What does the office of the future look like?

In a world that is in constant change where both society and business are constantly evolving, it is no wonder that actors/organizations/leaders wonder: Where are we going? How do we need to develop and how can we future-proof our business? When businesses and working life change, the way we work also changes.

The pandemic changed the way we work, accelerating digitalisation and hybrid work. The question of the continued role of the office in a post-pandemic world was widely discussed, but the discussion was relatively narrowly focused on the office solutions that were already on the market. When many tried to look into the future, they were limited by the solutions of the present.

We are convinced that the physical meeting and therefore also the office will become increasingly important in the future. Because as we become increasingly digitalized, people also need to be put in focus even more. But how do you develop the workplace of the future, which both contributes to the business achieving its objective and supports the employee in their work? The answer to the question naturally varies depending on activities, but we are convinced that we will not find the solution by starting from today's needs.

This was something we took note of when we were going to develop a new workplace ourselves. Through the design agency Merry Monday, we were made aware of the “Speculative Design” method - a methodology that is intended to train the ability to look into the future and explore complex problems. The method and the collection of future signals are used to bring a possible future to life and by trying out scenarios and finding insights in the present. The purpose is precisely to challenge given frameworks. Based on weak future signals that could grow into trends in the future, an office lab was designed, a kind of prototype of the office of the future. We invited employees, suppliers, partners and other experts to this office lab, to discuss together the importance of the workplace and its design, in order to curiously explore what our office in the future could be.

This preliminary work and the insights it provided formed the basis for the development of AMF Fastigheters's new offices. The foresight led us to ask ourselves the question: Does an office have to be a closed space or can it just as easily be an open space that invites dialogue with customers, partners and other stakeholders, where we as urban developers become part of the urban space?
The insights contributed to the design of our open office, in the heart of the Mood shopping center in central Stockholm.

Since moving to Mood just under a year ago, we have been working on the future signals we received. Our office in Mood is therefore more than just a workplace; it is a living lab where new ideas about the work environment and employee well-being are constantly tested and evaluated. The exploration will continue over time, and all our employees and visitors will continue to contribute insights into what the office of the future could look like.

Through the development of the office in Mood, we have not only wanted to challenge the notion of what an office can be, by continuing to test different solutions we are leaning into the future that we want to create – a future that should be both sustainable for the planet and for people.

Would you like to learn more about this foresight work and see the results of the insights? We warmly welcome you to visit our brain-friendly office in Mood!

The Future Office initiative originated in a proposal for Vinnova's call for proposals for future prototypes 2022. Would you like to read more about how speculative design can be used for future exploration?

Read more about what speculative design is