Last week Workspace held their annual sales conference in Adelaide. With myriad happenings organised for the three-day get-together, various events were held at a variety of locations across Adelaide. This year the theme of the conference was the Future of the Workspace and one exciting event that was open to the public was a panel discussion held at the Jeffrey Smart Building, University of South Australia.
The Friday afternoon discussion was facilitated by co-editor of inside Jan Henderson and a five member panel, all leaders in their respective fields, consisted of Rosina Di Maria, Principal Woods Bagot, Ruben Fernandez, commercial director of Forma 5, Aaron Mossop, business development manager Mossop Constructions + Interiors, Neil Sookee, design director, Laminex and Andrew Wallace, program director, Interior Architecture Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia.
In front of a capacity crowd, the discussion was forthright, rigorous and lively. The panel brought all their expertise to the table and the theme was debated and explored as each expert added their own experience and insight into the mix. The future of the workspace is a large topic and a variety of aspects of the theme were brought forth. These included the importance of the individual worker, work styles and how these impact on design, the responsibility of employers, the move towards healthy and congenial interiors, the changes that are occurring through technology and the importance of design that responds to and does not dictate workspaces.
The workplace is vital to the well-being of all who contribute to our society and discussions such as these can only benefit those who subscribe to a better way of working and living. Congratulations to Workspace for hosting such a discussion and promoting the interaction of ideas, where there is discussion on serious topics the outcome is always for the better.