{"id":34553,"date":"2020-07-07T12:36:22","date_gmt":"2020-07-07T16:36:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/?p=34553"},"modified":"2020-07-22T15:32:14","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T19:32:14","slug":"office-space-new-strategies-from-architecture-to-technology-emerge-amidst-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/biznews.fiu.edu\/2020\/07\/office-space-new-strategies-from-architecture-to-technology-emerge-amidst-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"Office space: new strategies, from architecture to technology, emerge amidst COVID-19."},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Office<\/p>\n

From raising questions about shared offices and open floor plan designs to increased telecommuting and new means of client and employee interaction, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disrupt the office setting. Rethinking architecture, construction, furniture placement and design, alongside greater integration of technology, will shape the workplace of the future.<\/p>\n

How should workplaces adapt to the current environment and the changes still to come?<\/p>\n

Four FIU Business<\/a> alumni and an FIU alumna, including professionals in real estate, construction and office design, engaged in a conversation about the emerging workplace as part of the BizPanther Game Changer series, a new virtual business event series designed to build community and showcase the ideas of FIU Business alumni.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs the office space dead? No, it will never be,\u201d said moderator Maureen Mascaro (BBA \u201908),
\nfounder and chief project officer of The Common Area. \u201cToday we have to understand what the office space of the future will be like, from determining the proper length of leases and the scope of a real estate portfolio to office design.\u201d<\/p>\n

Technology was critical in allowing companies to pivot into remote working environments, sometimes in 24 hours. Now, especially in the audio-visual sector, it must be increasingly robust to support the new virtual world.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we\u2019re seeing more virtual calls, there are teams that cannot collaborate,\u201d said Marlene Liriano (BASc \u201989), managing director and principal of IA Interior Architects. \u201cWe have a firm that is developing a series of avatars that allow us to have a session where employees can write on a whiteboard, share and work on materials together,\u201d whether they are in the office or working virtually.<\/p>\n

One of the most serious threats to employees and companies impacted by the coronavirus outbreak is the lack of face-to-face interaction intensified by working remotely.<\/p>\n