A building that serves as a bodyguard, self-sufficient offices that recycle water and energy, hives and trees on the roofs, and home-like, fully autonomous work stations – these are some of the possible features of office buildings in 2050. The latest report from the Infuture Hatalska Foresight Institute and Skanska forecasts five scenarios for the buildings and cities of tomorrow which will soon become a reality. Some of these features may sound like science fiction but they may be a reality in 30-40 years.
Living Buildings. The future of office buildings until 2050 trailer:
Read more about the future of office buildings until 2050 on the dedicated website:
or check scenarios’ short description below:
Buildings will take age, sex, experience and the needs of various groups into account. The local community will participate more with developers making office spaces useful even outside normal working hours. One example of this trend is Campus 6 in Romania with a rooftop running track and Amazon Campus Rufus 2.0 in Seattle with plant zones.
Read more about speculative design project: NOMAD office
All future buildings will return to nature and will be “green” with features such as green terraces, roofs, plant-covered facades, indoor or outdoor gardens, and plant-covered walls. Buildings will maximize employee comfort, taking care of their health and well-being as well as limiting their impact on the environment. One example is the hives on the roof of the Spark complex in Warsaw.
Read more about speculative design project: Back to nature
Buildings will become autonomous units. They will provide 100% of the energy for all employees and tenants. Any excess will be stored for future use. Furthermore extreme weather or terrorist attacks will not threaten them in any way whatsoever. The entire facade of these office buildings could be covered with flexible solar panels making them 100% energy-sufficient.
Read more about speculative design project: Seedizen
Buildings will change their shapes and scope of functionality. Advanced technologies make it possible for buildings to easily transform depending on the current needs of their tenants or the number of teams working there. The first sign of this trend is the inclusion of coworking stations and offices on demand in the office buildings in prime locations. One of the examples can be BusinessLink.
Read more about speculative design project: Modular City Battery
Buildings will become “invisible” for local residents. Thanks to technology they will blend in with their surroundings and will not disrupt the space and to a certain extent merge into the background.
Read more about speculative design project: An Archetypical Non-Block
Even if some scenarios seems like science fiction now, some things may take a long time to realise but some may happen in the very near future. Read more about the future of office buildings until 2050 in short version of the Report or check the dedicated website.
