Nordicum - Real Estate Annual Finland 2012 | Page 10

Space Ace
John Worthington talks about the evolution of urban
environments and the significance of place

The race is on to reinvent space. In the real
estate industry, the winners will be those who
can manage space, time and technology in
an optimal manner – to provide meaningful
experiences for the user.

T

his is a glimpse of the future just
around the corner – according to John
Worthington. Since co-founding the
industry-changing consultancy DEGW in
1973, he has worked to adapt urban and
space planning techniques to meet the needs
of emerging knowledge-based economies.
Regarded as one of the premier experts in the
field, Worthington has witnessed the evolution of the industry during the past four decades – and is convinced that we have just
scratched the surface.
Worthington is both a practitioner
and academic. From 1992–97 he was Professor of Architecture and Director of the
Institute of Advanced Architectural studies
at the University of York and subsequently
held visiting professorships at the Universities of Sheffield, Melbourne and Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg.
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His research into the changing ways that organisations are using space helps to redefine
the way space is perceived – and thus its use
and value can be enhanced.

Setting the Tone
According to Worthington, recognising
spaces as non-territorial settings appropriate for different activities, rather than designated rooms for specific functions, expands
the variety of work settings and improves
utilisation.
Worthington talks about a “blurring of
functions”. As we embrace the new information and communication technologies, activities merge, and we are challenged to reconsider our old ways of thinking. For instance, the office is no longer just a place of
information processing, but, more and more,

a place for creativity and innovation. Isn’t
the office of today a place of learning, not
just a place of business?
“Under the old system, we had products and buildings. Now we are moving towards experiences and environments.”

Office in the Cloud
The workplace itself has changed so much
over the past decades – mostly thanks to
technology. Moving from mechanical to
electro-mechanical and onwards to electronic has been quite a ride. Worthington feels
that “post-electronic” might be the right
word for the present time where the value
of the content is stored in a Cloud somewhere and can be accessed instantly on the
whim of the user.
“It is a hugely interesting story, how