Gen Z inspires new office design trends

As the younger generation steps out to work post pandemic, their non-negotiable ideal of a healthy workplace is causing high attrition and employers are struggling to keep up. The JLL India Future of Work Survey 2024 revealed that in India, 90% of companies now require at least three days of office presence. In this era of conflicting sensibilities, a reimagination of the brick-and-mortar office is helping bridge gaps and retain the love for the workplace.

“A physical intervention can’t always be as impactful as a good chat with your team. Real work is built in conversations, not confinements,” says Ayushi Jain, a 20-something visual designer from Delhi.

But 39-year-old Gupt is one of the many employers of his generation who believe that if designed thoughtfully, a workplace can embody and cultivate these values that younger professionals believe in. His creative agency was founded in 2012 and recently got a redesign at its address in Mumbai’s Nehru Centre. When designing the space (later named Kulfiverse) he and his team capitalised on its circular structure to inspire borderless communication and the transparent culture of collaboration.

Changing Times

The asset is the same: space. How people invest in it is up for a reinvention. “For a typical professional, an eight-hour workday is often bookended by the need to manage meals, commute, fitness and chores. By having such services in the office, we’re freed to focus completely on our work and preserve valuable personal time for hobbies and relaxation outside,” says Ashutosh Chauhan, a Hyderabad-based application engineer working at Google India. The MNC has been pushing the bill on creative workplace design for years, with amenities like themed meeting rooms named after animated TV series, food setups, gyms, etc. More corporations are considering such inclusions.

Aayush Golecha and Kushaal Jhaveri, co-founders of Mumbai-based architecture and interior design firm The Comma Collective, concur: “Earlier, the corporate design brief was consistent: maintain efficiency while fitting as many people as possible with the bare essentials. Post covid, founders want sleeping pods, TT tables and wellness rooms.”

The demand for a more connected and growth-oriented organisation is also evident among Gen Z employees, who place more value on output over process. Such diversity cannot be nurtured without acknowledging factors like creative breaks, cerebral stimulation, sensory comfort, mental health, and productivity cycles. Architecture is thus becoming a way of incorporating these elements into daily culture.

The New Blueprint

Golecha focuses on thoughtful zoning, materiality and visual cues when designing. “Modern workspaces must be adaptable and offer what remote setups can’t—authentic connection, inspiration and a sense of community,” he says. For instance, Google’s open plan layout built on a no-cabin system inspires easy conversation across corporate hierarchies. Kulfiverse features breakout rooms and a community space with Lego sets to spark ideas.

While brands are playing around with layout, there’s still a long way to go for material tweaks. Many continue to demand traditional materials like marble and only as much colour as needed to reflect the brand’s identity. However, surfaces like wood, ceramic and concrete balanced with soft textiles can feel warm, grounded and real—qualities that resonate deeply with the younger generation. While Gen Z is mindful of sustainability, designers foresee a considerable journey ahead for companies, mainly because of the initial investment it requires.

These, along with visual and tactile cues, can stimulate creativity, break the stereotype around “work desks” and tap into intuitive work cycles. “Use materials that tell stories: upcycled tiles from a previous site, marble scraps turned into tables or graffiti walls that double up as memory archives. Design for movement and spontaneity through writable surfaces, modular zones and light that changes with mood,” says Smita Thomas, founder of interior design studio Multitude of Sins.

The Hurdle in Huddling

Though easily definable, this collaborative experiment is a ropewalk of balance between monotony and overstimulation, creative provocation and mental restoration. Jain’s field of work is the perfect example: “My three essentials in a workspace are: a clean room; good lighting; and a solid sound system. If I create something bad, chances are the lighting was off or the music wasn’t on.” Space and budget constraints can often pose another challenge. But as per Thomas, “The trick is to design layered zones that cater to different energies in a single space. In our office, Sin City, we made contemplative corners and outrageous installations coexist to our team’s liking.”

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Biophilic architecture is another element finding its way into offices, offsetting bold props with soothing greenery. It’s a design approach that integrates nature into the built environment to enhance well-being.

The new office is also integrating technologically-forward systems into the physical layout, personalising sanctuaries and blurring the gap between home and office. “As digital natives, Gen Z employees are highly comfortable navigating virtual spaces for personal activities, expecting the same ease of use at work as they experience with apps for online shopping or social media,” Gupt shares. While covid initially led teams to experiment with socio-professional communities like Slack, the post-covid headquarters is welcoming physical infrastructure for a hybrid lifestyle.

If there’s anything this metamorphosis is teaching us, it’s that moving forward should be about building on successes from the past. That means reimagining spatial existence to reinforce the personal connection we’ve always valued as humans. As Thomas puts it, “The smartest companies we’ve worked with are the ones who aren’t looking to emulate a trend, but asking the right questions: What drives our people? What kind of energy do we want to cultivate?” And that’s when new perceptions of the young begin to matter, improving the very blueprint of how we think, feel and act.

Ria Gupta is a travel and design writer. Follow her work @ria_gupta.

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