Designing for Connection: How Modern Workplaces Nurture Collaboration and Community
Physical spaces shape the way we work together. The strongest office designs today acknowledge this reality, creating environments that encourage both productivity and genuine human connection. As you’re already witnessing across the commercial design sector, interior design has emerged as a pivotal element in how organisations build workplace culture, particularly as digital communication becomes the norm. Companies now recognise what many designers have long understood – that meaningful work flourishes when staff feel connected to their colleagues and their purpose.
A Fresh Approach to Workplace Design
The three commercial interior design projects examined here each tackle the challenge of fostering connection from different angles. As many of you have likely observed in your own practice, despite representing distinct sectors and company cultures, they share similar aims: dismantling traditional barriers and developing spaces where collaboration feels natural rather than forced.
Dojo workspace designed by BDG Architecture + Design (BDG) with Creative Debuts
From Manchester to Berlin to London, these projects, by SpaceInvader, M Moser Associates and Creative Debuts respectively, showcase thoughtful approaches that align company goals with fundamental human needs.
Miro by M Moser Associates, Berlin
These projects tackle a shared question: how do we create workplaces that build authentic community while accommodating different work preferences? What they reveal is that successful collaboration spaces resist standardisation. Each must be crafted deliberately to suit the specific culture and requirements of the organisation it serves.
Overbury headquarters by SpaceInvader
Building Connection Through Design Choices
SpaceInvader’s Manchester Office: Practice What You Preach
“With the offices set to embody Overbury’s quality commitment and values, we knew that everyone who walked through the door needed to understand instantly what Overbury was all about.” SpaceInvader Founder John Williams
When SpaceInvader teamed up with Overbury to create their new Manchester headquarters, they turned their client philosophy inward. Their “designing inside-out” approach puts human experience first, resulting in a highly adaptable workspace. They’ve blended group-focused areas with quieter zones using clever acoustic treatments and movable furniture. The office notably features a complete flexible desk system – no assigned seating whatsoever – which breaks down territorial behaviours and encourages staff to relocate based on their current work needs. The result? A working showroom that demonstrates exactly what the firm promises its clients.
Miro’s Berlin Office: Rooted in Local Culture
“Our new Berlin office is a testament to the power of local ownership and community.” Wilco Poppelier, Global Lead – Workplace Strategy and Projects
Digital whiteboard company Miro faced a common corporate challenge with their first Berlin location: how to maintain brand consistency while tapping into the local creative pulse. M Moser Associates tackled this by crafting a space that celebrates Berlin’s rich artistic character. The design features elements inspired by the surrounding neighbourhood, creating an immediate sense of place. Inside, staff find varied collaboration settings for different interaction needs – from a bustling central hub to casual meeting spots and quieter focus areas. The designers clearly understood that productive teamwork happens in multiple settings. By grounding the space in Berlin’s creative heritage, Miro’s office fosters both local relevance and global connectivity.
Creative Debuts × Wieden+Kennedy: Art as Conversation Starter
“Investing in emerging artists through Creative Debuts is an investment in our culture itself.” Montague Evans, Chartered Surveyor
Creative Debuts takes a direct approach to workplace connection that starts with what’s on the walls. They pair emerging artists with corporate clients, transforming blank office surfaces into galleries of diverse creative expression. Their work with advertising powerhouse Wieden+Kennedy shows how art does more than decorate – it prompts discussion, broadens perspectives and builds emotional links between colleagues. By bringing bold, provocative artwork into corporate settings, Creative Debuts helps companies develop more inclusive environments where staff feel comfortable expressing their authentic selves. This method acknowledges something crucial: real collaboration depends on psychological safety and the freedom to contribute one’s true perspective.
Connected Workplaces: Looking Forward
What these three projects reveal goes beyond theory, they demonstrate practical solutions to the complex challenge of nurturing a workplace community. Each offers a distinct toolkit: SpaceInvader through structural flexibility, Miro through cultural integration, and Creative Debuts through artistic expression. Their collective impact suggests that connection flourishes when designers address both functional and emotional needs.
The post-pandemic shift in working patterns has only accelerated the need for spaces that make in-person collaboration worthwhile. You’re already seeing this evolution in action, offices becoming destinations rather than obligations. But which approach resonates most with your clients? Are they seeking spaces that prioritise adaptability, cultural context, or creative expression? Or perhaps the next evolution will combine elements from each to create environments that serve increasingly complex expectations of what a workplace should deliver.