Reflections from the Transdisciplinary Workplace Research Conference
On 3rd September, AIS attended the fifth Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) Conference in Zurich.
On 3rd September, AIS attended the fifth Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) Conference in Zurich.
On 3rd September, AIS attended the fifth Transdisciplinary Workplace Research (TWR) Conference in Zurich. Hosted by ZHAW, the conference brought together more than 170 academics, researchers and practitioners from over 20 countries, exploring the physical, social, technological and management dimensions of the workplace.
A call for a more experimental approach to workplace design
The conference opened with two thought-provoking keynote speeches.
Tim Reusch, Head of Workspace Innovation at Vitra, spoke about adopting a ‘beta mindset’ when designing workplace environments. Rather than viewing a workplace as a finished product, he encouraged us to embrace environments that are intentionally unfinished, spaces that can evolve through use, experimentation and learning, creating opportunities for creativity and adaptation.
Key Kawamura, Co-founding Partner and CEO of Studio Banana, offered a more provocative challenge to conventional workplace thinking. He pointed out that many assumptions underpinning how we design offices can still be traced back to Taylorism. Despite the fundamental changes in how and where we work, many of these principles continue to influence both workplace design and organisational thinking.
His call was simple and direct: “we need to start from scratch”.
While approaching the subject from different perspectives, both keynotes touched on a common idea: workplace design needs to be understood as a process of constant iteration and dynamism, rather than as something that can be designed once and considered complete.
It was refreshing to hear this articulated so directly. It also reinforced our own thinking at AIS around what we describe as the ‘novelty paradox’: the human desire for novelty and stimulation, contrasted with our brain’s tendency to quickly adapt to familiar environments. In the workplace, this creates an important tension between the need for stability and the need for environments that continue to engage, stimulate and support us over time.
Research over trends
The conference programme covered a broad range of subjects, including business management, the evolving workplace, digitisation, design, hybrid work, sustainability, social interaction and inclusivity. This diversity reflected the inherently transdisciplinary nature of workplace research.
What struck me most, however, was not simply the breadth of topics, but the emphasis on research rather than trends.
There are plenty of workplace conferences where predictions about what comes next dominate the conversation. These often leave you with plenty of ideas, but sometimes with little evidence to help determine what is genuinely meaningful or effective. TWR felt different. Its presentations placed a strong emphasis on knowledge sharing and evidence-based insights.
Across the sessions, several common threads began to emerge. Different disciplines and perspectives approached the workplace from different angles, but the conversations were consistently grounded in research, creating a valuable space to challenge assumptions and consider what the evidence tells us about how workplaces are evolving.
Bringing our own research to the conversation
The conference also provided an opportunity to share our own research. Our paper, The Space Between, was created in collaboration with Dr Kerstin Sailer, who presented the research at the conference.
It was brilliant to see the research presented in the wild and, perhaps more importantly, to experience first-hand the questions and discussions it prompted. Being able to present the paper also gave us an opportunity to provide some context around the initial conversations that led to the research, and to explore the gap in the existing literature that we were seeking to address.
One of the questions behind the research was whether the pandemic simply accelerated changes that were already underway, or whether it genuinely disrupted established ways of working. Our research points to disruption rather than simply acceleration, with a visible shift in the way workplace space is configured and used.
There is also a gap within the growing body of research on hybrid workplaces. While there is increasing literature examining how hybrid working is changing workplace behaviours and organisational practices, fewer studies take a design-led approach to understanding what this means spatially. This is where we see The Space Between making a particular contribution.
Kerstin presented five key findings from the research:
- Diminished desking, with a reduction in the amount of space allocated to individual workstations.
- More collaborative space, reflecting a greater emphasis on spaces that support interaction and teamwork.
- A shift towards alternative seating, with a broader range of settings and furniture types supporting different modes of work.
- Less densely packed offices, suggesting a move away from maximising occupancy towards creating more varied and spacious environments.
- Greater granularity in neighbourhood planning, with workplace environments becoming more deliberately structured around different activities, teams and modes of working.
The presentation prompted some particularly interesting questions around the research methodology, as well as a strong appreciation for the design-led nature of the work. The response reinforced the value of bringing design perspectives into the wider conversation around hybrid working.
Perhaps the most exciting discussion was around where the research could go next. The cases explored to date have been largely London-centric and draw on references such as the British Council for Offices (BCO) guidelines. Several delegates encouraged us to broaden the research internationally, exploring how these spatial shifts might manifest across different markets, cultures and space standards.
For us, this was an encouraging response. The conference not only gave us the opportunity to share what we have learned so far through The Space Between but also opened new questions about how the research might develop. A more global perspective could help us understand which changes are genuinely universal, and which are shaped by local workplace cultures, regulations and expectations.
Continuing to question, test and evolve
Perhaps this is what stayed with us most from TWR. From the call to “start from scratch” to the emphasis on research and continued questioning, there was a shared recognition that the workplace cannot be treated as a finished product. It needs to evolve as our understanding of work and workspace evolves too. For us, that means continuing to challenge established assumptions, test them through research and remain open to what the evidence tells us next. In many ways, this brings us back to the idea of the ‘beta mindset’: designing for change, embracing iteration and recognising that the most valuable workplace solutions may be the ones that leave room for what comes next.
The office is no longer built around desks
Based on the analysis of 18 financial services workplace designs completed before and after the pandemic, The Space Between reveals why the future office functions less like a floorplan and more like a connected network. Discover how leading organisations are redesigning workplaces to improve interaction, collaboration, employee experience, and organisational performance.
Speak
Get in touch
Contact usRelated insights
How Financial Services Workplaces Are Evolving Beyond Traditional Offices
The Space Between
Creating Collaborative Spaces for Research and Innovation
Workplace Design Trends Shaping the Middle East
Sustainable Refurbishment for Local Authority Buildings
How to minimise disruption when refurbishing a school during term time
AIS is entering a new chapter
