- Fernando Vallejo, bicg's General Director
"New" or evolved?
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The workspace: Competing with home
Your workspace needs to compete with your employees’ home.
In recent years, we have made significant life decisions: seeking larger houses in different neighbourhoods or cities, equipping them with all the necessary means to work comfortably… So how can a white, minimalist, and cold space be more enticing and attractive than my own warm, comfortable, and colourful home? Companies must design offices as pleasant and appealing environments where you feel almost better than in your own home.
80-20, but the other way round.
Traditionally, office design was characterized by having 80% of the space dedicated to individual work and the remaining 20% to collaboration (through meeting rooms). While this ratio has been shifting over the past decade to around 60-40%, the current demand for going to the office is primarily to collaborate and socialise with co-workers. Therefore, the ratios have completely flipped. Allocate 80% of your office space to collaboration, meetings, and socialisation, and reserve 20% for individual work. This layout reflects the core of liquid real estate, where offices become hubs that allow for connection, collaboration, and sharing, while also facilitating focused work.
Since I’m here… What else can you offer me?
Once we’ve convinced professionals that the office is a pleasant space where they can collaborate according to their needs… how about making them fall in love with their workplace by offering added-value services that enhance the company experience? A modern office needs more than just cafés or gyms; it requires hybrid and personalised services that enrich the company experience. Providing flexible, sustainable, and agile experiences boosts employee motivation. Moreover, creating a constant dialogue with employees allows for adjustments to services based on their real needs, thus aligning physical spaces with corporate culture.
Creating a story, a unique experience, is the key to the concept.
In addition to everything mentioned above, it’s important to bring the office to life. Considering the space in a sterile way is a mistake. Unlike before when employees had no alternative to the office and just went there and used it, now you need to make it come alive. It should be a space where things happen actively, and the experience is aligned with the organisation’s culture.
Blending purposes: the flexibility of liquid real estate in office spaces
And finally… does the office have to be just an office? Do we need a private space with a single purpose? Just as in cities, spaces have multiple uses, and hotels are no longer just hotels but also restaurants, clubs, terraces, and summer pools… why can’t we do the same with offices? What if a sports club and an office coexist in the same space? Or a co-living and coworking space? Or a venue for events? What if there’s a bar? Wellness spaces? This is where liquid real estate comes into play, a term that explains the flexible use of a single space. The office is no longer just a place to work; it’s an environment where things actively happen, and the experience aligns with the organisation’s culture.
Want to know how to integrate a bar into an office?
Come visit us and discover for yourself at The Club by bicg. We look forward to showing you how the concept of liquid real estate can transform your vision of workspaces!
