Quadrangle’s proposal for a resilient infrastructure of shared social and work spaces to support highrise neighbourhoods.
TEXT Caroline Robbie, Quadrangle
In early June, The New York Times surveyed 511 epidemiologists on when we could return to a variety of everyday activities. Their common refrain was: ?well, it depends.?
Of the epidemiologists, 54 percent said that society at large would return to working in shared office environments within three to twelve months. The survey results resonated. We?ve heard from clients?and our own staff?that there is an even split between those who want to return to the office on a limited basis, and those who are happy to continue working from home.
Global Big-4 consultancy PwC, one of our workplace clients in the UK, reopened their offices on June 8. Kevin Ellis, PwC?s Chair and Senior Partner, said: ?We?re a people business and the virtual world isn?t a substitute for human contact in a business like ours.? They see their role as a wider community benefit, as their workforce helps to support local businesses. The problem is that, with the physical distancing required pre-vaccine, they will only be able to accommodate
15 percent of their workforce.
Overall in the office sector, there is no clear consensus about what the ideal size of the new workplace will be. If less than 30 percent of a workforce uses a space daily, will companies only lease a certain size of office, regardless of their actual staff complement" Will the c...