Office Spaces of the Future: Technological Advances That Could Change the Face of the Office

Imagine the scenario. You wake up on a Friday morning, it’s the day of your big presentation. No need to stress because everything is under control. The driverless car picks you and your boss up at 8:30, just in time for a quick briefing before your 9:00 presentation. It pulls into the carpark, drops you off and scuttles away to collect someone else. You stroll up to the entrance and are greeted by the two robotic security guards. They scan. You enter. The lift has already been called for the sixth floor; having checked your diary via facial recognition the building knows your morning schedule. Upon exiting the lift the temperature of the room is adjusted as the window blinds are raised to deflect the morning sun. You enter the board room a bag of nerves and detecting your increased heart rate, the stereo plays your favourite smooth jazz..

While this may seem like the script of a sci-fi movie, most of the technology mentioned above is well on the way to completion. Technology is waging a constant war to make our lives easier, and whether you see this as a positive or not, there is no stopping the onslaught. From clever printers that can buy their own ink, to full blown augmented reality presentations, life in the office as soon as 2030 could look very different.

Although there will be justified concern over the safety of many jobs, virtual assistants, robot receptionists and computerised call centres could well be ordinary features of the future office. Some elements of the far-fetched scenario above are already being introduced in parts of the world. Radio-frequency Identification (RFID) has eradicated the ancient necessity  of keys in Swedish company Epicentre and driverless cars are all but legally ready.

With office trends constantly evolving it is not unlikely that we will begin to see this sort of technology introduced into workplace on a mass scale within the next decade.

Environmental

The first real progress towards a truly futuristic office is likely to be directed at sustainability. With a wider knowledge of our impact on the environment and tougher ‘green targets’ for new buildings, we will see a shift towards environmentally focused technology. In the UK it’s easy to picture smart office windows that capture rainwater (we get enough of it) and repurpose it for showers, coffee machines, or even to flush the toilet. Solar panelled roofs will almost certainly become the norm, especially on large buildings, and could even begin to produce more energy than the building itself uses.

Green spaces are being pushed to the forefront of office design in projects such as Apple’s spaceship campus and Facebook’s new HQ, but smart technologies will be able to use these ecosystem to help better a buildings performance whilst limiting its  carbon footprint.

Wellbeing inside the office will also benefit. Sensor led data collection could personalise individuals workspace, even if they are on the move – temperature, humidity, light and even noise level could be adjusted remotely to suite different employees preference.

The Office Spaces of the Future

Certain industries are always first to the party when it comes to technological advances and although the modern office is more accepting of change than ever, there will certainly be reservations going forward. As we are already seeing today it will likely be the tech and media giants who will be first to experiment, and it will be down to them to separate the whacky from the wonderful.

Once the likes of Google and Apple have tested out the latest technology it will have become clear what developments can benefit the office in a groundbreaking way and which are just gimmicks.

The office will only take the technology that makes it more efficient; technologies that are easy to use and practical to implement. With technology advancing at an unprecedented speed, it is difficult to predict how, when and to what extent it will affect the workplace, but we are certain that it will not be long before the next big step into the office space of the future is made.

Contact City Office Space

If you are looking for office space in the City of London please get in touch with a member of our team using the details below. City Office Space receive weekly updates of available buildings in the City. Use our search page to browse currently available properties.

Telephone: 020 3434 3860

Email: sales@reesa.com