Workplace Capability

I have been a mountain biker for thirty years, but last year I purchased a gravel bike. The gravel bike is more all-terrain, hybrid if you like, allowing me to cover longer distances using trails avoiding busy roads. I recently rode along the Upper Lea Valley trail and paused to admire three sculptures of people significant to the area: Eric Morecambe, Capability Brown and a Sea Scout.

The landscape architect Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown was called so because he famously told his clients that their property had capability for improvement. It occurred to me that this is an admirable vocation for workplace consultants, architects and designers. My own occupant feedback surveys and those of Leesman reveal high levels of dissatisfaction with many workplaces. But rather than write-off those inadequately performing spaces we should be advising the occupying organisations on the hidden capability of their workspaces. A high-level review, or post-occupancy evaluation, will highlight areas for improvement. This may include quick-wins such as changes to the desk layout, the aesthetic (colour/lighting), the use and balance of the space (such as introducing new work-settings like focus pods and breakout) and perhaps the facilities’ offering (like refreshments).

Another key lesson for workplace design from Capability Brown is creating a more natural aesthetic. He is renowned for introducing more natural landscapes to gardens, with smooth undulating grass, scatterings of trees and small lakes. His landscaped gardens replaced the more formal ones of the time, identified by their clear structure, geometric shapes and symmetrical layout. In my last book Beyond the Workplace Zoo, I introduced my version of the ‘landscaped office’. I called for a move away from the serried rows of desks to the introduction of different shaped desks and meeting spaces planned with a more organic layout.

Capability Brown also introduced ‘pleasure gardens’ with flowers and shrubberies, placed away from the main lawns. Such features offer a place for being immersed in and appreciating the beauty of nature. Again, his design is analogous to the workplace and a call for a range of pleasurable and biophilic work-settings supporting different activities, including relaxation, contemplation and mind-wandering but also gatherings and socialising. The landscaped office calls for a mixture of work-settings and the application of biophilic design principles. Research shows that more natural environments can help reenergise people and enhance their creativity.

All too often the solution to a poorly performing workplace is a move and new fit-out, but we should first consider refurbishment as a means to reach full capability. Consider how to make those spaces more natural and pleasurable.