This article is part of a series exploring how work is evolving — and what this means for organizations, people and the environments that support them. Through conversations with contributors from different fields, the series offers a range of perspectives on the challenges shaping the future of work.

As hybrid work and learning become the norm, organizations and institutions are rethinking how space supports collaboration, focus and wellbeing. Katja Ninnemann, researcher and professor at HTW Berlin, shares why evidence-based design and the ability to choose and use different environments effectively are becoming essential to creating spaces that truly support people.

Work Better: You work across both higher education and corporate environments. Should learning and workspaces be designed differently?

I don’t see learning and work environments as separate. A workplace is always a learning environment, and learning environments are workplaces too. Historically, these perspectives have often been treated in silos, but many of the challenges are the same. What matters most in both contexts is grounding design decisions in evidence rather than assumptions or trends.

WB: Digitalization is reshaping both work and learning. How does this change the way we design spaces?

Technology is part of the equation, but it’s not the starting point. What matters most is understanding how people use spaces, how comfortable they feel and how effectively they can work or learn.

Hybrid environments require a very different mindset. Planning, implementation and evaluation cannot focus on technology alone. User experience, technology and organizational culture all need to be considered together.

WB: What are the biggest challenges organizations face today?
One major challenge is that many projects still start from scratch despite the extensive body of existing research on hybrid learning and working environments.

This knowledge is often underused. Organizations therefore need to choose partners who draw on existing research and apply it to the design process.

WB: How do approaches differ across regions?
In higher education, German-speaking countries are generally less advanced than regions such as Scandinavia, North America, Australia and parts of Asia, where flexible learning environments are already well established.

In workplaces, regional differences are smaller. Cultural preferences still exist, but since the pandemic there has been a global shift away from traditional offices with assigned desks. Organizations increasingly recognize that these models are neither efficient nor sustainable.

WB: What defines innovative learning and working environments today?
The defining principle is activity-based design. Spaces should support different activities, including collaboration, focused work, social interaction and informal exchange.

This applies equally to learning environments. Learning is not only about listening or reading; it also involves discussion, group work and informal interaction. That is why learning and working environments increasingly share the same spatial principles.

WB: You emphasize user experience rather than traditional metrics like square meters. What changes when organizations adopt this perspective?

Efficiency still matters for both economic and sustainability reasons, but it needs to be balanced with user experience. Sharing spaces, for example, can raise concerns about privacy or losing something they value, and those concerns shouldn’t be dismissed.

That’s why involving users early is essential. When people understand why changes are happening — and when research clearly shows benefits for wellbeing, learning outcomes or performance — resistance tends to decrease. Communication is critical.

WB: You often speak about “spatial competence,” meaning the ability to choose and use different environments effectively. Why is this becoming so important?

People need to understand how their tasks and work patterns relate to different environments. How much concentration do they need? How much collaboration? Which settings support them best?

Space also carries symbolic meaning. The environments organizations provide communicate what is expected and valued. When space decisions are poorly communicated, people may disengage. When communicated well, space can support trust, autonomy and better decision-making.

Today, spatial choice is part of everyday work. People need to decide not only when to work, but where.

WB: How can space help attract and retain people?

It starts with offering a balanced range of environments, including spaces for collaboration and areas for focused work. After the pandemic, many offices overemphasized interaction and overlooked the need for concentration.

Services and amenities also play a role, but organizations need to think holistically about both the physical and social dimensions of space.

WB: What are the clearest signs that a space genuinely supports people?

You see it in how people use it. Spaces that feel lived-in, personalized and even a little untidy are often the most successful. A perfectly styled space may look impressive, but it tells you very little about how people actually experience it.

Small signs of everyday use, from rearranged furniture to personal touches, show that people have made the space their own. Those are often the environments that foster connection and bring people together naturally.

WB: What do people most need when they come to the office?

They need a meaningful mix of spaces for focused work, collaboration and spontaneous interaction, along with a culture that recognizes informal interaction as real work.

Too often, people hesitate to use social spaces because they fear it looks unproductive. Yet conversations, chance encounters and stepping away from a desk often lead to new ideas and solutions. Recognizing this, both spatially and culturally, is one of the most important challenges facing workplaces today.

About Katja Ninnemann

Katja Ninnemann is a researcher and professor at HTW Berlin specializing in hybrid learning and working environments. For more than 15 years, her work has focused on how digitalization and technology are reshaping physical space in higher education and corporate settings, with a particular emphasis on user experience, wellbeing and evidence based design.