Workplace Design That Supports People and Cities

Workplace design now has to justify the journey. If people can do focused work at home, the office needs to offer something stronger: collaboration, culture, learning, client confidence, social energy and a reason to be in the city.

The original article, written by Rebecca Spencer of Hames Sharley, used the practice’s Perth studio as a case study for designing for more than work. The useful lesson still stands: the workplace is part of a wider city system, not just a container for desks.

Watch: why offices should not simply feel like home

This Architecture Social video is a useful companion because it gets into the office experience itself: why people come in, what the workplace should offer and where design can help.

Why the office has to work harder

Hybrid work changed the question. The old brief asked how to fit teams into space. The better brief asks what people can do together in the studio that is harder to do alone.

That includes mentoring, critique, creative workshops, informal learning, client meetings, events, social connection and the small moments that build trust inside a team.

Go deeper with Architecture Social

These related Architecture Social episodes add more context once you have the practical framework.

Listen: designing offices that inspire

This related episode adds a deeper workplace-design conversation about offices, people, collaboration and the future of studio environments.

What a good workplace now has to earn

• A clear reason for people to come in.
• Good spaces for both focused work and collaborative work.
• Enough comfort that the office does not feel punitive.
• A location that connects to transport, amenities and clients.
• Shared settings for learning, events and team culture.
• Technology that supports hybrid work without making in-person meetings worse.

The city value matters too

A workplace affects more than the people on payroll. Office footfall supports cafes, public transport, streets, shops, civic life and the rhythm of a city centre. When offices empty out, that surrounding ecosystem feels it.

The opportunity for designers is to connect the inside and outside story: a workplace that supports staff while contributing to a livelier city.

Not every office needs the same answer

A law firm, architecture studio, product showroom, client suite and co-working space should not all be briefed in the same way. The right workplace depends on how the organisation learns, sells, collaborates and supports people.

That is why early research matters. Before drawing the solution, find out when people need quiet, when they need critique, when clients visit, where junior staff learn and what the office can do that a home setup cannot.

A better workplace brief should include

• The behaviours the office needs to support.
• The moments when in-person work genuinely matters.
• The relationship between office, street, transport and local amenities.
• How clients and collaborators experience the space.
• How the design supports mentoring and junior learning.
• What the practice wants people to feel when they arrive.

What candidates should show in a workplace portfolio

If you are applying for workplace, interiors or commercial architecture roles, do not only show finishes, desks and meeting rooms. Show the behaviour the design supports.

• Show how the brief responded to hybrid working patterns.
• Explain how users were consulted and what changed because of that research.
• Use plans or diagrams to show movement, collaboration and quiet zones.
• Mention adaptive reuse, embodied carbon or city activation where relevant.
• Link the project to commercial outcomes, such as retention, client hosting or better team communication.

Common mistakes

• Designing the office as a showroom rather than a working environment.
• Treating hybrid work as a furniture problem only.
• Forgetting junior staff who learn by being around more experienced people.
• Ignoring the city outside the front door.
• Showing workplace projects in a portfolio without explaining user behaviour.

Architecture Social view

Stephen’s recruiter view is that workplace designers are strongest when they can speak about people and business in the same breath. A beautiful office matters, but the real value is whether it helps people do better work together.

Next step

If you are improving a workplace portfolio, choose one project and write the user problem before the design solution. For related support, browse Architecture Social resources, listen to the podcast or check current architecture and interiors jobs.