For sustainable generations

Future workplaces need to create conditions for sustainable people and a sustainable future. This also means that our new ways of working, with remote work and hybrid workplaces, need innovative design.

We need to dare to challenge the status quo.

The latest developments with remote work and hybrid workplaces have meant that the conditions in our work environment have changed. One example is that we have become increasingly sedentary in our daily lives, which has several negative consequences for our health. A trend that has developed over a long time, and not just since the pandemic. For a sustainable future, we need to dare to challenge the familiar. We need to take responsibility for seeing how our interior design can contribute to motivating healthier choices. Both in the short and long term.

Remote work has affected the individual's work environment

In a 2021 study, the Council for Knowledge on Working Environment investigated how the increased prevalence of remote work during the pandemic has affected individual working environments. The results show significant differences in conditions. The survey indicates that one clearly identified risk is that inadequate ergonomic conditions during remote work increase the risk of injuries to the neck, shoulders, and back. There are also concerns about a future ”burden debt” that will manifest later due to more static postures, physical inactivity, and poor lighting conditions. You can find the report here.

Create motivation for new habits

So how can we, as creators of workplace design through innovative interior design, inspire and motivate increased movement and variation both in the office and at the home workplace? One example is daring to think outside the box. Take the traditional chair, for instance. Can a chair, whose function is to sit down, be designed to instead promote movement to reduce sedentary behavior?”

Another aspect is to consider how design and smart interior solutions can motivate employees to switch more between sitting and standing throughout the day. Humans are naturally programmed to conserve energy. However, when we don't move enough today, comfort instead creates traps of passivity that, in the long run, shorten our lifespan and are detrimental to our health. Let's use design and the layout of physical spaces to create motivation to get up and be more active. For a sustainable life with increased well-being and healthy employees.

Materials that make us alive

The choice of materials we surround ourselves with also impacts our well-being. Natural materials not only contribute to a more sustainable and better environment for our planet but also for our mood. So-called biophilic design supports humanity's innate connection to nature to promote our health. Choosing natural materials such as wool, cork, recycled wood, etc., contributes to a better environment where we feel better. We are affected by the environment we are in, and we have known this for a long time. However, recent advances in brain research provide explanations as to why. According to Isabelle Sjövall, the neurodesigner who published the book ”How Brain Research is Revolutionizing How We Live, Work, and Dwell,” architecture and design help us become more productive and creative.

Mapping and analysis of prerequisites for working from home during the Corona pandemic.