Workplace planning and design play a pivotal role in the success of architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) firms. Professionals in these three distinct but interrelated industries collaborate closely to envision and construct the built environment we use every day. To support this common mission, it is imperative for AEC firms to create workplaces that foster innovation, collaboration, and productivity.

From integrating the right tools and technologies to accommodating diverse workforce needs, the AEC sector has a unique set of challenges and opportunities in planning effective workplaces. Here are the most current issues impacting workplace strategy within the AEC realm:

Maintaining visual and collaborative work cultures in paperless and remote environments

While AEC was already immersed in a digital transformation in the years leading up to 2020, the pandemic propelled an even stronger push toward paperless collaboration to accommodate agile and remote working. As AEC workplaces continue the transition to paperless environments, it is crucial for firms to implement technologies and spaces that enhance and support the inherently visual and collaborative nature of their work.

AEC teams will always have a need to print and huddle around large-format drawings, but in a time when employees are working both inside and outside the office, tools such as Zoom, Teams and Bluebeam have made it easier to do the same process digitally. Larger screens in meeting rooms also enable hybrid collaboration and reduce reliance on paper.

Finding the right hybrid formula for different generations and roles

In an unpublished 2023 AEC industry survey, Savills found that 92% of respondents had some version of hybrid structure in place, most requiring at least three to four days per week in the office. Post-pandemic, AEC firms are searching for an approach to hybrid working that fits each company’s unique culture and work requirements. Complicating this effort is the reality that employees have different needs across generations and roles. The policies firms adopt for the long run will impact the decision to shed, expand, or renovate space.

Construction companies have largely maintained in-office cultures, in part to establish equity between construction workers and project managers out in the field and knowledge workers in the office. In architecture and engineering, both senior management and junior employees value in-person mentorship, which helps develop talent and improve work product. While this supports the need for more in-office time, those employees with families or longer commutes also still want flexibility, keeping hybrid models relevant.

Planning workplaces to flexibly cater to a wide spectrum of requirements will help AEC firms get the balance right as they continue to refine their hybrid policies.

Accommodating the demand for private offices while capturing space efficiencies

The private office retains an element of prestige within the cultures of many AEC firms. Because of long hours and slow paths to promotion, particularly within architecture and engineering, those who reach principal or senior levels are eager to claim their hard-won piece of real estate. But these expectations can pose a challenge for those AEC firms looking to contain real estate costs.

A well-considered workplace strategy can help integrate both private offices and shared work settings into an efficient floor plan. Locating private offices in-board of the perimeter and reducing their size; office-sharing in hybrid scenarios; condensing back-of-house support spaces; and decreased workstation sizes are just some of the go-to strategies that firms can utilize to address cultural expectations around private workspaces while balancing cost concerns.

Addressing recruitment and retention challenges

Turnover and labor shortages make recruitment a persistent challenge within AEC as a whole – as evidenced by the aging out of the workforce (the average age of a construction worker, for example, is on the rise); a skills gap in engineering; or persistently high turnover across large AEC firms. Related to this, the AEC industry is also still working to improve gender and racial diversity in what has traditionally been a white-male-dominated field. Those companies not prioritizing equity and inclusion face losing much-needed talent – for example, women in engineering leaving prematurely due to lack of mentorship.

Work/life balance further complicates hiring and retention. Architects in particular work notoriously long hours and juggle intense workloads. In a recent survey of architectural professionals and students, 86.7% of respondents said that work and school stress had negatively impacted their personal lives, while 57% said they have considered leaving the profession due to mental health concerns.

As long as recruitment and retention remain challenging, AEC workplaces have an opportunity to promote a better overall experience for all employees. Integrating WELL principles that make the office healthier, more comfortable, and afford employees more control over their spaces is one beneficial strategy AEC firms can leverage.  

Instilling a deep culture of sustainability through progressive ESG and workplace practices

The built sector’s contribution to energy-related carbon emissions is well-documented, with buildings and major infrastructure projects accounting for 39% globally. In recognition of the sector’s responsibility to effect change, AEC firms are coming under increasing regulatory, client and public pressure to reduce the environmental impacts associated with their projects, and to lead by example across all other areas of their operations. Key industry players are enacting progressive ESG targets and placing sustainable workplace practices at the heart of their corporate cultures.

From designating Proof of Concept (POC) pilot spaces to green or circular design initiatives, streamlining workplace vendors to meet product sustainability standards, or integrating employee-led programs that encourage waste reduction or volunteerism, in today’s market, clients and staff expect firms to practice what they preach. The AEC workplace is fast becoming a testing ground for new ideas and a powerful tool through which an organization can demonstrate its commitment to a less destructive built environment.

The outlook for the AEC workplace

Professionals across architecture, engineering, and construction are hard-working, hands-on, creative, and visionary. Their work environments must support their dynamism and dedication, helping to advance the shared purpose to design and build exceptional projects. Whether it’s mitigating the stress of a demanding workload, or upholding a highly visual and collaborative work process, strategically planned spaces play an important role: facilitating each firm’s success by enabling AEC professionals to excel at what they are trained to do best.