At the Royal College of Art
Changing patterns of work represent one of the most powerful social trends, with implications for all areas of design - architecture, interiors, furniture, space-planning, lighting, spatial layout, communication.
For nearly all of the 20th century, work has been confined to scientifically managed office buildings. But today, the result of taking work beyond the office is a redefinition of the relationships between work, home and public spaces.
An important trend is the rise of 'flexible workers'. They work in the home, on the move and in a range of different work locations.
The home is fast becoming the second workplace as more people take work home in the evenings and at weekends. Britain leads the rest of Europe in this: one in five (21%) sometimes take work home in the UK compared to one in 14 (7%) on average in the European Union as a whole.
An important strand of the Helen Hamlyn Research Associates Programme is dedicated to the design impact of changing patterns of work. A selection of design projects is shown below.
In 2000, Yuko Tsurumaru of Design Products researched new tools for manual homeworkers, in partnership with the Design Council and Geoffrey Reid Associates
In 2001, Pascal Anson of Design Products looked at enhancing the quality of time spent at workstations, in partnership with Kinnarps
In 2002, Mike Bond and Martin Coyne of Communication Art & Design looked at influencing designers and architects to design better offices, in partnership with the British Heart Foundation
Links to relevant external web sites can be found on our links pages
(Sources: RCA Work at Home Thinktank April 1999; Henley Centre for Forecasting; Economic and Social Research Council; BIS Strategic Decisions USA; OAG Worldwide; Steelcase; University of Dundee; TUC)