The pessimist in me has a very clear image of the office of the future: those pink gelatinous pods from The Matrix, where insidious robots plug the internet directly into the backs of our brains while harvesting our vital juices.
But perhaps that’s looking a little too far ahead. The office of 2028 or 2038 will likely reflect the dominant trend of today: the use of science to create what might be called ‘productive wellbeing’.
To find out more, MT left its crystal ball behind and flew to Munich, where US-based Steelcase is prototyping the future at its new learning and innovation centre, or LINC.
Steelcase has a curious history. In the last few decades, it’s transitioned from an office furniture manufacturer to a company that convinces you that you need office furniture in the first place. Its focus is now on researching how people thrive in a workspace (unsurprisingly, it hasn’t signed up to the ‘why don’t we all just work at home and save money?’ school of thought), then designing the furniture to match.
