242 Exhibition Street
“By 2030, Generation Z will make up 30 per cent of the global workforce, and they’ll bring a strong preference for technology, purpose-driven work and flexibility,” Bondin says.
“And they won’t come in if it’s not worth it.”
To keep workers satisfied and evolving, organisations will need to prioritise well-being, social connection and continuous learning – and leave the small, routine tasks (like getting lunch) to the robots.
“Robots and AI will be our collaborative partners, allowing people to focus on creativity and strategy,” says Bondin. And while certain jobs will be impacted by the AI revolution, new roles like AI ethicists to drone supervisors and micro learning specialists will increase.
At a time when AI can render a building in mere seconds, it’s clear that the value of human thinking lies in our ability to solve human problems. The context of the workplace challenge is evolving too – with commercial building owners working harder than ever to attract tenants as expectations increase.
Principal Matt Smith knows this all too well, having worked on high-end commercial projects in Melbourne’s CBD.
Smith recently worked on a renewal project for a commercial building on Melbourne’s St Kilda Road – a beautiful position but a precinct struggling to attract commercial tenants, with a lobby in desperate need of a refresh.
“It was about creating a ground plane that draws you in,” says Smith of the project, which also converted underutilised space into an extra 1500-square metres of net lettable area plus a Woolworths Metro.
Ashurst Sydney Office
Smith and his Commercial team, which work hand in glove with Bondin’s Workplace team, coined the term ‘the new public’ to describe an important shift in commercial building design.
“Historically, office buildings were defined by the extent of their facade as it came to ground. The public could see through the glass into the space beyond but were rarely welcomed to enter this realm and engage with it,” says Smith.
A new measure of success is the sticky nature of office buildings beyond their intended function. “Now, you know if an office building is successful if people are saying, “I’ll meet you at 161 Collins Street for a coffee.”
No longer a matter of building a lobby and a tower of desks above it, these public realms can be crafted to keep up with and keep ahead of public expectation.
This shift from offices as somewhere to clock in, clock out and get out of has evolved the role of commercial architecture.
Senex workplace
As for what’s next: “The truth is, organisations are understandably nervous about the ongoing landscape of disruption and what AI means for their workforce,” says Bondin, who counsels leaders on questions like, ‘Will we have physical desks in 10 years?’ or ‘What’s our headcount going to look like once AI is properly embedded in our business?’
And while immersive virtual reality experiences will make work environments engaging and innovative, it may mean we’ll need tech-free retreat spaces as an antidote.
Time will tell, but some of us are ready for that robot.
52 Goulburn Street
