OFFICE BUILDINGS

Dear Readers,

the summer, which did not really feel like one, is coming to an end! Some fortunate ones were able to prolong it with a visit to the Venice Biennale or the Salone del Mobile in Milan. The last returning holidaymakers will go back to work, probably even to their real workplaces. Employers have to master the balancing act of allowing new freedoms without losing identity or loyalty to their company. There’s no doubt that Corona has redefined the future of work! Professor Mark Phillips and Angelika Donhauser have researched this at Coburg University of Applied Sciences and share their findings in their article The Third Place. One important finding is already a reality: If office work is to be done, it should take place in an environment that exudes empathy and offers plenty of free space for communication, interaction and relaxation. When searching for outstanding office projects for this issue, we discovered good examples of this. We show attractive workplaces. Plants play a major role, as do textiles, colours and individual conversion projects that generate identity. Students who miss the important personal exchange after months of home-studying would also be happy to return to their workplaces. Since 2015, we have been welcoming first-semester students of interior design and architecture with our AIT Welcome Campaign and rewarding Bachelor’s and Master’s graduates with a free AIT half-year subscription. Simply send your certificate of enrolment or proof of your Bachelor’s or Master’s degree plus your postal address to pstephan@ait-online.de! On the following pages, we will be happy to prove that this career choice has been the right one!

Best wishes
Petra Stephan, Dipl.-Ing.
Chief Editor
Architect