during the second Corona wave. Did you have the blueprints in place beforehand?
We had the plans in the drawer for some time, but there was no urgency to change anything. As a classic architecture firm, our open office was simply used for working. You came in the morning, had lunch outside, worked in the afternoon at your desk or together in the meeting room, and went home in the evening.
With the pandemic and the introduction of a hybrid work model, office habits have changed, and with them the demands on the space. Today, our employees come to the office primarily for social moments. Our kitchen and coffee corner now take up a lot of space, as do the dedicated meeting corners.
So the way you work is different today?
Yes. In the first wave, we had to say goodbye to the fixed workstation in the office within 24 hours and switch completely to a digital and location-independent way of working. I would never have thought that this could be so uncomplicated.
But we have learned that we don't need fixed desks to be able to work well as a team and with customers. Technologically, such a set-up would not have been possible two years ago. Today, we want to benefit from this and offer our employees a flexible working model.
How do you define the flexible working model? Are there any new regulations?
We involved our employees in defining our new working model. During Corona, we conducted a survey. The result: no one wants to work 100% from home or in the office. In our employment contracts, we have now stipulated that employees have the option of working from home between 40-50% (for a 100% position). One regulation stipulates that each employee must decide in advance what his or her split will be. Block times also apply in our home office, and we have also reorganized the issues of ergonomics and infrastructure in the workplace. For example, our employees now receive a fixed annual contribution to the cost of investing in their home office, but they are responsible for complying with labor law regulations at home. And - Thursday is office day for everyone. On one day, we want to be able to talk personally with all employees in the office.
“New needs evolve from changes and these can be addressed through continuous dialogue with employees.”
You've been living the hybrid work model for some time now. Are there any blind spots?
New work models have to be well thought out. Setting up the workplace at home should not be underestimated. There are certainly things we need to adapt again in the long term. New needs evolve from changes. We have been able to respond to many of them and currently have a very high level of employee satisfaction. Others we do not yet know. I think it's important to maintain an ongoing dialog with our employees.
Change of perspective: Marazzi + Paul Architekten designs and implements office renovations and new buildings. Are the first Corona effects already noticeable in the architecture? What ideas are architects dreaming about for new or redesigned office buildings?
The pandemic is a catalyst for trends that were already there before: from fixed, dedicated desks to shared desks. Sharing is being demanded more than average. The office is becoming a hub, workplaces are becoming denser, meeting zones are multiplying. Employees come to the office because they feel comfortable there, have the opportunity to meet and collaborate with others in a welcoming environment.
What developments do you predict in the planning of residential buildings? Will there be more co-working spaces in housing developments? Or will the office in the apartment become the standard?
Do you remember the common room in a block of flats that was not used by anyone? And mostly served as a storage room? Now there is a real need for such a room.
We are currently working on a project where we are thinking specifically about a co-working space in a housing estate - from the kitchen to the infrastructure to the technology.
In the future, work will no longer be spatially bound. With 5G and the tools that are available to us, we will also increasingly work in public spaces.
This is also a huge opportunity for us architects. At Marazzi + Paul Architekten, we always take a very close look at the place where our buildings are created. If we can now work on site, on location, in the future, this can create a completely different relationship with the people in the surrounding area.
In the previously mentioned project, we had the residents draw a postcard in order to understand how they envision their surroundings in the future. Such a place analysis could take on other dimensions in the future.
“In the future, work will no longer be spatially bound. With 5G and the tools that are available to us, we will also increasingly work in public spaces. ”
What effect would such developments, working from anywhere, have on the planning of public space?
Whether private, semi-private or public, spaces are being used in ever more complex ways. The restaurant becomes a place of work. The bank branch becomes a place to work. The park bench in the green becomes a workplace. In the future, we could also welcome co-workers from other industries in our office. School rooms or even soccer stadiums could be used twice.
I have always had the vision of a flying classroom. Students move around the city like nomads, exploring places, learning new things as they experience them. Technology gives us room for new ideas. Let's see what comes of it.
Illustrations: The Office of Marazzi + Paul Architects
