Jeremy Myerson – författare

Offices shape the lives of millions of people. How we plan, design and equip them says a great deal about the culture of organisations, the mentality of managers and the motivations of staff. But getting the right balance between management efficiency and individual wellbeing is as elusive as ever. New Demographics New Workspace looks for answers in some new places. The authors address ways in which the office environment can be redesigned to offer greater levels of comfort, flexibility and fitness for purpose in the new age of the older knowledge worker. Based on the findings of the authors 'Welcoming Workplace' research project at the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre, New Demographics New Workspace examines the impact of two of the most significant shifts in the workplace: the ageing of the workforce and the changing nature of work itself in the knowledge economy. By examining the movements and motivations of older knowledge workers in the UK, Japan and Australia, the authors have generated new conceptual approaches to office design that offer an alternative to the current outdated model derived from the factory floor. In particular they question the value of open-plan offices that favour collaboration over concentration and contemplation. Given the growing pensions crisis and anticipated knowledge gap in the workforce in many developed countries, this book has real political, economic and social resonance. If we are all going to have extended working lives in the 21st century, the places in which we work will need to flex and adapt to make us want to keep on working.

Offices shape the lives of millions of people. How we plan, design and equip them says a great deal about the culture of organisations, the mentality of managers and the motivations of staff. But getting the right balance between management efficiency and individual wellbeing is as elusive as ever. New Demographics New Workspace looks for answers in some new places. The authors address ways in which the office environment can be redesigned to offer greater levels of comfort, flexibility and fitness for purpose in the new age of the older knowledge worker. Based on the findings of the authors 'Welcoming Workplace' research project at the Royal College of Art Helen Hamlyn Centre, New Demographics New Workspace examines the impact of two of the most significant shifts in the workplace: the ageing of the workforce and the changing nature of work itself in the knowledge economy. By examining the movements and motivations of older knowledge workers in the UK, Japan and Australia, the authors have generated new conceptual approaches to office design that offer an alternative to the current outdated model derived from the factory floor. In particular they question the value of open-plan offices that favour collaboration over concentration and contemplation. Given the growing pensions crisis and anticipated knowledge gap in the workforce in many developed countries, this book has real political, economic and social resonance. If we are all going to have extended working lives in the 21st century, the places in which we work will need to flex and adapt to make us want to keep on working.

Over the past hundred years, the office has been integral to the development of modern society. It has shaped the architecture of our cities, the behaviour of our organizations and the everyday movements of millions of people. In 2020, however, the global pandemic brought our attendance in the office to an abrupt halt and triggered a complete re-evaluation of the purpose of the workplace. This book offers a panoramic view of the office and explores what happens next. The authors advance a manifesto for ‘unworking’ – unlearning old habits and rituals established for an outdated office and creating new ones fit for an age of digital technology, design innovation and diverse workforces.

The way we experience the world is largely through the design of the places, products, communications, services and systems we encounter every day. Design determines how difficult or easy it is to achieve certain things – whether taking a bath, cooking a meal, crossing the street or making a call, we all want a world that works for us all the time. However, some people are excluded from the simplest and most basic everyday experiences. Why? This is because the act of designing has given insufficient consideration to their level of physical ability or cognitive difference or cultural background or economic circumstance.Over the past 30 years, however, there has been a shift in designing to become more empathic and inclusive of different human needs. The Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design at the Royal College of Art first pioneered the concept of inclusive design in the early 1990s and it has gone on to build an extensive portfolio of collaborative projects over a long period, developing new methods, coaching designers at all levels in the approach and bringing a more inclusive way of thinking about design to international attention. This book shows the parameters of inclusive design through the lens of the centre’s own projects in the field. It therefore maps a movement and, at the same time, marks a milestone: the 30th anniversary of the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design in 2021. 30 everyday artefacts and environments are explored. These vary in scale: some are simple, hand-held objects, while others form part of large and complex environments or systems. Some have reached the market, others we can file under ‘ideas for the future’. All reflect an approach which could be described as designing with people as opposed to designing for people.

The physical structure and appearance of the workplace determine how we function, how we communicate and collaborate, our motivation levels and company performance, but we often fail to recognize the vital connection between organizational culture and the work environment. Based on the authors’ first-hand experience of major change programmes, on studies of offices around the world, and on design management research at De Montfort University, Leicester, this book explains the underlying principles of office design and its effects on cultural change and performance. Part 1 analyses the context and environment of working life, the drivers of change and the barriers - organizational, psychological and structural - to better working practices. Part 2 explores how traditional structures can be rethought and adapted through the reorganization of the workplace and the removal of physical barriers to change. It identifies four typical and disturbingly familiar work environments - Monolith, Makeshift, Modernizer and Mould-Breaker - to help companies understand their current problems and how to solve them. Part 3 introduces six proven workplace layouts: Town Square, Village Neighbourhood, City in Miniature, Space-time Machine, The Campaign Room and the Club; and explains their relative benefits for companies’ different needs. These are brought to life with international case studies from the public and private sector which describe how leading organizations have benefited from improved working environments. New Workspace, New Culture is illustrated by the Financial Times cartoonist, Roger Beale. It also includes line drawings of office layouts, and photographs of some of the most productive working environments in the world. This book will help senior management and human resource specialists develop the way people work by changing the working environment. Also, designers, architects, and facility and property managers will find it a perceptive and logical guide to wha