by Haril A. Pandya
As the built environment continues to rapidly evolve, responding to both market and generational demands, the design and architecture profession have reached a crossroads. Creating static, one-use destinations – meaning those singular residential buildings, retail malls, or office parks – is no longer a sustainable solution. The shifting demand is for more flexible, dynamic, market responsive, and experience-driven environments, those spaces that provide a foundation for multiple functionalities and add undeniable long-term value to a community. Consumer expectations have evolved from simple, large-scale buildings with one ideology, to a more authentic and meaningful revitalization, adaptive reuse, and repositioning of buildings, spaces, and experiences.
Office x Hotel
Design firms must embrace this call to action, not only strategically positioning teams for the future, but making sure we are providing fresh insight in rewriting it.
Today’s consumers are engaging with the public realm, buildings, and brands in a much more fluid manner, moving through experiences with no delineation in mind about format, location, or category. The traditional sectors of workplace, retail, restaurant, hospitality, healthcare, and even industrial have blurred, and their influence signifies a shift in function and utilization of spaces where consumers choose to work, heal, stay, shop, dine and play.
As the rate of vacant commercial space continues to increase in today’s economic climate, thousands of properties are waiting to be repurposed, reimagined, and reinvigorated. Whether ground up or an existing property, it will be critical for these environments to incorporate humanity, social equity, and experience-focused design.
Office x Hotel
At NELSON we are focusing our design solutions on this intersection of markets, leveraging these fluid elements to create more meaningful, hybrid environments across the country, including:
Industrial x Retail – As the rapid increase in e-commerce clashes with the steady rise in retail vacancy rates, developers are left trying to bridge the gap. A more innovative distribution center concept, that not only aides in last-mile delivery but also provides consumer-facing click-and-collect options, can offer a longer-lasting, versatile solution focusing on engagement, helping with supply chain, and better addressing today’s speed of transaction.
Healthcare x Mixed-Use
Workplace x Hospitality – The last year has demonstrated that while employees can work reliability and productively from the comfort of their own homes, for many the added distraction of kids, pets, or unreliable technology is a hinderance. Meanwhile hotels already have the infrastructure in place to host professionals during the day with the added benefit of private rooms, black-out curtains, and public spaces for entertaining clients. It’s a great opportunity to convert a block of empty rooms to private offices or designated podcast or zoom studios. As more brands flex between remote and in-office work, these hybrid environments could be a great supplemental option.
Healthcare x Mixed-Use
Healthcare x Retail – In an era of self-care and on-demand information, health needs extend far beyond illness or injury. The definition has expanded to include bio labs, wellness brands, fitness offerings, and cosmetic surgery, and consumers are demanding these services become more accessible than ever before. With an increase in vacant space and a global wellness industry worth nearly $4 trillion, there is a glaring opportunity to transform these spaces to meet consumer demands through today’s expanded healthcare offerings.
It’s critical to leverage a range of expertise to actively employ out-of-industry inspiration to create more meaningful and differentiated experiences in all markets, creating multi-purpose environments that can better flex and respond to changing consumer needs. COVID-19 is just the most recent example of the need for more flexible solutions, and while the pandemic will eventually diminish, the need for more fluid environments will not.
Haril Pandya
Haril A. Pandya, FAIA LEED AP is the senior vice president and managing director for NELSON Worldwide’s Boston office.
