The architect spoke about the new principles of organization of office spaces

Modern offices are no longer just work spaces — today they are becoming a space of communication, inspiration and comfort. Georgy Karpenko, an architect at Architecture PlusInformation (Perkins & Will) in New York, told Izvestia on October 24 about how the approach to design is changing and why a new generation of employees chooses not a remote location, but an atmosphere of lively interaction and a creative environment.

According to him, the movement towards remote and hybrid work began long before the 2020s technological breakthroughs. However, the experience of working outside the office has revealed many limitations and frustrations.

"A person, being at home, is forced to change his condition himself in such a way that it seems to him that he is at work," said the architect.

Now companies are returning employees to offices, but in completely new spaces. According to him, in 2025, it was large corporations that became the flagships of this process. He clarified that Amazon has returned employees to a five-day working week in the office, while Google, Microsoft and Goldman Sachs are gradually implementing similar plans.

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"We can say that the era of classic open space and cubicles is really over. Although all these typologies continue to live with us, this is the beauty of architecture, that everything that was ever invented remains one way or another," he explained.

Instead of large halls with dozens of workstations, offices are increasingly divided into "nodes" — small departmental areas united by common lounges, kitchens and meeting rooms. He explained that the open space format is gradually transforming into compact spaces consisting of several workstations, where employees can store things, work and communicate in a more comfortable environment. One of the key trends, according to the architect's observations, was the fusion of work and everyday life.

"Previously, the workplace was perceived as a factory where people performed the same task. The office is currently being transformed into a place where the functional component is not a priority. <...> Work takes up a third of a person's life. If we treat the office exclusively functionally, we lose our sense of creativity and satisfaction with life," Karpenko emphasized.

According to the architect, the return of employees to the office is not just a managerial decision, but a response to human and creative needs. He explained that after a short-term surge in productivity at a remote location, it became obvious that many processes require the joint presence of employees, especially in the fields of creativity, marketing and HR, where the exchange of ideas and non-verbal interaction is important.

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Many companies, as Karpenko added, have retained hybrid formats, but are increasingly relying on a full-time work cycle in the office. According to him, in order to bring back employees, employers must show that the office is a space where they really want to come, so recreation areas, gyms, lounges, terraces and social spaces appear in modern offices.

"People want to return to a space where many different functions are combined. And when the space is not a huge area occupied by tables, but a set of different scenarios in which it is interesting to be and discover something new, then it becomes much more interesting for a person to stay in this space. <...> The idea of "one format for all" is dying out. People need to choose — someone needs light, someone needs silence, someone needs greenery. This makes offices inclusive and gives rise to a variety of ideas," concluded Karpenko.

On June 21, Anna Kulysova, Brand Director of the TDI group of communication agencies, told how to identify toxic people at work and gave advice on how to interact with them competently. Kulysova noted that the main task of toxic people in the professional environment is the desire to undermine the positions of their colleagues through provocations. At the same time, as the expert explained, there are several types of toxic behavior.

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