The Unreal Side of Real Estate

Stop and Look – Orange and Yellow by Mark Rothko (1956)

I read an interesting interview today with Gábor Bindics. a cultural manager interested in the impact of spaces on social life, who is is based in Bratislava (link in comments).

He works primarily on public spaces, and asks this excellent question "Why is it that when we create a space today, we mainly focus on the physical part of it? We have great architects of physical space, but lack architects of social and experienced space?”

Why indeed?

One other sentence really made me think. 

Where he says ‘every space has a quality that consists not only of the physical part but also of the social and subjectively experienced part.’

Which really chimed with my #SpaceasaService thinking, which is heavily focussed on the ‘humanity’ of space, in the sense of providing the perfect environment for enabling people to complete their ‘jobs to be done’ efficiently and effectively. And for helping them be as happy, healthy and productive as possible.

So I dived in some more:

Does ‘every space have a quality that consists not only of the physical part but also of the social and subjectively experienced part?’

To which the answer is surely yes.

The physical part of a space includes its tangible elements such as its size, shape, layout, lighting, and materials. 

The social part of a space includes the activities, behaviours, and interactions that occur within it, as well as the social norms and values that influence those activities and interactions. 

The subjectively experienced part of a space includes the feelings, perceptions, and meanings that people attribute to it based on their personal experiences, memories, and cultural backgrounds. 

All of these elements combine to create the overall quality of a space, which can have a significant impact on how people use and perceive it. 

This makes perfect sense for public spaces but does it apply to commercial offices?

The answer is again, I think, yes.  

Commercial office spaces are not just physical structures, but also social and experiential environments. 

The quality of a commercial office space is not only dependent on its physical design and layout, but also on the social interactions that take place within it and how people subjectively experience the space.

So for example, a well-designed office space with natural lighting, comfortable seating, and modern technology may be physically appealing, but if employees feel stressed, isolated, or uncomfortable within the space, then the quality of the office space would be low. 

On the other hand, an office space that fosters a sense of community, collaboration, and well-being among employees can contribute to a positive work environment and boost productivity.

This has to be right doesn’t it? Especially in this age of hybrid, distributed and remote working?

We really should be designing our workplaces not just with functionality and aesthetics in mind, but also with the social and subjective experience of the occupants as a key consideration.

As I’ve said for years ‘The Real Estate Industry is no longer about Real Estate’!

Thoughts?