Workplace Design Strategies with Tim Hatton
1/ You highlighted challenges such as sound, temperature and light, along with the desire for personal adjustments. How do you prioritize these factors when constraints like limited budgets, tight timelines or building restrictions come into play?
Due to budget constraints, we had to make trade-offs and couldn’t include everything we initially envisioned. We prioritized based on user feedback, focusing on the key factors that most impact comfort and wellbeing, namely sound, temperature, and lighting. Rather than offering full individual control, we created a variety of spaces with different conditions so people can choose what suits them best. We also looked at low-cost interventions, such as adjusting furniture layouts to improve privacy, which allowed us to make meaningful improvements without significant additional investment.
2/ Could you share an example of a situation where you had to push back on a client request because it conflicted with the overall vision or user wellbeing? How did you handle that conversation?
In this case, there wasn’t strong pushback, as the client was very receptive to the research. However, one discussion that stood out was around the placement of meeting rooms. The initial instinct was to position them along the façade to benefit from natural light.
We challenged that approach by arguing that meeting rooms are used less frequently and often require blinds when screens are in use, which limits the benefit of daylight. Instead, we proposed placing these rooms more internally, allowing natural light to reach open workspaces and circulation areas where people spend more time or move around.
This way, daylight could better support overall user wellbeing. While it wasn’t a difficult conversation, it did require shifting the client’s perspective from a conventional solution to one that better served how the space is actually used.
3/ If workplace layouts already shape patterns of interaction, how can designers intentionally use that influence to address broader social issues such as gender, equity and inclusion, rather than focusing only on efficiency or collaboration?
We approached this by working closely with ARUP’s accessibility team to ensure inclusivity was considered from the outset. Rather than trying to make every feature usable in the same way for everyone, we focused on creating meaningful and equivalent experiences.
For example, with elements like the bleacher staircase, the initial idea was to add a platform lift. However, feedback from accessibility experts and users showed that this wasn’t always desirable or practical. Instead, the focus shifted to allowing people to experience and appreciate the space in different ways, without forcing a single solution.
Similarly, alongside the main staircases, we introduced alternative routes such as a bridge structure that allowed wheelchair users to move through and engage with the same central space. This ensured that while not every feature was directly accessible, the overall spatial experience remained inclusive and shared.
4/ What feedback did ARUP provide and do you already have results from the post-occupancy evaluation?
They have already gathered some initial post-occupancy insights and are continuing to monitor performance. One key reflection is that certain elements that were cut during value engineering are now seen as worthwhile investments in hindsight.
Overall, the results have been positive. There has been a 10% increase in people returning to the office, which was a primary objective. While not every space performs equally well, this was expected, as the project was approached with a mindset of testing and evolving over time.
Some features, such as lifestyle rooms, have been particularly successful, encouraging new types of activities and communities within the workplace. More broadly, users appreciate having a variety of spaces that allow them to choose the most suitable environment for their tasks.
5/ How does soft flooring perform across diverse needs, including those of neurodiverse users and where might it fall short?
Soft flooring supports diverse needs in several ways, particularly through its acoustic performance. As one of the largest surfaces in a space, it plays a key role in reducing noise, which is especially beneficial for neurodiverse users who may be more sensitive to sound.
It can also aid navigation and wayfinding. By using subtle contrasts between soft and hard flooring, designers can help guide movement through a space. At the same time, keeping colours and patterns more neutral and less busy is important, as overly complex designs can be overwhelming or distracting, especially for users who are more visually sensitive.
Overall, when thoughtfully specified, soft flooring can enhance comfort, clarity and ease of use, though it requires careful consideration of pattern, contrast, and layout to avoid overstimulation.
Where Innovation Meets Workspace Strategy with Arwa Chaklasi
1/ How do smart building systems change the way people use space on a daily basis?
What’s important is that smart buildings help people stop managing the space themselves. When systems are fully integrated with sensors and automation, lighting, temperature, and blinds adjust automatically, so users no longer have to think about it. That’s quite liberating, especially since most people don’t always know what settings are best.
For example, lighting follows occupancy, it turns on when someone enters a room and switches off when it’s empty. HVAC adapts in real time based on usage, time of day, sunlight, and weather. Meeting rooms can even prepare themselves in advance, adjusting lighting, blinds, and settings for things like video calls at the touch of a button.
As a result, people move from actively controlling the space to simply experiencing it, with the building responding to their needs.
2/ How can designers balance data-driven decision making with intuition and human-centered design?
Data is very strong at showing what is happening, but it rarely explains why. That’s where intuition, empathy, and direct human interaction become essential.
For example, data might show that a lounge is underused, but it won’t tell you why. Through observation and conversations, you might discover that its location feels too exposed or uncomfortable, which discourages people from using it.
The balance comes from using data to identify patterns, then relying on human insight to interpret them and design spaces that truly respond to how people feel and behave.
3/ What’s the impact of AI in the workplace so far, and what can we expect in the future?
So far, AI has mainly been about enhancing efficiency and supporting decision making. It helps automate repetitive tasks, analyse large amounts of data quickly, and optimise systems like energy use or space planning. In that sense, it’s already improving how workplaces operate behind the scenes.
Looking ahead, the impact will become more visible and more human-centric. AI will move from being a support tool to something that actively shapes the workplace experience in real time. Spaces will become more predictive and adaptive, anticipating needs based on behaviour, preferences, and patterns.
However, just like with data, AI still lacks true understanding of human context and emotion. That means its value will depend on how well it is combined with human insight, creativity, and empathy. So the future is not about AI replacing people, but about creating more responsive, personalised environments where technology and human experience work together.
4/ How do you ensure that the human experience remains central in a technology driven workplace?
It comes down to designing for both emotional and functional needs. Technology should be there, but at its best it is seamless and almost invisible, supporting the space rather than defining it.
Beyond human input and data, it’s important to focus on the surrounding factors that shape how people feel. Things like natural light, materiality, acoustics, and access to privacy all play a key role. It’s not just about how people perform, but how they experience a space.
Ultimately, creating a variety of comfortable, well balanced environments ensures that people feel at ease, which is what truly enhances the human experience.
5/ Based on your experience in the MENA region, are there particular work-based strengths emerging there that the rest of the world should pay attention to?
Based on my experience in the MENA region, especially in Dubai, one of the key strengths is the level of diversity in the workplace. With over 200 nationalities, you have a wide range of cultures, work styles, and expectations around hierarchy, privacy, and collaboration.
This diversity has driven a strong focus on inclusive design. Not just in terms of demographics, but also in understanding individual needs, including wellbeing and neurodiversity.
As a result, workplaces are becoming more flexible. While open plan spaces are common, they are balanced with quieter areas, focus rooms, and pods to support different ways of working. The shift is clearly away from a one size fits all approach. Instead, spaces are designed to adapt to the people using them, which is something other regions can really learn from.
A Guide to Future-Proof Workspaces with Kay Sargent
1/ How important are acoustics, tactility and material warmth at floor level for cognitive performance across different life stages and what role do they play?
From 10 years of research into neurodiversity, sensory processing and cognitive well-being, acoustics is the issue people mention most. The key is not making spaces silent, but improving sound absorption. Soft flooring helps reduce noise, soften footfall and create a warmer, more comfortable feel.
Flooring also plays an important role in wayfinding and defining zones. Changes in pattern or material can help people understand a space better, especially in open layouts. But balance matters. Too much hard flooring can create acoustic problems, while too much carpet can also be limiting. The best approach is to use flooring strategically to support acoustics, orientation and comfort.
One more point, AI can generate spaces that look appealing, but it often fails to consider how people will actually feel in them. Flooring and lighting are two areas where human judgment is still essential.
2/ What is the first material or element designers should consider when creating a workspace?
Colour is one of the most important starting points. Natural tones, textures and patterns make a space feel more organic and comfortable, unlike stark white environments that rarely exist in nature.
Flooring and wall materials play a key role here. For example, a rug or a change in flooring pattern can define areas, help people navigate a space and make interiors feel grounded. Without this, furniture can feel like it is floating in an undefined environment. Thoughtful use of colour, texture and flooring helps create spaces that feel more natural and structured.
3/ How should we rethink lifecycle, circularity and replacement cycles when specifying carpet tiles or broadloom for the next 15 to 20 years?
The way many workplaces handle interiors today is not sustainable. In corporate projects, it is common to remove and replace everything, even when many materials still have years of life left. This creates unnecessary waste and cost.
Instead, we should focus on extending the lifespan of materials. Many flooring products today are designed to last a long time and strategies like rotating carpet tiles or replacing only specific areas can significantly extend their use.
Sustainability also means rethinking habits. Rather than discarding materials too early, we should look at reuse, repurposing and recycling at the end of their lifecycle. The goal is to create a circular system where materials remain in use for as long as possible and can be reintegrated into new products.
So I think a lot of this is habits and we also need to think about how are we repurposing things at the end of life. That's really critical. And are we making it so it is full circle, right? So that we're reusing, you know, it might be recycled materials that are going back in and then, it's like this whole big cycle.
4/ Stephen Hawking once said the two biggest threats to humanity were a large asteroid and autonomous AI. What is your perspective on that?
AI brings both optimism and concern. People looking at the next five years tend to see its positive potential, while those thinking 40 years ahead often view it as a possible existential risk.
The real challenge is that we do not fully know where this technology will lead. While many people will use AI with good intentions, even a small number of bad actors with powerful tools can create serious problems. At the same time, many organizations are adopting AI quickly out of fear of falling behind, often without fully understanding the consequences.
The key is to stay curious and explore its possibilities, but to use AI intentionally and responsibly. Human judgment and critical thinking remain essential in deciding how and when to apply it.
