Inspired by recent work for a theater company, Ishka Designs’ concept is a non-hierarchical campus of workrooms optimized for creativity and collaboration, whether that happens face-to-face or on opposite sides of the world. Bascom describes the firm’s approach as one meant to foster both growth and healing. Fragrant herbs like mint and lavender, for instance, are planted outside the workspace to offer “a beautiful sensory experience as you enter the room.”
Fitting for a design that Clarke sees as “a great inspirational space to birth and flesh out ideas,” the layout eschews an imposed hierarchy in favor of more democratic transformation. Thanks to its movable seating and podium, cameras and screens that tuck away behind millwork (one of the studio’s signature flourishes), and controls over the privacy and shading of the floor-to-ceiling, semi-ovalled wall of glass, this creative oasis can host everything from guest lectures to collaborative workshops, and even full-fledged theater productions.
While Ishka Designs’ concept is as far from classically corporate as possible, AbouZanat took the brief as a challenge to reimagine the meeting pod. His concept of the ‘ConvoCube’ elevates what he describes as “the most corporate element that’s out there right now” into a solution that’s as sleek and chic as it is meeting-friendly.
Ahmad AbouZanat’s take on the cubicle
A place for Zoom Meetings and other focused work
Drawing on his experience designing home offices for high-end clients in New York, AbouZanat incorporates traditionally residential materials like polished black nickel and opulent walnut wood to foster feelings of luxury. A detached ceiling and a sliding work surface help the environment feel less clunky and claustrophobic, while a polished glass exterior can prevent disturbances without confining the user to a windowless cell.
Technical integration and smart automation is where AbouZanat’s design truly shines. Once you tap the built-in controller to start a Zoom Meeting, camera-friendly lighting flicks on, the work surface slides into place, and the show begins. Best of all, the modular design and relatively compact footprint could turn the ConvoCube into an on-the-go workspace at airports or coffee shops.
While representatives of these three design studios envisioned their own particular ways forward, each offered predictions and inspiration that any designer can use in 2024 regardless of commercial context. Bascom and Clarke invited designers to consider ways that art, greenery, and fragrances can enhance the overall sensory experience of a space, and to explore multipurpose solutions that can tuck tech out of sight. Arps had her eye on “furniture that’s designed to feel residential, but function for the office,” like armchairs with built-in outlets. And AbouZanat believes that the trend towards moodier colors in residential spaces will eventually “trickle down” into shared, social spaces in the office, he explained.
Though the open-ended nature of work may make these sorts of ‘resimmercial’ projects feel daunting, Arps helped sum up what the panel showcased by highlighting the two major pillars that should guide a designer’s thinking.
“Technology is really at the forefront… and modularity in a space is also top of mind,” she observed. “This idea of flexibility aligned with technology is one of the biggest ways that I see office design evolving.”