AT chats to… Bronte Turner and Pendrick Brown of HLW Design about learning from tech clients and designing for neurodiversity. 

The Google Commons project in the Chelsea neighbourhood of New York City reflects Google’s commitment to providing healthy, diverse workspace for its employees.

You’ve been around for a long time – 135 years – so you are well placed to comment on the evolution of workplace design. How do you set about designing for today’s workforce?

Bronte Turner We have been around for a while! We have a whole lot of tech clients – leading global brands such as Meta, Spotify, Amazon, Google – who really do look at their teams holistically. They have huge workforces, many of whom are Gen Z, from diverse backgrounds. And they are very aware that the success of their business depends on their ability to provide space where different personality types are able to feel happy and productive.

Pendrick Brown Gen Z has a totally different mindset. If they’re not happy at work they’ll leave. Young people in the tech industry, especially, know they have the option of working as digital nomads. Especially now, when employers are trying to get people back into the workplace, they are really having to think about every aspect of what might make people feel comfortable at work. It’s an extension of the wellbeing agenda, but it’s also about recognising that one in seven of the population is neuro-diverse so it’s crucial to design spaces that cater for different needs.

Bronte Turner It’s about acknowledging that people work in different ways and are productive in different ways. There are introverts and extroverts. Furniture and wall coverings are important. Some people find busy patterns disturbing. Textures are important. Slatted timber, for example, can do amazing things in terms of acoustic performance, but can be visually disturbing for some people. Acoustics are important. Open plan work stations can be stimulating but they can also be distracting. Wayfinding and signage are important. Really it’s about developing strategies for different types of space. And trying different approaches. We’ve learnt these things through trial and error. A lot of the design world has been having these conversations for a long time, but before the pandemic much of the real estate was still very much fixated on ‘how do we accommodate 3,000 staff at 3,000 desks in the most efficient way?’ We are still seeing projects that are about racking and stacking people in rows, but we are also seeing more projects that take a more fluid approach.

Pendrick Brown The initial reaction to the pandemic was to tweak the status quo. There was so much money spent on all those acrylic screens, that have now gone straight to landfill. But now the initial tsunami has subsided the smart landlords are starting to think about their buildings in a completely different way.

Bronte Turner is Principal and Managing Director of HLW’s London office. Pendrick Brown is Principal at HLW Design.