Companies throughout America are investing in leading-edge technology in order to boost worker productivity, according to a Workplace of the Future survey.
Key findings of the survey include ninety percent of companies plan to increase investment in technology; cloud computing is a strategy 46% of companies are currently employing; the majority of companies, 54%, are using social media networks to engage employees; and top knowledge recruitment factors include offering flexible workplace options (41%) and leading-edge technology (39%).
“Revolutionary emerging technologies are transforming corporate real estate and changing the game for corporate occupiers,” said Peter Miscovich, managing director, corporate solutions, Jones Lang LaSalle, Chicago. “Emerging technologies are enabling new levels of workplace optimization and utilization as well as boosting productivity to levels never seen before in global organizations, leading knowledge workers into new frontiers of high performance collaboration and innovation.”
The survey was administered to approximately 30 leading U.S. companies and design firms by Teknion, a Toronto-based office furniture designer and manufacturer, revealed that nearly 90% plan to increase their investment in productivity-enabling technologies such as voice-activation and sophisticated video conferencing by 2015. The survey also found that by 2015, the standard of square feet allocated per employee is expected to drop from 200 to estimates ranging from 50 to 100 square feet per person dependent upon the industry sector. Workplace utilization factors will increase to 85% versus the 35 to 50% levels of today.
To increase space utilization, companies are employing several strategies including:
- More open, collaborative workspaces with less individual offices (77%).
- Densification of individual workspaces within the corporate office (62%).
- Reduce square footage footprint through disposition (54%).
- More employees working remotely from home sites, satellite sites, or client sites (46%).
- Mobile working programs that include desk-sharing and co-working spaces (31%). BD+C
Related Stories
| Dec 5, 2013
Maximizing the impact of online marketing
Because most professional services firms exist to help their clients reduce risk and navigate an uncertain future, they tend to approach the world of online or digital marketing with some caution. Here are four tips for maximizing the impact of online marketing.
| Dec 5, 2013
Translating design intent from across the globe
I recently attended the Bentley User Conference in Vejle, Denmark. I attended the event primarily to get a sense for the challenges our Danish counterparts are experiencing in project delivery and digital communication. One story I heard was from a BIM manager with Henning Larsen Architects in Denmark, who told me about a project she’d recently completed overseas in the Middle East. She outlined two distinct challenges and offered some interesting solutions to those challenges.
| Dec 3, 2013
‘BIM for all’ platform pays off for contractor
Construction giant JE Dunn is saving millions in cost avoidances by implementing a custom, cloud-based BIM/VDC collaboration platform.
| Dec 3, 2013
Historic Daytona International Speedway undergoing $400 million facelift
The Daytona International Speedway is zooming ahead on the largest renovation in the Florida venue’s 54-year history. Improvements include five redesigned guest entrances, an extended grandstand with 101,000 new seats, and more than 60 new trackside suites for corporate entertaining.
| Dec 3, 2013
Creating a healthcare capital project plan: The truth behind the numbers
When setting up a capital project plan, it's one thing to have the data, but quite another to have the knowledge of the process.
| Dec 3, 2013
Architects urge government to reform design-build contracting process
Current federal contracting laws are discouraging talented architects from competing for federal contracts, depriving government and, by inference, taxpayers of the best design expertise available, according to AIA testimony presented today on Capitol Hill.
| Dec 3, 2013
Construction spending hits four-year peak after rare spike in public outlays
An unusual surge in public construction in October pushed total construction spending to its highest level since May 2009 despite a dip in both private residential and nonresidential activity.
| Nov 27, 2013
BIG's 'oil and vinegar' design wins competition for the Museum of the Human Body [slideshow]
The winning submission by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and A+ Architecture mixes urban pavement and parkland in a flowing, organic plan, like oil and vinegar, explains Bjarke Ingels.
| Nov 27, 2013
Retail renaissance: What's next?
The retail construction category, long in the doldrums, is roaring back to life. Send us your comments and projects as we prepare coverage for this exciting sector.
| Nov 27, 2013
Pediatric hospitals improve care with flexible, age-sensitive design
Pediatric hospitals face many of the same concerns as their adult counterparts. Inpatient bed demand is declining, outpatient visits are soaring, and there is a higher level of focus on prevention and reduced readmissions.
