As COVID-19 spreads across the globe, lockdowns have brought with them a radical shift in many people's work culture.

The switch to remote working has helped legitimize the idea that doing your work from home can be just as effective as being in an office. And this could spell big changes for the traditional nine-to-five office job.

Whatever the long-term implications, there is now an urgent need to address the new demands that the virus has made on our offices and homes. That means adapting the design of our work stations to fortify both our physical and mental health. 

As our built environments change to match the threat of COVID-19, experts Sadie Morgan, founding director of the London-based architecture firm dRMM, and Jeremy Myerson, of the Royal College of Art and Worktech Academy, explained to RAZOR what the future of work might look like. 

They foresee offices and workplaces becoming more event-based as working patterns become more flexible. Offices are not going to disappear, they are going to become much more social destinations. Places where people can get together with colleagues not just for work, but also socializing.

The post-coronavirus redesign could accelerate measures such as contactless entrances, hygiene stations and pandemic-proofed office layouts.

Meanwhile, for homes, there could be a widespread rethink of household workspaces, with innovative furniture – such as flat-pack cardboard desks – and interior design helping many to make the permanent leap to digital working.