The world-renowned architect Norman Foster does not expect any drastic changes in the office workplace following the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the InnHub La Punt innovation campus, which Foster is currently working on, has become even more important as a result of the pandemic.
The Covid-19 pandemic has forced millions of companies worldwide to let their employees work from home. There is currently speculation as to whether the “home office” will last or even make the office a phase-out model. Architect Norman Foster doesn't believe in fundamental upheavals, as he says in an interview with InnHub. “The minimum distance of two meters is not the future of humanity. We're social beings, there's nothing we can do about that.”
According to Foster, changes in the world of work had already begun before the pandemic. For example, more and more companies would value creating spaces in which employees could meet and exchange ideas informally. This would result in more creative solutions than in laboratories or meeting rooms. “The pandemic hasn't slowed down these trends — it's accelerating them.”
Teams need eye contact
There will be more and more people who are looking for a new balance between work and private life. “People will probably work more at home, but they will continue to come to the office for things that require a personal meeting,” says Norman Foster.
Collaboration via digital channels and screens works very well and will probably also make some travel superfluous in the future. But developments and ideas that are still in their infancy would require close cooperation between people in the future as well. “Groups that function as teams need quick decisions and eye contact.”
Norman Foster is developing an innovation campus for the Graubünden mountain village of La Punt. In “InnHub La Punt”, teams from companies and universities will work on new ideas. At the same time, guests from the region should use the InnHub to do some of their work from outside the office. The alpine environment and the encounter with the locals should provide them with new experiences.
What a boost for this project!
The pandemic is like an audit for InnHub La Punt, says Foster in an interview. “If the InnHub was a good idea before, then it is even more so now. The pandemic has shown us the possibilities even more clearly. What a boost for this project!”
Just over a year ago, voters from La Punt Chamues-ch clearly said YES to the project. No surprise for Norman Foster: “There has always been a hunger for experiments in the Engadin,” he says with regard to the many innovations from the early days of tourism.
“The InnHub is also an experiment. It is an attempt to revive a village community that is declining in numbers.” The InnHub brings different age groups and professions together. It is a vision of the future that emerges from an extraordinary, democratic process.
“When I was asked for this project, I knew it was my perfect project. Because it is about the future.”
The interview was done in St. Moritz in May 2020. Christian Gartmann was able to manage it as part of his work for InnHub La Punt. He is InnHub's Communications and Media Officer.