The decline of the 9 to 5 business district and changing corporate culture have landlords and tenants clamoring "to make their offices less square" and architects and planners eager to help transform conventional office spaces.
"Cutting out chunks of an office building's interior to create an atrium or theater, adding loft-like mezzanines on floors with high ceilings or grafting on outdoor staircases" are examples of the "more compact, playful designs" landlords will need to introduce into conventional office spaces to meet the changing tastes of Corporate America, observes Roger Vincent.
"Big changes in conventional offices are eventually going to be needed because formal workplaces where men and women arrive 'dressed for success' in tailored suits after long drives from suburbia are dying out, said Peter Miscovich, managing director of strategy and innovation and real estate brokerage Jones Lang LaSalle."
"The 1980s work-style model and lifestyle model is over," he said. "I don't think people enjoy commuting two hours each way every day. Young people in particular do not want to sacrifice their lifestyle for their work style."
Read the full story: Big changes are coming to conventional office buildings
LA needs $2 billion in Olympic Games transportation funding by Sept. 1, officials say
Congresspeople who serve the Los Angeles area met on Aug. 26 to urge the Trump administration to speed up funding.
Los Angeles rescinds twelve 'anti-camping zones'
The zones previously prohibited unhoused people from camping in parts of Hollywood.
Los Angeles County gained more than 10,000 ADUs in 2025 — and barely made a dent in its housing goals
A new study warns that the burst in ADU development will not be enough to remedy Los Angeles’ affordable housing gap.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Amtrak, CN end decades-long dispute with eight-year agreement
The new operating agreement establishes an updated framework for the companies to work together, including processes to resolve disputes.
Judges permit Denver to divert 77,000 acre feet from the Colorado River for reservoir expansion
Overuse and climate change have caused the Colorado River’s water levels to plummet.
NYC DOT wants faster, more permanent street upgrades
The city is examining ways to build more concrete infrastructure without getting entangled in 'decades-long' projects.
'Something we’ve never seen before:' rising utility rates could strain city finances nationwide
Data centers, climate change and other factors have caused utility rates in the United States to increase by 38% since 2020.
Trump to overrule local leaders, lease millions of acres of America’s Pacific Island territories’ seafloors to mining companies
International law says that the Indigenous people of America’s territories have a right to prior and informed consent regarding projects that impact their countries.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
Harvard University Graduate School of Design
KFH Group Inc.
Greater Baltimore Committee
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
The Pocatello Development Authority
The Urban Renewal Agency of the City of Pocatello