Why Corporate Bathrooms Stink and How Good Design Can Fix This

Bathrooms in hotels, restrooms and even airports tend to carry a touch of class that bathrooms in corporate offices so often lack. Pictured above: a ladies room in SFO Terminal 2. Image © Bruce Damonte.

When I started my career, I never thought I would spend so much time talking about corporate bathrooms. But the truth is people feel passionately about them. They might be the most underappreciated and most necessary spaces in the workplace. Everyone has to go there (no giggles please), and the experience usually falls somewhere between bland and horrifying. It’s no wonder that so many people I talk to on projects—from executive leaders to employees—bring up bathrooms as one of their top complaints.

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How Technology Has Changed Workplace Design in the Financial Services Sector, Part 1

Every iteration of technology changes how people work. Image © Gensler

Recently, while discussing some tweaks to the layout of his own office, I was asked by an investment industry leader, “What’s changed in office designs?”

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The Wellness Café: Paradigm Shifts in the Indian Corporate Dining Experience

Changing the design of corporate cafeterias can promote employee wellbeing. Image © Garrett Rowland

Having grown up listening to my mum’s controlled yoga counts of inhaling and exhaling while her children downed fruit and vegetable concoctions with regularity, the idea of “what is good for health” is a constant research question at home. In my house and the surrounding community, there’s a culture of sharing tips and recipes aimed at reducing cholesterol and promoting wellness: getting together for Yoga, furious early morning walks or even the laughing club is now seen as essential to leading a healthy lifestyle in India.

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Aon Makes Transformational Step into the Future

Aon’s new global HQ relocates the firm’s centre of operations from Chicago to the epicentre of the insurance world. Image © Gensler

Anyone visiting the area surrounding the Lloyds Building in the City of London will notice sharply dressed people wandering around with folders. More often than not, these are people brokering insurance packages for clients. Sometimes for niche specialist service providers. Often for insurance world giants like Willis or Aon.

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Capturing Utilization and Activity Data in the Workplace

Image © Gensler

Post two of three (See post one here)

“What’s our utilization rate?” If you work in corporate real estate, you’ve likely asked or been asked this question. While utilization is an important metric to inform how frequently a space is used, it’s important to consider another key piece of data for strategic planning: activity data. Part one of this three-part blog series discussed how capturing activity data in conjunction with utilization data can inform a strategy that considers both the cost of the space and the value it provides occupants. The insights gained from activity data can inform a workplace strategy that optimizes existing space, without necessarily increasing the amount of space.

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