New Work, New Workspace: Innovative design in a connected world

Does it matter where and how we work any more? Increasingly, many of us can work anywhere, so what is the meaning of the dedicated workspace? With 30 detailed case studies of all kinds of workspaces – from traditional workspaces to writer’s sheds and studios – this book argues that a specific place to work is still needed but that the kind of space is changing fast. 

As social interaction is favoured over places to toil, and as millennials and Generation X take a very different attitude to work than their predecessors, being more concerned with completing tasks than presenteeism, so the needs of design change. There are increasing metrics for measuring the effectiveness of workspace, and they show that good design – design that is focused on the environment and wellbeing that the workforce needs – is valued. At the same time, there are more generic spaces, such as co-working spaces, that have to fit all – or at least all of the target community. 

Case studies include: 

• 80 Atlantic Avenue, Toronto 
• Nick Veasey studio and gallery, Kent 
• Kostner House, Italy 
• GS1, Lisbon.

Ruth Slavid has been writing about architecture for more than 20 years, having been at the Architects’ Journal in a variety of senior roles from 1993 to 2008. Since then she has freelanced on a wide range of publications. Prior to joining the Architects’ Journal she worked on construction titles and, before that, for academic research journals.