Space Strategies 2024 Sessions

The workplace is going to need to work harder to earn the trust and respect of employees!  As we continue to battle to get people back to the office, new workplace experiences will be required to “earn the commute” of employees. Technology will be the foundation of these new experiences, making the workplace more informative, intelligent and collaborative. In this session Mark Miller reports on Cisco’s efforts to transform their 16M square foot real estate portfolio to address the challenges, and opportunities, of hybrid work. He illustrates the critical role space design, technology and culture plays in creating innovative workplace environments, and experiences that are “earning the commute” of employees every day.

The 2022 Tradeline conference on Space Strategies kick-started space optimization efforts for Fred Hutch Cancer Center, with high-value results including strategic relocations, space allocation policy improvements, space repurposing, and cost savings from lease terminations. What will your Tradeline kick-start look like? Delaney Vavra and Natasha Adams set out space metrics, implementation models, and change management processes leveraging hybrid and remote work which effected thousands of workers and cleared two office floors to be repurposed as laboratory space. They provide key action items for leadership buy-in on space allocation, and next steps that will better align job functions and locations.

This case study illustrates the space utilization and employee engagement results that can be achieved through creation of a centralized space utilization model, and the organizational and culture changes required to get there. Julie Kelly-Smith and Katie Roberson profile the mission of Sandia National Labs’ Integrated Space Solutions team, including better aligning space use with programmatic needs. They deliver valuable lessons learned on pitfalls to avoid, the effects on employee satisfaction, team restructuring, final plan rollout, change management processes, and continuous improvement.

Sheridan College has developed a comprehensive flexible workspace strategy across all office and student services spaces and is re-envisioning how the spaces can best support employee and student experience for the future of work and learning. Cathy Sloat and Maggie Walsh outline the process of consultation, key findings, kit of parts development, pilot testing, change management, and phased implementation. They provide findings to-date and lessons learned from students, employees, and faculty derived from piloting various strategies such as converting departmental into shared space, utilization assessments and enhancements, and enhancing student and user experience to create a warm and welcoming campus.

AI is not only reshaping industries but also redefining how we conceptualize and construct spaces. From AI-powered design tools optimizing workflows to future projections of AI-driven building automation systems, the impact is profound. Jason Rosenblatt explores what AI will do to revolutionize office design and alter spatial layouts and furniture requirements to accommodate evolving work styles and needs. He provides insights for how to prepare for AI's imminent impact in the architecture and commercial real estate industries, and on the next generation of architectural designers. He examines previous technology shifts in the workspace context and tries his hand at future-casting how AI may carry that evolution forward.

Here’s a model for responding to the numerous pressures faced by higher education including limited capital, deferred maintenance, and the need to modernize and expand programs to remain competitive. Presenters profile key elements of Thompson Rivers University’s strategic initiative to level-up its student services, instructional and research spaces in the heart of campus – which involves functional relocations, hybrid work models, refined space utilization models, and infill and backfill planning for six buildings in less than a year. They highlight solutions for occupancy tracking challenges, the role of multi-purpose spaces, how to launch university space use policies, and best practices for communication and timelines.

Now is the time for higher ed to capture post-pandemic space consolidation opportunities and respond to unprecedented cost pressures. At Tufts University, flex work modes and occupancy patterns have created densification options that address deferred maintenance, and lease, operational, and capital expense challenges to free up funds and space for needed program growth. Sara Smith and Courtney King detail the utilization analysis and consolidation target selection process, occupancy guidelines, and financial results across administrative and academic groups. They examine software selection and data set generation critical to facilitate new occupancy models, work culture and master plan implications, and lessons learned to-date.

This end-of-day session is where key ideas, new developments, and findings that have been revealed over the course of the entire two-day conference (including sessions you may have missed) get clarified, expanded upon, and affirmed or debated. This is also the opportunity to get answers from industry leaders and the entire audience to specific questions on key and challenging issues.