FLEXI WORKSPACES
FLEXI WORKSPACES
• Creative environments aren’ t accidents, they’ re designed with intention, flexibility, and human behaviour in mind.
• Innovation thrives where people feel psychologically safe, comfortable, and free to control how and where they work.
• The best workspaces are built for movement, encounter, and inclusion, encouraging unexpected collisions and quiet concentration alike.
Rethinking the Roots of Innovation
For decades, innovation was seen as a people problem: hire the right talent, build the right teams, stir in some energy, and great ideas would follow. The physical environment? An afterthought. A neutral backdrop. A stage, not a player.
But that thinking is outdated and, as it turns out, deeply flawed. The places where we work shape the way we think. As CEO of Workshop17, I’ ve spent years seeing this play out firsthand. When physical space is designed with intention, it fuels curiosity, openness, and collaboration. When it isn’ t, it stifles.
To unlock the full creative potential of any team or organisation, we need to look beyond perks and open-plan gimmicks. We need to design for the behaviours and mindsets that lead to real innovation.
What Makes a Space More Creative?
Here’ s a point-by-point breakdown of what truly separates innovative spaces from the rest:
1. Zoning over Open Plan
Once hailed as the holy grail of collaboration, open-plan offices now reveal a harsh truth: visibility doesn’ t equal creativity.
• Open spaces often bring noise, distraction, and the subtle stress of being watched.
• Creative spaces recognise the variety of work, deep focus, casual conversation, structured planning and provide different zones for each.
• The best environments offer choice: quiet nooks, active lounges, semiprivate pods. They follow the rhythm of real work.
48 REI MAGAZINE JUNE 2025