Future of Work 2024

Client Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Location Frankfurt a.M., DE

Area 518 m²

Function Innovation space at the consumer goods trade fair "ambiente" with event, exhibition and manufacturer areas

Year 2023-2024

Phases 1- 3, 5, 8

Team André Schmidt, Joris Fach, Philipp Ludwig

Graphics Julia Neller

Domes Yakone

Collaborate

3min

Even a three-minute meeting can prove productive. Standing aside in a niche or going in for a brief sitting huddle can greatly promote exchange. You don't always need a back- or armrest to support such exchanges, often a stool will do.

10min

Productive dialogue can be shaped in many ways. In principle it is of course an advantage to sit opposite of each other. However, more unconventional situations can be set up too, inviting more spontaneous discussions and circumventing formal vis-à-vis arrangements altogether.

30min

Meetings today don't just take place at conference tables. Especially creative exchange is often more productive when its framework is less rigid and less organized. Participants can join spontaneously and easily find their individual place in an environment more akin to a landscape than a boardroom.

60min

Meetings held standing up are known for their efficiency. However, as soon as exchanges hit the 60-minute mark, the limits of efficiency are quickly exceeded. Intermediate solutions are readily available and allow agile leaning, sitting or squatting without tiring.

120min

Structured group work can of course take place in any meeting- or classroom. However, group work is also possible in more compact situations, in which participants sit in tighter configurations, are less likely to disengage and remain focused on the task at hand.

Concentrate

Acoustic concentration

Whether in between colleagues at work or amidst everyday life at home, sometimes it is essential to self-isolate for concentrated activities. That said, it doesn't always have to happen in full isolation of, say, a telephone booth. Acoustic panels or curtains to reduce the overall white noise or niches for the odd phone call are solutions with much lower-thresholds and similar results.

Visual concentration

In order to limit visual stimuli for concentrated work, proverbial blinders are helpful in many work environments. These can be dividers or enclosures of individual desk spaces, behind which one can duck and - even if only briefly - escape the general office bustle and concentrate.

Educate

Present

In terms of professional development, presenting a certain issue is probably the most effective way of actually learning it. Digital media can support such presentations, as can environments in which the presenter can operate instinctively while being well lit and acoustically well framed. After all, each and everyone’s stage presence is depending on stage comfort, which means that the design of the presentation environment is of particular importance.

Study

Everyone is expected to comit to life-long-learning, regardless of previous degrees, age or position. However, preferences and ways of studying are often very different, so spatial solutions necessarily look very different too. Suitable furniture is therefore versatile and customizable for everyone to choose and find their individual ‚study‘.

Participate

The ability to work in teams does not just need to be proclaimed. It needs to be constantly practiced. Team-work thus extends into the digital realm, but is equally based on analogue and physical formats of inter-personal collaboration. Various static and flexible furniture systems promote such exchange of information and in different, integrative and productive ways.

Socialize

To-Go

In a work environment that demands constant flexibility and agility, it is not surprising that hot drinks and snacks are typically taken out to go. The counter and its surroundings, spaces in which people queue, gather or briefly chat with colleagues, are thus all the more important. After all, even our coffee to-go has an impact on productivity.

Water cooler

In a labor market in which health as a currency of long-term performance is increasingly in demand, drinking water is part of the job. Hydrate for health, hydrate for concentration. In addition, every water source also provides social interaction, supported by attention to spatial design around the water cooler.

Business lunch

During business lunches, it is sometimes hard to distinguish duty, presumably the meeting, from pleasure, presumably lunch. After all, everyone has to eat at some point and meetings can indeed be enjoyable. In any case, ergonomic environments with appealing haptics and targeted lighting help to make the hybrid business lunch work module as productive as possible and not just nutritious.

After-work

After-work programs are particularly productive as a format for maintaining and expanding networks. This applies to cultivating contacts within the company's own network, as well as reaching out beyond. Especially for the former, furnishings that create a loose sense of belonging are beneficial.

Coffee-break

Good quality beans, high-quality coffee machines and your own favorite cup are appreciated in almost every office environment. Coffee breaks have proven their worth as a productive time-out, their relaxing qualities should not be underestimated. Their surroundings should not be underestimated either. Whether corners supporting a chat or niches for individual retreat exist is a decisive factor in the coffee-break‘s productivity.