“If we want to imagine the working worlds of the future, digitalisation explains very little, while networking explains everything,” says trend researcher and author of the New Work Order studies Birgit Gebhardt. It is not about technology, but about the exchange of information, goods and services. An ancient principle that can now be used in a new way through new technologies. She talks about granular society with Dr Christoph Kucklick, Editor-in-Chief of Geo Sociology. According to this, the old premises of industrial society have had their day. The average, according to Kucklick, is dead. It was the basis of a society oriented towards mass production. Now companies have to adapt to the individual wishes of their customers and employees. Gebhardt discusses how architecture can support this with Ole Kretschmer, strategy consultant at M.O.O.CON Bauherrenberatung. His credo: architecture becomes a symbol for cultural change.

If you want to see how the new world of work works, it’s best to take a look at the start-up scene. There you can observe how productive work and dealing with greater complexity can be combined, says Birgit Gebhardt, trend expert and author of the New Work Order studies. However, a distinction must be made between hipster clichés and real performance. Dietmar Möller, project manager of the Merck Innovations Center, has set himself this task. Before he and his team began planning their building, which is geared towards cooperation and openness, they visited start-ups around the world to learn from them how innovation can be stimulated. Then they tried out in a pilot project what could be transferred to the family-owned company in Darmstadt. The result was a building that is designed for networking and, for the first time for Merck, also allows for the integration of external partners. Martin Henn, Head of Design Henn Architekten, explains the planning process and how the building works. At the end of the video, Gebhardt and Dr. Stefan Rief, head of the research area Organisational Development and Work Design at Fraunhofer IAO, look at the external factors that can lead people to a certain working attitude: Acoustics, spatial structure as well as withdrawal and relaxation. They talk about the benefits of movement, spatial diversity and role models for its design.

Dr Craig Knight, Director of Identity Realization Ltd (IDR), answered our questions at ORGATEC 2022 in Cologne. He explained, which strategies companies can use to contribute to the well-being of their employees, and how they can achieve stronger employee loyalty almost as a side effect. 

The video explains aspects and backgrounds of sustainability as well as the approach of the European LEVEL certifications.

“If we want to imagine the working worlds of the future, digitalisation explains very little, while networking explains everything,” says trend researcher and author of the New Work Order studies Birgit Gebhardt. It is not about technology, but about the exchange of information, goods and services. An ancient principle that can now be used in a new way through new technologies. She talks about granular society with Dr Christoph Kucklick, Editor-in-Chief of Geo Sociology. According to this, the old premises of industrial society have had their day. The average, according to Kucklick, is dead. It was the basis of a society oriented towards mass production. Now companies have to adapt to the individual wishes of their customers and employees. Gebhardt discusses how architecture can support this with Ole Kretschmer, strategy consultant at M.O.O.CON Bauherrenberatung. His credo: architecture becomes a symbol for cultural change.

When ORGATEC 2020 had to be cancelled due to the Corona pandemic, we joined forces with FRAME and Koelnmesse to move parts of the programme to the virtual stage. 4 days, 4 talks and 4 panels were dedicated to the future of workplaces. The focus was on the resilient, responsible and responsive office. This video lets some of the twelve participating experts share their views.

Workplace strategist and Founder of Shape Kursty Groves and Mijail Gutierrez, Principal and Design Director at Perkins&Will, talk about the changing role of a central office and corporate culture in a future where physical presence is no longer essential. Gutierrez is certain that workplaces that are co-created with end users can foster the essence of a culture and express an organisation’s values. Groves emphasises the need to set goals to manage communities when they are apart and then bring them together in meeting spaces, for the right reasons at the right time.

The talk was recorded in October 2020 as part of a cooperation between FRAME, IBA and ORGATEC. 

The current developments have the potential to revolutionise materials used in the contract sector in the long term. On this account Hon. Prof. Dr. Sascha Peters, one of the leading material experts and trend scouts for new technologies in Europe and owner of the technology agency HAUTE INNOVATION in Berlin, provides an insight into the material innovation scene.

David Basulto, Founder and Editor in Chief of the most visited architecture website worldwide ArchDaily, provides interesting insights on how the architecture and design industry is changing on the verge of a rapid digitalisation and integration, reshaping the role of architects and designers. In this exciting presentation, Basulto explains how these processes are related to digitalisation and sustainability, and much more.

Pieter Kool, founder of Carbon Studio, decided already 12 years ago to bring a dream into reality together with a group of people – a floating neighborhood in the middle of Amsterdam. This impressive project not only took time and effort, but also required a set of interpersonal rules that make the community work well together. An extraordinary story with ups and downs that inspires listeners to do the same.

Eveline van Leeuwen, Scientific Director at the Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Solutions (AMS), is an expert in urban economics and turns the spotlight on urban agriculture and urban food space by explaining, what the rise of urban agriculture means for the way cities will be planned and experienced in the future. She outlines practical behavioral and procedural changes such as waste avoidance, sustainable production and dietary changes, that each of us can gradually implement into our daily lives.

On 21 October 2021 Robert Thiemann opened the inaugural event of the NEXT SPACE series, which is FRAMEs iterative think-tank about the future of spatial design. With a view to the dramatic climate development, he also calls on the design industry to act now. He is convinced that architecture and design have so far failed to realise their full potential in the areas of sustainability, environmental awareness and human-centeredness.

What is in the actual and the future GPP and the closely linked Ecolabel? How does the European Circular Economy Action Plan (CEAP) and the upcoming Sustainable Products Initiative (SPI) influence the international furniture market structures, for office and home alike? Shane Donatello (Research Fellow – European Commission), Marco Fossi (FEMB) and Volker Weßels (Head of LEVEL certifications) talk about sustainability, the challenges for furniture manufacturers and the potential of standardisation and LEVEL certification.