No wonder the design of office buildings and workplaces is changing dramatically. From open-plan offices to individual office corridors – companies are becoming open centres for communication and collaboration with designated retreat areas for concentrated work.

Christian Petrini, CEO of Vifian in Schwarzenburg, has been dealing with this development for many years and sees it as a great opportunity for companies. “As complexity increases, so does the need for belonging,” he says. “The design of office space can strategically address this need with a working environment that consciously reflects the company DNA.” This, he says, strengthens the bond with the company and provides a reliable sense of belonging. “In a fast-changing world with employees as a scarce resource, the company headquarters can offer a magnetic character as a fixed point,” Petrini continues.

Flexibility and diversity in terms of space are an essential part of this. Space for individual work, but also for interdisciplinary collaboration in teams. “Inspiration may take place in the small, individual chamber,” says Petrini, “but innovation and creation continue to take place in physical form with and for people. This is because the workforce continues to identify strongly with the employer through the team and the social entity.

Petrini is also certain that it is not only the role of the company headquarters that has changed, but for many people also that of the work itself. “More and more people are looking for fulfilment in their work,” Petrini says. “They are looking for a deeper meaning and want to be part of the big picture.” As a result, identification with the employer in general is becoming more and more important.

According to Petrini, the decentralisation of jobs is a change that many employers have to adapt to in the long term. It is supported by increasing digitalisation. “Today, networking with the team and stakeholders must always be guaranteed regardless of location,” says Petrini. However, companies can offer their employees spaces for optimal analogue exchange, especially on site, in addition to support and orientation. “This diversity between digital and analogue must be reflected in the design concept.” This way, all members of an organisation can develop their full potential. Above all, spatial appreciation and a certain feel-good factor are important for this. “Rooms, if well planned, radiate comfort and thus create the ideal breeding ground for inspiration, creativity and thus problem solving,” says Petrini. Digitalisation with its technical possibilities must be part of this space and work concept.

According to Petrini, there is no model for the office of the future. “For me, it is much more important in this context that we know the concrete needs of the workplace users.” After all, the preferred environments and requirements are as individual as each person and each company. Interior designers have a very good basis for identifying the client’s needs and identity and mapping them in the space. “This is precisely why we work with partners as well as with our own professionals to develop solutions for our clients,” Petrini says of Vifian’s working methods.

In general, he says, it is completely different and project-dependent where and at what point it makes sense to involve a professional like Vifian. “For large projects, it makes sense to bring the implementation partner on board from the beginning,” says Petrini. “This way we can take valuable inputs for the implementation already in the start-up phase.” However, the creation process is just as individual as the design of the workspace. Vifian helps companies to modernise their office space. It assists with the development of the project idea, manufactures prototypes and takes care of the technical development, production and assembly of individual interior fittings and furniture.

Source references:
Photography: Alain Bucher
Project: Customised Furniture for Swisscom
Report: voll+ganz
Published: BB Print