Without a certain workspace

The office segment is one of the first to be affected in the real estate market, because it directly depends on the business activity of tenants In any crisis. Developers and business center owners suffered as well in the new era of economic instability, in which we all ended up as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. As soon as the fight against the virus is over, the segment will begin to recover first. However, office spaces will be completely different.

More and more flexible.
The founder of the Arcanika architectural studio Nikita Vykhodtsev confirms that this trend is definitely observed. “Although it is unlikely, that we will all return to working in cell cabins, as it used to be in the 1950s, it is obvious that the density of offices will change,” he adds. Now Moscow is in the middle of the list among European cities on this characteristic. According to a study by Colliers International, there is more than 8 square meters per employee of office space on average, the same indicators as in Riga, Krakow, Zagreb and Tallinn. The best indicator is in Copenhagen, where there is 18 square meters per employee, the worst characteristic - in London and Sofia (6-7 sq. m per person).

Behind the door of the business center
Nikita Vykhodtsev suggests that there might be legacy changes, regulating the minimum area per person in offices. It is unlikely that this will be the same amount as in Copenhagen, but it might be as in Vienna or Munich, where, according to Colliers International, there is about 10 square meters per employee, or even like in Oslo or Stockholm, where one employee has 14 square meters.

Plan designs will include wider corridors, a lot of transformable premises: meeting rooms that can change size and function, as well as modern technical equipment, providing ability of remote work for employees.

Mr. Vykhodtsev continues, that the maximum capacity for elevators and vestibules will be decreased, "this will reduce the number of people in one space at a time." It is possible that employers will advise employees to use stairs rather than elevators, unless, if we are talking about an office in one of the skyscrapers of “Moscow City”.

“We will see a less open-plan office spaces, as well as better ventilation systems and more openable windows for airing rooms,” Nikita Vykhodtsev predicts. “We will probably find more space between tables, as well as notice the absence of salad bars and buffets in corporate canteens and cafes. "


The original publication: https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4355529