Human Experience Design in the Built Environment: Are Occupiers the New Arbiters of Value in Workplace Design?

In October 2024 the BCO published a piece of research, “Towards Experience Utopia: Customer Experience Best Practice for the UK Office Sector.”

This research effectively acts as a guide to support strong Customer Experience that blends the best aspects of remote and in-office work. The guide has been informed by the BCO Occupiers Group, comprising NatWest, PwC, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Gilead, BT, and Citi Group, and shares practical guidance for all those involved in the built environment.

In short, there has been a shift away from satisfying only the owner, investors and property management involved in the running and maintenance of buildings and our built environment. The occupiers, rightly so, are demanding more of their experience - the occupiers have become the arbiters of value.

‘Experience’ within workplace design has been gaining traction since the early 2000’s, with a prior focus on functionality, efficiency and aesthetics. Since this point, we have realised the importance of creating environments that foster employee engagement, wellbeing and creativity. Employee behaviour, satisfaction and company culture are now key areas of focus.

And to this, we need a creative set of tools that help us design these places of experience. However, more importantly, we need to clearly articulate this vision ahead of practical completion and hand over; yes - to satisfy and demonstrate to investors and operators the viability of these spaces, but also to our customers, the end users. It is crucial that we put the end users at the forefront of our design and decision making.

On the 3rd April, we invited a host of BCO members, academics, creatives and professionals from the built environment to Birmingham City University’s STEAMhouse to explore a showcase of multi-sensory design tools. Across the evening this included experiencing Arup’s SoundLab, BCU’s CreateLab as well as a series of pop-up exhibitions, exploring smell, sound, sight and touch. The tools and methods presented demonstrated some of the ways that we could better explore and illustrate the positive impacts that our design interventions can have, by addressing all of our senses and improving the overall experience of end users within space.

We concluded the evening with an engaging in the round discussion. Together, we reflected on our experiences, identified shared challenges and aspirations, and discussed how we could apply key aspects to our day-to-day design of space. This collective exploration reinforces our commitment to placing human experience at the heart of the built environment.

A huge thank you to the British Council for Offices, STEAMhouse, Birmingham City University, Arup, and those who joined us for this hugely informative and exploratory evening.  Thanks also to the BCO Occupiers Group who's input informed the research 'Towards Experience Utopia' including NatWest, PwC, Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Gilead Sciences, BT Group, and Citi;  invaluable insights and collaboration.