The office must change

HUMAN-OFFICE The Competence Center Typology and Planning in Architecture at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (CCTP) has launched a new publication. It presents the future of the working world. Regulated working - that was once upon a time: mobility, flexibility and individuality are the buzzwords that characterize today's discussions about the world of work. Employees are less and less likely to be present at a fixed workplace at precisely defined times. They work on the move or from home and are often available to colleagues, managers and customers outside of working hours. The consequences are increased stress for employees and alienation from their work and their company. To counter this trend, the office needs to change. "In the future, the office will have to present itself as a place that offers a meaningful alternative to this alienation," says Sibylla Amstutz, co-author of the new publication "Human Office - Arbeitswelten im Diskurs" (Human Office - Working Worlds in Discourse) from the CCTP Competence Center.Solutions for future-oriented working environmentsIn this book, the CCTP presents its findings from various research projects and shows different approaches to what future-oriented working environments can look like and how they can be created. For example, it is important to have a diverse range of spaces, especially in open-plan office structures: there should be rooms that are suitable for teamwork or concentrated work, rooms where people can make loud phone calls or meet informally. "After all, it's not the open-plan space that is the problem, but the one-room, because it does lead to a large number of conflicts," summarizes Sibylla Amstutz. In this book, the human office is illustrated using the five aspects of "diversity", "appropriation", "comfort & diversity", "exchange and encounters" and "orientation". These aspects reflect the main challenges for which a modern office system must offer suitable solutions. In addition, the publication provides concrete recommendations for planners that allow for comprehensive implementation in practice.Sibylla Amstutz, Peter Schwehr: "Human Office - Arbeitswelten im Diskurs".Verlag: vdf Hochschulverlag AG an der ETH Zürich, ISBN: 978-3-7281-3594-0(print edition), ISBN 978-3-7281-3595-7 (e-book), Doi no. 10.3218/3595-7