How Will the Tech and AI boom Impact Office Design and Build? Insights From Our Recent Roundtable

In this month’s issue, we explore how AI is influencing London’s office market, from reshoring trends to the growing demand for flexible, tech-enabled spaces. The spotlight is on our recent AI roundtable, where our team explored AI’s role in fit-out, discussing its potential to streamline processes, expand design possibilities, and the challenges it brings around creativity, ethics, and individuality. We also reflect on how AI is shaping the future of workspace design, with our team weighing in on where technology can enhance, rather than replace, human insight.

The Impact of the Changing Tech Industry on London Office Take-Up and Design

It’s evident that the current Tech and AI boom is reshaping industries, redefining job roles, and transforming corporate real estate strategies. Therefore, the change is also altering office take-up and design, and as a global technology and financial hub, London is one of the cities at the forefront of this shift. There are two key factors, the first being reshoring (the return of business operations to the UK due to automation and supply chain risks), and the second is the evolution of AI tools, such as OpenAI ’s o1, which will heavily impact workplace dynamics.

AI and Office Take-Up

While automation may reduce the need for traditional administrative roles, AI-driven industries such as machine learning and AI-enhanced financial services will require more high-quality, innovation-focused workplaces.

Reshoring is also playing a role, as businesses relocate previously outsourced functions back to London due to automation and supply chain risks. This is driving demand for well-connected office environments that attract top AI talent.

As AI integrates across finance, law, and life sciences, the need for flexible workspaces is growing, leading to a rise in agile leasing models, such as shorter lease terms and serviced office spaces.

AI and Office Design

With AI assistants like o1 handling complex administrative tasks, the value of human skills, such as leadership and cross-disciplinary collaboration, is increasing. This shift is influencing office design in several aspects, such as collaboration-centric spaces, wellbeing-focused design, and the introduction of more environments for AI upskilling.

AI and tech advancements won’t eliminate the need for office space, but they will redefine it. Companies that invest in flexible, tech-enabled, and people-centric workplaces will be best positioned to attract talent and succeed in an AI-driven future.

Read the full article here.

AI in Fit-Out: Innovation or Imitation?

AI has already entered the world of fit-out, offering new ways to optimise space, automate workflows, and generate design concepts. A 2023 Gartner report predicts that by 2028, at least 15% of daily business decisions will be autonomously made by AI. But as AI’s influence grows, a key question remains: what is AI’s role in fit-out??

This was the debate at our recent roundtable, where a group of our team gathered to explore AI’s potential, and its limitations.

With AI now playing a role in workplace strategy, design, and project management, we set out to examine whether it is a true creative partner, a powerful efficiency tool, or a force that risks homogenising design.

AI in Fit-Out

AI is already being used to generate test fits and automated renders, promising to make the design process faster and more efficient. But while these tools can offer a useful starting point, our panel agreed they are no substitute for human intuition.

As Ella Batkin described, the value of AI in space planning is not in replacing the designer, but in expanding the range of possibilities.?

“The point of AI in space planning is the volume of options you can generate. It’s not about replacing the designer, it’s about giving them more to work with.”

However, many of these AI tools remain cumbersome. Some require excessive data cleaning before they can even begin working, and most lack the nuanced understanding of brand identity and spatial flow that a human designer brings.

This raised an important question: if every company is using the same AI models, will our workspaces start to lose their individuality and personality? As Dominic Benzecry pointed out,?“If everyone is using the same AI tools, will all space plans start to look the same? If it’s no longer about how good the space plan is, then what makes a design successful?”

Can AI Replace Creativity??

One of the most heated discussions centred on whether AI could ever truly understand aesthetics, emotion, and atmosphere. While some saw AI as a useful addition for mood board generation, others questioned whether it could create a workspace that actually feels good to be in.?

For Abigail Newton , the issue came down to AI’s inability to replicate human emotion: “I think in terms of look and feel, it’s in the name, it's the feeling of the space. And if AI doesn’t have feelings, then to create a look and feel… I don’t know if you’d get the depth that you would need.”?

Without an emotional connection to the space or its users, can AI design something that resonates on a human level?

While AI can offer quick idea generation, Ella Batkin emphasised that true design still relies on human instinct and emotional intelligence. “AI can help with quick idea generation, but ultimately, the designer is the one who brings the human element, the instinct, the emotion, and the ability to truly understand a client’s needs.”

Grant Maxwell took this a step further, arguing that workplaces, like homes, should reflect the people who use them, not just follow an algorithm.

“People don’t want an AI-designed house, they want a home that reflects them. The same goes for workspaces.”

This raised an important question: If AI relies on data rather than intuition, does it risk stripping away the unique character that makes a space feel human?

The Ethical & Environmental Debate

As AI continues to develop, it brings with it important ethical questions. Many AI models are trained on vast amounts of data, often scraped from the internet without consent. In the world of AI-generated imagery, this raises concerns about originality, authorship, and intellectual property. Jack Cole raised another concern around AI’s unpredictability, pointing out that:

“AI models hallucinate, it’s not always about getting the right answer, it’s about making sure it’s the right question in the first place.”

This highlights the risk of relying too heavily on AI in decision-making, especially in complex design processes where accuracy is crucial.

Beyond ethics, there’s also the environmental impact of AI. The energy consumption of AI models is significantly higher than traditional digital tools. Nikita Koniakhin noted that this isn’t always the case: "The environmental impact depends on the model, some can run locally, which reduces energy use, but most rely on large server farms."?

AI’s role in fit-out is still unfolding, offering both exciting possibilities and important challenges. As we move forward, the real opportunity lies in leveraging AI as an enhancement, not a replacement, for human creativity. But beyond the theoretical, how does AI perform when tasked with designing a workspace tailored to human needs?

AI-Designed Offices - What could our workspaces look like??

To wrap up the conversation, we explored a simple but revealing question: If there were no limits, no budget constraints, no planning restrictions, what could our workspaces look like?

The responses revealed a clear ambition to create spaces that go beyond the ordinary. Wellbeing, creativity and individuality were at the forefront, whether through dynamic areas that encourage movement, quiet zones for focus and relaxation, or standout features that bring something unexpected to the workday.

We then turned to AI to visualise these ideas. Using Midjourney , we combined the key themes from the discussion and let AI reimagine our future workspace. The results showcased bold and imaginative concepts, from indoor climbing walls and floor-to-ceiling drinks fridges to calm, thoughtfully designed spaces with a private members' club feel.

With our own office move approaching, these concepts challenged us to think differently about how we want our next space to work for us. While AI offers exciting possibilities, the real challenge lies in knowing where to embrace it and where human insight should take the lead.

Thinking about redesigning your workspace? See how AI-driven design can make your office more efficient, adaptable and employee-centric in 5 Reasons to Redesign Your Office in 2025.