Malgorzata TOMCZAK

How have work spaces changed in the pandemic?

In the 20th and 21st centuries, work is the foundation of our existence. We devote more and more time to it. Neither the technological revolution, which resulted in artificial intelligence to replace humans, nor the so-called end of the work era (Jeremy Rifkin) announced at the turn of the century, has changed this. Instead, much was changed by the pandemic. The work culture has changed, and with it has come a new organization and function of office building space. Far fewer office buildings are being built than before the pandemic; instead, we are seeing a housing boom. Paradoxically, it is apartments that are often becoming our offices, as we increasingly do our work remotely and switch to home office.

In the issue, we show modern workspaces that take into account the needs of the users and the change that the pandemic time has brought in this regard. We have shown and discussed those realizations that, through their programmatic and functional flexibility, have easily adapted to the new conditions. The architecture that increasingly interests us today is not buildings designed by starchitects, but rather spaces that flexibly and freely respond to the needs of the times and modern man. These ad hoc, but also focused on the challenges that today's world brings.