Stimulating Work Landscapes

SUMMARY

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Stimulating Work Landscapes

2014

Stimulating Work Landscapes is a research conducted by Urban Xchange and Enno Zuidema Stedebouw. The research has been made financially possible due to the Dutch Stimulation Fund for the Creative Industry, the City of Maastricht and the Limburg Industrial Park Restructuring Company (LHB).

UrbanXchange Enno Zuidema Stedebouw Papenweg 49 Schiedamsevest 91d 6212 CD Maastricht 3012 BG Rotterdam m 06 45100577 t 010 4048289

Frijtumerweg 3 9884 TD Niehove t 0594 507577

hkloosterman@urbanxchange.nl s.dona@ezstedebouw.nl www.urbanxchange.nl www.ezstedebouw.nl

Maastricht/Rotterdam 2014© Urban Xchange / Enno Zuidema Stedebouw

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Index

1.0 Research 8

2.0 Inspiration: trends 10

3.0 Inspiration: places 14

4.0 Lessons 22

5.0 Two test sites in Maastricht 26

6.0 Conclusions 30

7.0 Guidelines 32

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Huub Kloosterman is an urban geographer and helps to create new identities in urban transformations. Simon Dona is an urbanist and combines design with strategic insight in order to bring about changes to locations. Huub and Simon have already been working together on urban projects for some time. They share the same fascinations about the urban problems of this era, and believe in the connection between people’s inspiration and the physical environment. They worked on projects such as a new future for the high-tech manufacturing industry in Brainport Eindhoven, an innovative vision for the Maastricht Health Campus and a new strategy for the waterfront transformations in former industrial ports in Belgium and the Netherlands.

About the authors

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Forewordthat there are unique opportunities when we are able to tread paths that are as yet untrodden. It starts with the will to understand the genuine motives of existing or new initiators. It is about linking the underlying convictions and ambitions of the highly-motivated initiators with the layout and use of their work environment. It is the step towards a stimulating work landscape; a landscape that is able to encourage the organisation’s core values.

That work landscape is always unique, as it turns out to be the result of a quest to find the initiator’s core values and drivers of change. Our research is not therefore producing a typology of different work landscapes from which you can choose; instead it relates to an approach or strategy that translates initiators’ passion into a physical location. We are confident that this approach will provide previously unforeseen opportunities for using existing work locations in a different kind of way.

The research into Stimulating Work Landscapes has been made financially possible due to the Stimuleringsfonds Creatieve Industrie (the Dutch Stimulation Fund for the Creative Industry), with co-funding from the City of Maastricht and the Limburg Industrial Park Restructuring Company (LHB). During the study, we have seen many people about this issue – see the names in the publisher’s imprint. Many thanks go to these people for all the valuable knowledge and feedback that they have contributed.

This document gives an account of the research and consists of seven short chapters. In chapter 1, we outline the main themes of the research and what it has delivered in terms of knowledge. In chapters 2 and 3, we report on the many inspirations we have received from trends and locations. In chapter 4, we set out the main lessons learned from those inspirations in word and images. In chapter 5, we show how this can be implemented in practice at two sites in Maastricht. In chapter 6, we list the conclusions of the research. Finally, in chapter 7, we have produced a brief guide to adopting a new approach.

Please join us in this journey to find stimulating work landscapes. We hope that this document will inspire you.

Huub Kloosterman (Urban Xchange), Simon Dona, and Wilco Otte (Enno Zuidema Stedebouw)

f o r e W o r d

It is with great enthusiasm that we are presenting you with the results of our research into stimulating work landscapes. We conducted this research from November 2011 to January 2014, during which time we made a fascinating quest incorporating highly-motivated initiators, pioneering organisations, and inspirational working environments. This has produced some surprising insights at the point where urban design and urban economy come together.

Our quest started with three fascinations. The first is our conviction that new area development strategies are necessary. A new age has dawned in which trusted cornerstones such as economic growth, value development, and predictable market demand no longer apply. New strategies will have to focus on constant change and adaptation, as well as on inviting different kinds of initiators. The new approach will be much more of a process-related strategy; a growth process focusing on the dot on the horizon. Rather than a fixed end image, that dot offers a new future perspective or place identity that can point developments in the right direction.

The second fascination concerns the rise of new places for the urban economy. These are places where innovation and creativity are the key words and where interaction between people and sharing of ideas are considered the main conditions. This brings us to the third fascination: the enormous mismatch that exists between the new demand and the existing offer. Many of the working environments that we know are isolated functional worlds: designed according to the principles of the industrial economy. They are often lifeless places with which users feel little connection.

At its core, the research concerns the undiscovered opportunities of the ‘new economy’ for transforming obsolete work locations. In the many conversations that we have held, the conclusion is often made hat place matters once again. In an economy that revels in networking and creating things together, an inspired environment appears to be invaluable. An environment that encourages innovation, interaction, and creativity benefits organisations’ strategies.

The opportunities provided by the ‘new economy’ for transforming obsolete work locations: this is a yet undeveloped area. The results of our research show

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1.0 Research

What new knowledge did this provide? Firstly, the insight that the new work landscape stimulates today’s values rather than the values of the past. The new economy revolves around ‘soft’ values such as innovation, interaction, serendipity, and creativity. An enthusiastic environment appears to be of major importance. However, many existing work locations are designed according to the ‘hard’ values from the industrial era, during which the environment was of little importance.

Secondly, the insight that spatial innovations are being made when an initiator is connecting the working environment with his own future strategy. The layout of the work landscape then becomes a tool in pursuing the authentic drivers of change.

And thirdly, a strategy for encouraging dynamics in obsolete work locations. Our strategy focuses on exposing genuine motives and then translating them into an environment that enables associated developments.

With stimulating work landscapes, we are marking the start of a new phase for the transformation of obsolete work locations, and creating environments that are in keeping with the 21st-century economy.

We find ourselves in an exciting age of fundamental changes. Some people even talk about a transition to a new era in which nothing is the same anymore. The impact on spatial developments is huge. The shifts on a global scale are unprecedented. But a fundamental spatial rearrangement is also taking place between regions and at local level. Richard Florida refers to this as The Great Reset1.

The crisis is showing that in the new reality, the existing economic and organisational success formulae are no longer sufficient. At the same time, we can see pioneering movements come about because a new type of initiator is seeing opportunities. The importance of networks here is obvious. Top-down is making way for bottom-up.

There are surprising effects for urban developments. The drive comes from new initiatives for existing or vacant spaces in the city, creating opportunities for transformation. For instance for obsolete industrial sites or office locations in the city: places that intrigue us. It is precisely these frequently forgotten areas that highlight the mismatch that exists between the industrial principles that determined the design of the work locations at the time, and the principles behind the new way of working in the knowledge economy.

We have thoroughly immersed ourselves in the work landscape of the future. Within the fascinating context of the new era, we have conducted research into how obsolete work locations can transform into new places for the 21st-century economy. We refer to these as stimulating work landscapes.

The key question from our research is: What substantive elements and new development strategies can make that obsolete work locations are being transformed into stimulating work landscapes that reflect the demands of today’s urban economy?

We have answered this question in two parts: a quest to find generic lessons and a design research into the application of these lessons at two specific sites in Maastricht. The generic part consisted of studying numerous articles, blogs, and research reports, interviewing pioneering initiators and inspiring experts, and studying innovative working environments. The annex contains a list of names and numbers. The specific part consisted of a design research to find opportunities in the suburban university and business quarter Randwyck (the future Maastricht Health Campus) and the industrial heritage site of Vredestein in Belvédère, Maastricht.

1 Richard Florida, The Great Reset, 2010

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In March 2012, we organized a round table discussion in the Westminster Impact Hub in London with John Worthington (Academy of Urbanism), Lawrence Barth (Architectural Association), Geoff Woodling (Business Futures Network), Stephen Smith (Urban Narrative), Frank Duffy (Duffy Design), Joost Beunderman (00:/Research), and Henk Bouwman (Urban-imPulse). The discussion started with the rapid changes in relation to working, whilst the existing working environments are still based on industrial principles. A captivating discussion took place on the extreme speed of the economy compared to the slowness of the urban structure. Woodling: ‘Our typologies of work landscapes are largely influenced by established institutions. Changing them is a mental problem.’ Smith: ‘Our typologies are also very European whilst changes are taking place on a global scale, perhaps mainly from China.’ Duffy: ‘You will therefore have to learn to start with organisations’ strategies for the future. Only then will you be able to define work landscapes.’

Group discussion about stimulating work landscapes, 29th of March 2012, Impact Hub Westminster London

Woodling: ‘Cities have far too little understanding of the opportunities that the knowledge economy has to offer.’ Barth: ‘Whereas there are opportunities when we start to expose the mutual networks. They will then realize that the existing spatial setting does not stimulate those networks at all. There is an over-value of what is fixed. The value of meeting places is therefore being structurally underestimated.’ Duffy: ‘There is an increasing importance of space in a dematerialized world.’ Worthington: ‘Take a look at a co-location such as the HUB, where you can see that at different scale levels, spatial patterns in relation to working have changed - as regards both space and time.’ Smith: ‘Cities also need to be much more aware of the major value of cheap locations in the city.’ At the meeting table, it is concluded that cities have an important duty to work on new spatial strategies. There is a major responsibility in relation to ‘reclaiming’ obsolete work locations and utilizing the opportunities of networks in the city. We have to get rid of the existing paradigms, however.

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2.0 Inspiration: trends1. From an old to a new economyOne of the most radical paradigm shifts in this era is the transition from the ‘old’ economy based on industry and service provision to a new economy based on knowledge, innovation, experience, and creativity. The economy has changed from predictable, linear developments to extremely rapidly changing circumstances with explosive growth and sudden downturns - chaos. The market is also undergoing rapid changes and is unpredictable. The playing field has become the world. In competition, it is no longer about ‘size’ but about ‘speed’. The main means of achieving growth is no longer financial capital but human capital. The perspective for the urban economies are activities based on knowledge, creativity and innovation. We refer to this as the creative knowledge economy.

2. Innovation requires cultural interventionsInnovation has become the key word. In increasing flux, ‘not innovating’ or ‘innovating too late’ are fatal. Kodak is the well-known archetype of a company that suffered because it didn’t want to give up its trusted analogue photo technology. But whereas the switch from analogue to digital photography involved a process that took years, today’s developments are now taking place at lightning speed. Innovation needs to be converted directly into production because the lifecycles are short. Whenever standardization occurs, western companies soon lose competitiveness (see the collapse of the European solar panel industry).

Theun Baller draws attention to the fact that encouraging innovation in work landscapes requires a cultural intervention. With reference to Bolwijn and Kumpe (1990), he explains the difference between structural and cultural thinking. This era requires fewer functional and linear patterns (structure) and more creative interventions in networks (culture). Baller can see a direct influence on the work landscape: innovation requires cultural aspects in the physical environment. An enormous mismatch exists with the existing structural thinking on work locations. 2

3. SustainabilityIn this era, the theme of sustainability is the greatest motivator for numerous new developments for many

2 Theun Baller, Beter-weten-schap (The science of knowing better), inaugural speech of the dean/professor of the 3mE faculty of TU Delft, 25/09/2013 // Piet Bolwijn and Ted Kumpe, Wat komt na flexibiliteit? (What comes after flexibility?), 1990

innovative organisations. Increasing oil prices and the awareness that sustainability (even in fields other than energy) can generate money are the reasons behind this. The global quest to find alternatives is giving R&D activities in different sectors a gigantic boost.

4. Interaction and meeting togetherOne of the main features of the new way of working is the widespread need for interaction and opportunities to meet each other. The critical values of this era such as innovation, knowledge sharing, and working in a project-based manner require frequent mutual interaction. Interaction does of course occur between employees, collaborating organisations, or customers in various ways and across increasing distances. But even more striking is that the importance of face-to-face contact has increased considerably since the explosive growth in communication technology. Physically meeting up with one another has turned out to be essential for working in this era – and the place where that happens is important.

5. Employee at the centreWhere ‘knowledge’ and ‘human capital’ are the driving forces behind the new economy, it is obvious that the employee is central to present-day organisations. This manifests itself in a battle for talent that is being fought on a global scale, as well as in the attention to the experience of the physical working environment. In fact, it’s all about integrating ‘working’ with previously separated worlds such as recreation, relaxation, and meeting each other. This development has far-reaching spatial effects. Aside from the various concepts for work locations where the city is being introduced to the working environment, as it were, there is a movement in which urban centres as a complex of facilities are once again being considered the most attractive place for companies to establish themselves. This is reflected in mono-functional office sites and industrial parks that are ageing rapidly and standing vacant.

6. ClusteringA cluster is a geographical concentration of mutually related activities, suppliers, and institutions in a particular specialist area. Successful clusters offer a competitive advantage because they encourage innovations, talent development, productivity, and new activity. Clustering often takes place on a regional scale. In the creative knowledge economy, an interesting paradox is taking place in this field. On the one hand, specialization is taking place within activities, which means that a company can actually make the difference. On the other hand, all kinds of

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disciplines and activities focusing on an open sharing of knowledge of ideas (open innovation) and accelerated business growth are being integrated. Business activities are also undergoing constant transformations (a blurring of boundaries) due to forms of collaborations that are constantly changing. Although research by Van Dinteren3 and Atzema et al.4 reveals that for most companies the factor ‘proximity to other companies at one site’ is not relevant to being able to work together, we are seeing a trend that smaller like-minded companies are looking for a tight community and want to be located in close proximity to one another. The notion applies here that each cluster has its own culture and rules.

7. Flexible networksIn the past, only major multinational conglomerates were actually able to operate on a global scale. In this era, smaller specialist companies often have more added benefit because they are much more manoeuvrable and efficient. They appear able to enter into optimum collaborations for faster innovations via global networks. Flexibility and adaptation are necessary in order to survive. This is also having an effect on the working environment, which can be equally less rigid and straightforward.

8. Experience, branding, and identityProducts and brands have become part of our identity. The marketing world has realized this and has started to focus upon the formation of identities and the offering of emotions and experiences. Working (the organisation, the city, the location, the workplace etc.) also forms part of this process. Experience and identity formation have become crucial aspects of attracting talented employees.

9. Outside the boxIn spatial planning, it has always been the norm to put economic activities in boxes, so that the right location could be allocated to each activity. The blurring of boundaries or integration between mutual economic activities and between work and private activities requires a complete mental shift to spatial planning in order to release the boxes of the past. This requires a different perspective for devising new typologies for urban working and living environments; on the one hand based on urban use and urban strategy, and on the other hand based on the actual needs and quality requirements of the economic activities.

3 Jacques van Dinteren and Debbie Pfaff, Science Park: innovatie of imago (Science Park: innovation or image). In: Real Estate Magazine 2011

4 Oedzge Atzema et al, The Amsterdam family of clusters, 2011.

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3.0 Inspiration: placesA fundamental step in our research consisted of analysing work landscapes that are pioneering in a particular field. It is precisely here, when comparing these places, that a crucial turnaround occurred in our research. We discovered that no typologies or classifications into spatial or other features whatsoever could explain how innovations are created in the work landscape, let alone predict them. There has been a gradual increase in understanding that the pioneering innovations are the direct result of the different driving forces and motivations of the various initiators of the work landscapes. So this is where we had to look for it.

Twelve work landscapesWe selected twelve work landscapes that, in our eyes, are innovative in a particular field. The aim of the research was to look for lessons that we hope should be widely applicable at different work locations. We have selected references that differ among themselves from initiator, motives, location, and scale.

1. Googleplex, Palo Alto, California (USA)2. High Tech Campus Eindhoven (NL)3. Manutan DREDA, Paris (F)4. Chiswick Park, London (UK)5. C-Mill, Heerlen (NL)6. Kytopia, Utrecht (NL)7. Schieblock, Rotterdam (NL)8. Impact Hub King’s Cross, London (UK)9. Seats2Meet, Eindhoven (NL)10. Strijp-S, Eindhoven (NL)11. Cartesius, Utrecht (NL)12. Tech City East London (UK)

Much can be said and demonstrated for each reference. Each site has a particular story to tell about its origin and the result. Perhaps this is why they stood out to us: they are colourful and innovative because everyone wants to tell his story. That ‘someone’ invariably turns out to be a motivated initiator who has distinct ideas about what he wants to achieve with his work landscape. In this research, we refer to those ideas as ‘drivers of change’.

When analysing and comparing references, we discovered that those driving forces are the determining factor for using different means (or instruments), which in turn direct the design, layout, and use of the work landscape. Those means can be spatial, but can also be programmed, cultural, or financial.

Innovative aspects of work landscapes:

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1. Googleplex, Palo Alto, California - Extremely informal character with a well-thought-out

design focusing on ‘people circulation’ and ‘informal communication’. Underlying thought: spontaneous new ideas and solutions develop as a result of continuous informal sharing.

- Hotspot for the top global knowledge workers.

2. High-Tech Campus Eindhoven - Accelerated innovation and business growth among

established companies through knowledge sharing, shared facilities, and encouraging collaboration between companies.

- Hotspot for the top global knowledge workers.

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3. Manutan DREDA, Paris - The layout and the facilities of the working

environment focus upon encouraging personal development and the involvement of employees. The underlying thought is that personal growth and conscious decisions are contributing to the company’s evolution as a whole.

- Offering a strong community.

4. Chiswick Park, London - Creating an iron identity, professional branding and

unique experience with which companies (and their employees) want to identify themselves.

- Recognizing the employee and his wishes in relation to experience at work as a crucial factor for establishing companies.

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5. C-Mill, Heerlen- A highly motivated and headstrong initiator who

places users’ wishes at the centre and acts as a hotelier. A person who also uses the work location to make social connections with the city and the region, as a result of which the location has also gained a new significance at that scale level.

- The initiators’ ‘milkshake theory’ is: the trend-setters of the work landscape form no more than 15% of the total, but their effect and power of attraction create the required favourable image of the work landscape as a whole.

6. Kytopia, Utrecht - Transforming a former industrial business park into

an inspirational working environment in which new values are important (community formation, cross-pollination, and knowledge sharing)

- Creating a new significance (creative spot) to an existing urban landscape.

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8. Impact Hub King’s Cross, London - Creating an inspirational community for small

companies that offer both a local and an international network.

- Creating new significances to an existing urban landscape.

7. Schieblock, Rotterdam - The initiators are not just driven by property yield,

but also by the commitment to the city’s spatial development.

- The Schieblock building in Rotterdam has been able to acquire a trend-setting image that is heavily used and publicized by the tenants, giving the site a new identity that is so successful that the choice is now whether the temporary concept will become permanent or whether the owner will take the initiative to redevelop the site.

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9. Seats2Meet Strijp-S, Eindhoven - Creating a wide community of independent

professionals by an innovative approach of offering free workplaces and lunches, and asking professionals to pay with their ‘social capital’ in return.

- Creating new significances to an existing urban landscape.

10. Strijp-S, Eindhoven - The collaborating initiators are not strictly aiming to

achieve a final image but to achieve new inspiration, by tailoring space and uses with one another in the realization process. The spatial conditions and a plan for the public space come together to form the backbone of this.

- The initiators recognize the importance of one another’s priorities in the field, which requires the location to have a broad basis within society.

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11. Cartesius, Utrecht - The vision consists of a new identity rather than a

final image. This identity connects to the drivers of change of small initiators, creating opportunities for bottom-up initiatives.

- The municipality is adopting a completely new role. In order to attract ‘new capital,’ the city is acting as an active and accommodating friend to new initiators here.

12. Tech City East London - Using the existing urbanism, a new type of work

landscape has been created that has a stimulating effect on meeting and interaction, innovation, community building, networking etc.

- Existing urban uses are gaining a completely new significance as a ‘tool’ for company networks.

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Silicon Roundabout Old Street

Local buzz in Tech City, London

Using the existing urbanism

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4.0 LessonsThe generic part of the research has produced a number of important lessons for the spatial layout and the development strategy of work landscapes. This part consisted of a literature review, interviews, and reference sites analysis, whereby we also directed our line of focus outside of the Netherlands.

Lesson 1: A persuasive initiatorAn obvious similarity between all the work landscapes being investigated is that there is a distinct initiator. It is striking that that initiator not only had a strong presence during the establishment stage but is also still a significant driving force one way or another during the operational stage. It is notable that many innovations in the working environment appear to come from a certain conviction or organisation strategy. Initiators are often individuals or organisations that are looking for a working environment that can help in the realization of their strategic objectives. The example of the industrial Cartesius site in Utrecht has shown that even a local governmental authority can be such a persuasive initiator.

Lesson 2: Place mattersAll the discussions we have had, and all reference sites we have researched have revealed that a shift is taking place from a focus on ‘hard values’ (such as real estate or accessibility by car) to ‘soft values’ (such as community building or knowledge sharing). Designing structures remains a prerequisite, but the added value is in the cultural aspects. The return on real estate is no longer leading. Now the cultural intervention that can be achieved with the built and, in particular, also the non-built environment, is leading. This means that ‘place’ has become a crucial part of the initiators’ strategy for the future.

Lesson 3: Focus on the drivers of change When deciphering the success formulae of the reference sites, the key appeared to lie in the link between the initiator’s strategy for the future and the physical design of the site. It is a recurring pattern: the choices in the design are to be derived from the initiator’s drivers of change each time. The drivers of change relate to the question: how can the environment contribute to the realization of our strategy for the future? In a situation in which an organisation’s culture is the most important factor in it’s competitive position, the place can be designed in such a way that this culture can develop as effectively as possible.

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Lesson 4: From drivers of change to toolsWhen designing and laying out the work landscapes that are being researched, very consciously determined tools are being used to achieve the required cultural intervention. There is a wide variety of design, but from the 12 reference sites researched, we have drawn up a list of 17 tools. A number of them are repetitive and resemble must-do’s for all stimulating work landscapes, such as encouraging interaction and providing working pleasure. Some tools, on the other hand, are specifically for certain initiators, such as those participating in start-ups or those wishing to contribute to employee development. Another special aspect, incidentally, is that drivers of change and tools are able to adopt a changeable position compared to one another in the various work landscapes. What is a driver of change for one initiator (attracting talents or encouraging creativity, for example) can be a tool for another.

List of possible drivers of change and tools: 1. Attracting and committing talents2. Providing conditions to enjoy work3. Providing a dynamic environment through its inner

city/urban location4. Encouraging interaction5. Encouraging knowledge sharing6. Accelerating innovation and business growth7. Building/providing a community8. Contributing to employee development9. Providing a showcase that focuses on international

attention 10. Participating in start-ups/ fast growing pioneers11. Encouraging start-ups/ fast growing pioneers12. Encouraging creativity13. Providing a low cost/ creative site14. Encouraging bottom-up initiatives/ investments in

the area15. Transforming into a new urban area16. Boosting the urban economy17. Optimizing returns on real estate

Lesson 5: Design of the cultural change We have concluded that no work landscape whatsoever is the same. There is no driver of change that automatically result in a particular design. There is therefore no evidence of a fixed or direct relationship between the initiator’s motives and the layout of the work landscape. We have established, however, that in the successful innovative work landscapes, a clear design brief has been defined from the combination of drivers of change and tools. The lesson learned is that a fixed format does not exist, but a continuous and recurring

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need does. Encouraging innovation, meeting and residing opportunities, and creating inspiration are corresponding needs. Creating an individual culture can be seen in the strive to achieve a strong community on the site. Concentrating facilities, and designing shared spaces help to achieve this. The lesson is that you can design these kinds of challenges by placing the required cultural change of use at the centre. The advice is to research and describe those needs in the brief for the design.

An obvious pointer for designers and clients was the lesson that Frank Duffy gave: ‘You will therefore have to learn to start with organisations’ strategies for the future. Only then will you be able to define work landscapes’.

Lesson 6: Spearheads for the designAlthough we have determined that archetypal designs or fixed templates do not exist for the urban designs of stimulating work landscapes, we are learning that frequently recurring elements exist in the international examples studied. We are therefore able to see:

A. The creation of one’s own specific world In many innovative work landscapes, there is a strong commitment to creating a distinct ‘personal’ environment. In many examples, the new identity is a reuse of the existing situation (Tech City, Kytopia, Cartesius, Strijp-S, C-Mill) where former industrial components or industrial heritage are starting to bear the identity of the new site. In other cases, a partly or completely new landscape has been designed (Googleplex, Chiswick Park, Manutan, and High Tech Campus) varying from own area qualities to artificial interventions such as the waterfall at Chiswick Park. This has the following implications for the design:

The clear definition of a spatially identifiable unit. In the examples studied, we can see an architectural correlation between buildings, reuse of historical heritage, and the laying out of an associated public space.The laying of connections between buildings’ interiors and the design of the public space by orienting entrances, routes, and floor plans of buildings in which public functions of the building are projected onto the important public space.

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A clear choice in favour of a public site versus an enclosed site. In the pilot projects, an explicit choice is made between an enclosed site (with literally one fence and one gate) or a public area in which the work location becomes part of the urban fabric. The underlying consideration is whether the site is a safe, reliable environment for a homogeneous target group or whether the aim is to achieve an urban site that has a heterogeneous user group.

The design’s logo is often used in the branding as a trademark for the work location. A strong spatial identity is resulting in individual companies identifying themselves with the core values of the campus or the work landscape instead of their own company building.

B. The point where routes come together has been designed to be a centre ‘Design meeting opportunities’ is perhaps the most important lesson to learn for the design, but is not possible to achieve with the same degree of intensity at each site. Very clear choices are therefore being made in the pilot sites. In locations where routes come together, meeting and interaction opportunities is the most interesting aspect, a lively street-type image is being created and knowledge is being shared. There we can see a special design focusing on the quality of accommodation and meeting opportunities, and on a wide range of public functions. It means that a well-thought-out spatial and functional concept should form the basis. That is part of the design specification.

We also found at many international examples, that opportunities to meet together are an important part of the design brief across the entire site – even outside the centre. A wide variety of different places on site provides a balance between dynamics and peace and quiet, and contributes to people movement on site.

C. Links with the surroundings Irrespective of the wish to create their own specific world, initiators of work landscapes in an urban context in particular need a good attachment to and relationship with the physical and social environment. With cycle routes and the presence of public transport, sites are becoming part of a larger urban network. It goes without saying that routes must be

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projected in a logical manner, not stop at the border of the work site, and contribute to the liveliness in more ‘public’ work landscapes (see point 2).In addition to physical connections, at a number of examples we are also seeing a clear cultural positioning of the site. The added benefit is, that it encourages meetings with the public, and the work landscape gains greater relevance in the city than just a place to work. Examples of this are cultural activities and public events at Strijp-S, Cartesius, C’Mill, Tech City and Chiswick Park.

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5.0 Two test sites in Maastricht In the second part of our research, we investigated opportunities for a stimulating work landscape for two urgent restructuring sites in Maastricht: - Transformation of the suburban Randwyck area

(offices, services, hospital, and university) into the urban Maastricht Health Campus

- Transformation of the industrial heritage of the Vredestein site into a stimulating place for the creative industry.

This involved using the lessons learned from the previous chapter. We conducted a pilot study for both sites into the drivers of change and ambitions of the various players, and how a potential new environment can play a part in their realization.

Vredestein (Belvédère)

VredesteinFor the industrial heritage on the Vredestein site, we expressly sought out potential initiators. The City of Maastricht is the owner but does not personally wish to be the trigger, and it expects a great deal from creative entrepreneurs. Creative entrepreneurs’ motives for settling here relate to atmosphere (industrial, unpolished, artistic, lively), forming a community of like-minded people, and opportunities for meeting each other, sharing ideas, and attracting the public. What’s more, they want to be able to design the place themselves, according to their own requirements.An important result of this study is that we have demonstrated that engaged craft entrepreneurs from the city want to produce their own stimulating work landscape from this Vredestein site. It seems that there are even sufficient people available for getting a place-making process off the ground. The entrepreneurs are not used to doing this themselves, but are very aware of their own drivers of change. In a design study based on these drivers, we have made the first move towards creating a new identity with a design sketch, and we have used this to demonstrate that a cultural change is indeed possible here at this special location in Maastricht.

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Randwyck

opgaven en ideeën voor de Vredesteinlocatie en het Frontenpark

entree verbinding, bestemming in het parkpubliek maar afsluitbaar terreinlabgebouw, opgave: casco opleveren, gemeenschappelijke ruimte en ontmoetingKunstfront, op termijn invullenVredestein werkplein: collectieve buitenruimte voor ontmoeting, expo, testopstelling, buitenfuncties, presentaties en feesten

hergebruik funderingen, dit zijn proeftuinen: tuinen, kassen en containerdorpinrichten tuin: wandelroute, ontspanning, proeftuin/boomgaard/stadslandbouwmonument als decor, op lange termijn inrichten als werkgebouwparkeren, laden en lossenkazemat; café/horeca en terrasgroene afrastering van de electriciteitsgebouwen

route maken over parkeerplaats: de binnenstad dichterbij brengen

impressie van de Vredesteinlocatie als stimulerend werklandschap

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verbinding met de Maas

verbinding met de stad

Het Hart

azM en UM

science en business park en uitbreidingsmogelijkheden azM

science en business park en uitbreidingsmogelijkheden azM

het Park

MECC

belevingswerelden

MHCFor realizing the Maastricht Health Campus at all our pilot study led to a breakthrough in a long-term process between the City of Maastricht, the Province of Limburg, the University Hospital, and Maastricht University. Enthusiasm developed when we were able to show that the different arguments for investing in the area were able to result in the same spatial tools for transforming the site. The obsolete 1980s area with many anonymous buildings and parked cars received a new identity as an innovation campus that will have a lively and green heart. The new campus encourages interaction and knowledge sharing, offers working pleasure, creates a community, and creates an international image. Based on the conclusions of the research, Enno Zuidema Stedebouw and Urban Xchange were commissioned to produce the master plan.

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station MHC horecaplein UM:- mensa- college zalen

Living Lab:- bewegen & voeding- chronische patiënten

MECC entree:- collegezaal- horeca- flexwerken- kleine expo

UM:- huisartsgeneeskunde- learning center- faculty club

Universitair sportcemtrum

sporteilandstuderen in het park

hoofdentree azM

centraal pleinbushaltekiss & rideP-route MECC

buitenterrasNH/MECC

straatontvangstplein

tijdelijke functie:- studenten- huisvesting

voorstel functies in Het Hart

impressie van Het Hart

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6.0 Conclusions4. The leap to innovation: from restructuring to ‘re-cultivating’An enormous mismatch exists between the outdated way of thinking by work locations and spatial development strategies on the one hand, and the new way of thinking by innovative and creative organisations on the other hand. Most work locations focus upon functional structures, and in the event of redevelopment, constant efforts are made to improve them (real estate, public space, and infrastructure). It is for good reason that this approach is referred to as restructuring. The term ‘value creation’ usually relates to real estate value. Completely different values apply, however, in the ‘new’ economy, whereby real estate or public space is more of a means than an objective. The required interventions to be made by innovative organisations relate to culture and identity: the encouragement of interaction, community formation etc. The term ‘re-cultivate’ corresponds much more with this type of transformation. With the researched pilot projects where an existing work location is being transformed into a stimulating work landscape, ‘re-cultivation’ does indeed appear to be being used as a spatial development strategy.

5. Spatial strategy: monitor the initiator’s motivesThe main conclusion of the research is that a stimulating work landscape’s key to success lies in the actual initiator and his drivers of change. Layout and design choices can be derived from those drivers. The drivers of change relate to demand: how can the spatial environment contribute to the realization of our organisation’s strategy for the future? It resembles an open door, but for designers and public and private partners in developments, this is still often unfamiliar territory. Frank Duffy expresses this as follows: ‘You will therefore have to learn to start with the future strategies of organisations. Only then will you be able to define work landscapes’. With these words, Duffy is saying that the work landscape is not a goal in itself, but a means of realizing the underlying strategy. What is also noticeable is that Duffy is not putting the current situation of those organisations concerned at the top of the agenda, but their future situation. His lesson for designers therefore also applies the other way round to organisations that are undergoing a cultural change: for them, a stimulating environment can be a means of realizing ambitions. Few organisations view their environment in this way. There are therefore opportunities for the professional field to use spatial thinking and design expertise as a means.

The research into ‘stimulating work landscapes’ conducted by Urban Xchange and Enno Zuidema Stedebouw has drawn a number of striking conclusions.

1. Thinking about work locations requires a complete turnaroundThinking in terms of structures has restricted work locations for decades: separating types of uses (which is known as segmentation or clustering in specialist jargon), separating into individual plots and optimizing accessibility by car and real estate value. Almost all industrial parks and office sites have been designed in accordance with these ‘hard values’, whereby the awareness that these principles form part of an industrial economy is constantly ignored. The dynamics on the demand side have meanwhile long been found in a completely different field, in other words, in the knowledge economy. Rapid innovation is the key word here whereby interaction between people and the sharing of ideas are considered the main conditions. The ‘new economy’ is associated with a change in mentality in relation to how we work. It is about creativity, freedom, collaboration, sharing of ideas, and the blurring of the boundaries between work and private time. These ‘soft values’ require a radical turnaround in thinking about work locations.

2. Place mattersWith the shift in organisations’ focus from hard values to soft values, the working environment is gaining a completely new significance. The work landscape of the creative knowledge economy can encourage values such as innovation, interaction, and creativity by means of layout, usage functions, and design. The research shows that this is happening in different ways in various pioneering work landscapes.

3. Research teaches us: no fixed urban modelResearch teaches us that there is no standard formula for creating a stimulating work landscape. Any classification of work locations into type of use or type of initiator does not automatically result in a particular type of design, layout, or facilities. Even though the same means recur in many of the example projects researched (such as a focus on meetings, community formation, and public facilities), it is not possible to define fixed spatial designs for transformations. That is also not so strange in view of the unmasking of the traditional top-down approach in our professional field that focused upon realizing an achievable final image.

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6. It works on a large and small scaleResearch shows that breakthroughs can be achieved for a stimulating work landscape at all scale levels. The researched reference sites vary from a room in a building to a complete area of a city. The initiators for those sites vary from small, creative, self-employed people to multinationals that have an annual turnover of 50 billion dollars. We have applied the lessons at two sites in Maastricht – in both areas we were able to create openings for a stimulating work landscape by focusing on the initiators’ drivers of change. It worked both for Randwyck with its large-scale stakeholders (university, university hospital, municipal authority) and for Vredestein with a number of small-scale creative entrepreneurs. In both situations, we started with the initiators’ strategy for the future, paying specific attention to the required cultural change. The breakthrough occurred when we translated the ambitions into an inspiring area identity and spatial concept in which involved parties were able to recognize their drivers of change. Design was a means in this regard, not a goal, creating literal space for a stimulating work landscape.

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7.0 GuidelinesWith stimulating work landscapes, we are marking a new phase in the redevelopment of obsolete work locations. The research that we have conducted shows that surprising opportunities are being created for a transformation when initiating parties wish to see the values of the ‘new’ economy reflected in the physical environment. This awareness forms the basis of what can be a stimulating work landscape. We have concluded that the traditional spatial approach whereby structures are controlled unilaterally is no longer sufficient.

We are proposing a new approach in which the soft values are the starting point. This requires alternative actions, especially during the start-up (initiation phase) of the development of the site. Initially, it requires additional investment in terms of time, but that more than pays off later in (a) an acceleration of the process because a common basis has been created since the start and (b) a better result because it is a suitable answer to the problems of the current age. We therefore propose that the following steps are taken:

1. Who is the initiator?Determine who the actual initiator is. Ascertain whether it is one or several parties. Many urban developments in the past have been realized with the government acted as the sole initiator. It’s true that the government often has an initiating role, but its reasons for the initiative are at a higher abstract level (such as strengthening the regional economy). You should therefore also determine which parties primarily have an interest in the development and/or are able to act as the initiator.

2. What are the initiator’s drivers of change?Determine what the initiator’s underlying drivers of change are for the specific site. That starts with researching and understanding the initiator’s strategy for the future. You then connect that strategy with the physical environment, and the question is asked as to how that environment can contribute to the realization of the required future. For companies, an approach such as this means an economically oriented joint quest. It requires looking in greater detail in the sector in question. You should therefore identify the key problems for the entrepreneur. For many knowledge-intensive companies, the key problem is retaining and attracting sufficient talent, for example.

You should also determine at this stage whether initiators need the structure of the site to be adapted or whether they are aiming to change the culture at the site. Existing redevelopment processes often focus

on updating and improving structures: redistribution, renovation of public space, and construction of a new infrastructure. For many industrial companies, a restructuring such as this will have adequate effect. But that is not the case for many knowledge-intensive and creative organisations. With interventions in the structures, you are still failing to create an innovative working environment that is in connection with these organisations. In practice, cultural interventions often relate to the creation of different meeting opportunities, liveliness, and community formation.

This ‘re-cultivation’ instead of ‘restructuring’ of work locations of course only works when the initiators recognize that a cultural change is part of their future strategy. We are therefore definitely not claiming that our approach can be used for any random business park or office site. But when the driving forces are at the heart of cultural changes, there is a wish to transform the working environment into a stimulating work landscape. This can be implemented using the following step.

3. What spatial tools can help the initiator with his drivers of change?Research how the future environment can help the initiator to realize his strategy for the future. A design research adds value during this phase. With the help of images (such as references and urban design sketches), it can be explained how a new layout and a different kind of use can play a part in the realization of a stimulating work landscape. This relates to spatial proposals for encouraging a lively public space, meeting spaces, space for sharing knowledge, and relaxation facilities, for example.

We regard the three aforementioned steps as the research phase. It is essential that the results are shared with all initiators and those who are directly involved. It may then become apparent that differences in drivers of change do not automatically also mean differences in spatial tools. Above all, it is true that the more precise the answers to the questions, the easier and quicker - and with maximum support - the design concept for the stimulating work landscape can be produced.

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4. Develop the concept for a stimulating work landscapeThe last step before a design can be produced is the development of a concept for the stimulating work landscape. The concept consists of a comprehensive proposition for the required identity of the site, the uses and amenities, and the spatial design. The drivers of change and the tools stated in the previous steps are central to this. This focus helps answer the key question as to what stimulating environment the initiator needs to be able to realize his strategy for the future. The concept must be laid down carefully, safeguarding the shared basis for a stimulating work landscape.

Once the concept has been determined, this phase will end and further work can be carried out on the execution of the stimulating work landscape. It goes without saying that the key thought behind the concept should be found as easy as possible in the execution. The design process can then be executed as usual. It is however important that all parties (public and private initiators, project management, and designers) continue to focus on the drivers of change and tools of the concept at all times.

AddendumFinally, we would like to end with two surprising addenda to the approach presented here. The first addendum is for parties that wish to collaborate in complex area developments. After all, this approach consciously works towards achieving a common basis. The investment required in terms of time is ultimately resulting in the acceleration of the collective process and a much more productive future for the relevant site.The second addendum is for the professionals in the field of urbanism. This approach indicates that urban designers, spatial planners, and urban strategists can be very useful in a domain in which they are currently only adopting a limited role: determining the strategy of organisations. Spatial thinkers can be of major value in the introduction of the opportunities that the physical environment has to offer, in order to literally encourage ambitions. At the same time, the stimulating work landscape is also gaining the status it deserves: the opportunity to help to realize the strategy for the future that the initiator requires.

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