With changing work cultures, technological advancements and a climate emergency, the brief has shifted when it comes to office space. Jonathan Haran, Regional Sector Lead at Morris & Spottiswood Group explains how the commercial office sector is responding.
The world of work has changed. In the last few years, we’ve moved beyond the traditional ‘9-5, Monday to Friday’ in the office, and the commercial office sector has transformed in response. Driven by the need to provide a sustainable colleague experience, retain talent, minimise costs and increase efficiencies, agile spaces are key, but there is much more to consider.
Positive spaces for all
Retention is the key driver for most enquiries we receive as businesses are looking for office space that impresses clients, motivates staff and encourages people to join and stay. More than ever, we’re seeing movement across all sectors, as people choose a job which offers them specific work/life needs, with the office space and culture acting as a major factor in these choices.
With this in mind, there’s a growing trend for office space which prioritises wellness, appealing to a new generation of workers and management recognising the importance of physical and mental wellbeing in the workplace.
With a holistic approach to workspace design, offices are incorporating wellbeing areas, such as fitness centres and meditation rooms. Clients are also looking for biophilic design, introducing elements such as natural lighting and ventilation, to create a more connected and productive environment.
Another big demand is for flexible workspace and serviced office space. This suits businesses that want to entice colleagues back into the office but don’t need full capacity, as well as the increasing numbers of start-up businesses and freelancers looking for room to expand and have a shared space for collaboration. These hubs need to be attractive and well-equipped, with good amenities and robust technological infrastructure.
Whatever the size of a business, the office undoubtedly acts as a sales aid. Whether customers are visiting a shared space or a large office hosting one team, it needs to look the part.
Emphasis on sustainability
While aesthetics is important, more and more clients are prioritising sustainable office design, reflecting a growing consciousness of environmental impact. People are waking up to the reality of embodied carbon and we’re seeing clients looking to re-use rather than buy new.
Eco-friendly materials and energy-efficient systems are being specified, with a focus on the energy and carbon going into the fit-out, as well as the energy and carbon being taken out.
Excitingly, with the recent launch of our subsidiary business Inspire Spaces, we can now offer in-house space development and furnishing services and incorporate into initial plans and designs. Tim Worne and his team work closely with clients to design and deliver spaces tailored to individual team and organisation needs – from desks to meeting pods and biophilia.
We use a holistic approach to think about how workspace impacts the team, business operations, and long-term success. We prioritise recycling and reusing materials wherever possible, and our re-upholstery services breathe new life into existing furniture, reducing waste and conserving resources.
There has never been such an interest in re-purposing and a long-term view of each part of the office space – everything needs to be designed for dis-assembly and re-use rather than simply ripped out and re-installed. Through another of our subsidiary businesses, CRBN solutions, we’re increasingly undertaking life cycle assessments for clients looking for real life data to help with their corporate decarbonisation ambitions.
When we are engaged at the earliest stages of a project, we can get a real understanding of the individual requirements for clients and bring in the appropriate parts of our business to provide bespoke solutions in all areas – from early inception to design, sustainability and delivery.
A turnkey solution
The Morris & Spottiswood Group has been evolving to meet these current and emerging needs, so we’re perfectly placed to respond to our clients needs in the commercial office sector from our national network.
As well as space development and furnishing, fit-out, retro-fit and refurbishment services, we also offer mechanical and electrical (M&E) services; in-house architectural services; maintenance and a full range of carbon reduction solutions.
Our portfolio of nine businesses can work independently and efficiently together and crucially, we have the expertise and resources to coordinate joined up, end to end services. We have a true turnkey solution and are trusted to deliver, having worked in partnership with clients such as Department of Work and Pensions, The Government Property Agency, Britvic, NFU Mutual, Edrington, The Phoenix Group and other leading financial institutions across the UK.
With commercial office projects, there is no one size fits all solution. The important thing is creating environments for people to thrive, while meeting client aspirations and budget. With early engagement, anything is possible, and our team can support at every step, offering an end-to-end delivery which is unique in the market.