1st Place Winner
LAURA LEUNG
Interior Designer, Ennead Architects
LinkedIn
Laura is currently a designer at Ennead Architects pursuing a strong interest in institutional and civic work. Her background before joining Ennead is one in hospitality and retail design, having interned at AvroKO and Champalimaud, where she worked on hotel projects in the US, Japan, and New Zealand. Out of school, she worked in the retail group at TPG Architecture documenting high-end department stores in Latin America. She is most passionate about conscientious design work that positively impacts people's lives, approaching design problems with research, inspiration and empathy. Outside of work, she is a mentor with Minds Matter - a nonprofit dedicated to helping high-achieving high school students from low-income families attend college.
The Future of Offices after COVID: A World Where Employer and Employee Incentives are Aligned
Understanding that a post-COVID workplace will likely involve a hybrid of working from home and working in the office, we must focus on an environment that supports flexibility, safety, transparency, and ease-of-use. From our own 4-month work-from-home experience, we know people still crave social interaction, find creativity and varying forms of collaboration difficult to attain virtually, and have found the boundary between work and home to be blurred. There is still a positive future for office spaces, but that future needs to be worth the investment for the company and the interests of the employees to return to an office to work. We may be working more at home, but are we producing the same quality of work, or does a degraded level of collaboration make the work take twice as long? The office of the future needs to raise the bottom line through the intelligent use of furniture that fuels collaboration and creativity, while also supporting social interaction. Choosing pieces that also pursue the promotion of mental and physical well-being and supportive ergonomics will help build a level of safety and desire to come back to the workplace. Above all, COVID may be temporary, but the sudden 4-month work-from-home stint has paved way for a new reality and redefinition of what it means to have a quality work life and personal life, and we must be here to embrace and support it fully with our empathy and knowledge of the human condition.
Understanding that a post-COVID workplace will likely involve a hybrid of working from home and working in the office, we must focus on an environment that supports flexibility, safety, transparency, and ease-of-use. From our own 4-month work-from-home experience, we know people still crave social interaction, find creativity and varying forms of collaboration difficult to attain virtually, and have found the boundary between work and home to be blurred. There is still a positive future for office spaces, but that future needs to be worth the investment for the company and the interests of the employees to return to an office to work. We may be working more at home, but are we producing the same quality of work, or does a degraded level of collaboration make the work take twice as long? The office of the future needs to raise the bottom line through the intelligent use of furniture that fuels collaboration and creativity, while also supporting social interaction. Choosing pieces that also pursue the promotion of mental and physical well-being and supportive ergonomics will help build a level of safety and desire to come back to the workplace. Above all, COVID may be temporary, but the sudden 4-month work-from-home stint has paved way for a new reality and redefinition of what it means to have a quality work life and personal life, and we must be here to embrace and support it fully with our empathy and knowledge of the human condition.
Some words from the judges:
"In response to the challenge, I found Laura’s presentation most complete in concept and proposed solutions. ‘Hybrid’ is the perfect word that does not disregard working from home and acknowledges the ongoing importance and benefits of the office. There is a good fusion of space types and furniture to suit potential program needs with distancing in mind while promoting interaction. There is creative use of Teknion elements with noted mobility to support different uses and adjacencies, allowing for flexibility and growth. The use of plant walls is a nice ‘residential’ touch that provides practical and aesthetic benefits. Overall, well done and a good basis to build upon."
- Charles Petretti, AIA
"Laura’s submission really took a deep dive into what the post-COVID 19 workplace could look like in the near future. She demonstrated how the Teknion product could be used to create “zones” and separation between users with visual cues. This solution really focused on the user well-being with various choices for job function and easily manipulated furniture groupings. She also recognized how important fabric and material choices will be for that added layer of safety and cleanliness. Her submission would be great for marketing boards for potential tenants in a building or for employers to communicate “the new office”!"
- Laura Fowler, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C
- Laura Fowler, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C
"Laura’s submission hit the trifecta of the assignment – providing a creative and original solution that incorporates post-COVID 19 strategies that include physical distancing, wellness and choice. Her solution is one that is welcoming, while allowing for a variety of work settings that are adaptable. No one knows exactly what the future holds, however the space that she has designed is one in which I can envision would support a variety of work functions and client typologies. With enough structure without feeling rigid, her planning solutions are creative and engaging."
- Sandra Tripp, IIDA NCIDQ LEED AP
