That's a tough question to answer. As the world continues to change, so do our needs. No matter how hard we try to stay up-to-date with new forms of self-directed, creative, and collaborative work, old working styles remain in our lives and in our workspaces. Today, a work team may work in numerous locations across the globe with new and emerging tools and technology to support them. At the same time, those same locations may still have forms of directed, repetitive, and individual work. That's why new solutions for co-creation, display, remote connection, and nonlinear development are either replacing or being layered on existing systems.

We talked recently about when to bring a furniture provider into the commercial real estate (CRE) process. It’s not only wise to bring this kind of provider into the CRE process early, but a holistic workplace environment partner you can trust throughout the duration of your commercial property lifecycle. Throughout the property lifecycle there’s a continual need to work with many partners, from groundbreaking to occupancy and other matters for years to come. No matter what stage of the lifecycle you’re in, whether it’s the acquisition, design, build, or maintenance of your property, your workplace partner should be there to support you every step of the way.

Founded in 2008, Pelotonia was established with the objective to fund life-saving cancer research. To date, the organization has raised over $130 million and 100% of every dollar raised has gone directly to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute. It's a huge part of the Columbus community and of our culture at Continental Office. We're proud to partner with this dynamic organization that aligns with our values and gives in unprecedented ways. We recently had the chance to speak with Doug Ulman, CEO of Pelotonia. As a growing organization, they’re currently undergoing updates to their space. We were able to get a glimpse into the changes happening at the Pelotonia headquarters, and what's to come.

More and more, the line is blurring between residential and commercial design. One noticeable change I’m seeing on both sides today is the reuse of materials in unique and interesting ways. Things we’re used to seeing in residential design, like industrial elements or repurposed materials in the home, are now making their way into commercial office environments.

A recent global study confirms that successful, forward-thinking organizations and their design partners are planning space to a completely new set of benchmarks. 

George Nelson, Herman Miller's former design director famous for the marshmallow sofa (among other iconic funriture pieces), said:

"Design is a response to social change."

Today, work is social. And smart companies know that workspaces are business tools that reinforce your core values and reflect your culture and brand.

Millennials have overtaken Baby Boomers as the largest generation in America. A recent study conducted by Dell and Intel, called the Future Workforce Study, found that Millennials are greatly shaping the workplace. Technology, the physical space, and even virtual reality are all playing an increasingly important role in workspaces today, and are shaping what’s to come. It’s predicted that traditional office design will someday become extinct.

Marburn Academy is an independent day school and a visionary leader in the education of bright students with learning differences, such as dyslexia and attention difficulties. Their conviction is that every child is capable of succeeding. For the past 30 years, Marburn resided in a former elementary school in the Northland area of Columbus, Ohio. For the past decade, this space was overcrowded and cramped, with a configuration that was less than ideal for a learning environment.

Pelotonia is a grassroots organization that was founded in Columbus, Ohio to raise money for one supreme goal: to end cancer. Continental Office was one of its founding corporate members and pelotons (a “peloton” is a group of cyclists). In fact, you can see our original jersey on display in Pelotonia’s office. To date, we’ve ridden over 18,000 miles and raised over $550,000 as an organization to help end cancer. This is my 4^th year as captain of the Continental peloton and my 7^th year as a participant. Also, did I mention that I’m terrible at riding a bike?

Last month I attended a Creative Mornings Columbus event featuring street artist, Stephanie Rond. At first I was unsure what I could learn about street art that I could apply to my own profession. And I think that was largely the point of this event, and of this forward-thinking organization in general. We all have talents and knowledge to share with one another, to get our creative juices flowing, and we should be doing this much more frequently.