| Abstract | Most organizations have a physical footprint, and someone in those organizations makes choices about the physical place with an expectation for the effects it will have. Some high-profile companies commission dramatic buildings from leading architects, such as the new Apple Park in Cupertino, California, designed by Lord Norman Foster, with the goal of creating a “wonderfully open environment for people to create, collaborate and work together”. Even high-tech start-up companies with low budgets make considered choices about the work environments they provide, to attract employees, to encourage teamwork, and to send a message to customers and investors about their capacities to innovate. Business and design magazines alike publish glowing descriptions of these design features as the workplace opens, but very rarely do they feature long-term evidence about how well – or poorly – the design succeeded. This creates an information gap in which organizations remain unaware of the full benefits – or the hidden costs – of their capital and operating expenditures for spaces. |
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