In this interview Elvira Muñoz shares her thoughts and ideas on the challenges and opportunities in times of the current crisis. She believes that this is the moment to redesign the existing spaces and buildings in order to design resilient spaces that adapt to the unforeseen future of disruption and change.

Enjoy the interview!

Could you tell us a little about your background?

I discovered my passion for the fine arts early on, together with ballet and other dancing disciplines. But before shifting into that direction I studied 3 years of Agricultural Engineering, because I love nature and growing and nurturing things.

After these studies I became a dance teacher and started exploring the possibilities of redefining my professional life and discovered Interior Design, which appealed to me because it unifies creativity and graphic communication, with some technical disciplines (not too many, I had had enough of those in my engineering years!), focused on providing a service to people which, I understood, required communication skills, empathy, and humbleness: Interior Designers are a tool at the service of the client, translating its dreams and expectations into livable places that reflect their personality.

After a few years of independent practice and living abroad (The US, Italy), in the year 1998 I joined DEGW in Madrid. Soon I discovered that having a research, benchmark and interaction with client’s methodology allowed me to be a better designer: “Research, Strategy, Design” or “Design for Change” were the 2 mottos of DEGW which I deeply believed in.

The moment I discovered that this was the place where I belonged, they discovered my abilities and was appointed director of ID. Then became a shareholder and partner in 2003 and have remained loyal to the group and its beliefs during the crisis and our acquisition by AECOM. Since 2019 I am Director of Interior Design and Studio Lead for the EMEA region.

I have also been teaching at the Master in Strategic Design at IE since the year 2013 and was appointed its director in 2019. As you can read, 2019 was my year!

You are the Director of EMIA Interior Design Practice Leader at AECOM. What are the common problems and challenges of your clients and how does your consulting unit help to solve them?

The constantly rapidly changing situations and the continuous challenges pose always a big challenge on everyone. Taking decisions that are relevant and meaningful and not just doing what others do, but later, is always the key.

In relationship with Real Estate, the decisions always imply an important investment not only in the rental or acquisition of square meters, but also in technology and equipment.

Since the real estate market is focused on the developers, land owners and landlords, and not in the tenants and end users, those decisions prove themselves quite difficult.

We need to understand the sector our client is in, how fast changing it is, how change ready their organization is, how much they understand the impact of implementing what they say are their expectations and helping them articulate their dreams.

That is common everywhere in the world. In our case, since we operate in such a vast and diverse region, the challenges are constant and everchanging.

But that is what makes the job dynamic and fun: our projects are not rocket science, but understanding our different types of clients and delivering their aspirations and dreams anywhere in EMEA, on time and on budget… that is thrilling and makes you learn each day.

What are your thoughts on digitalization and the workspace, especially in current times of COVID-19. How will this affect the future of the workspace?

My key messages are these:

We have already been confined 2 months and we are all:

1. Experiencing the impact of our interior spaces in our Mental and Physical Health.

Health and well-being need to be considered wholly, including: intellectual, physiological, social, material & spiritual, mental & emotional well being.

The result of designing for all aspects of well being is larger than the sum of its parts. At MSD we will teach you how to design focusing on well being holistically.

Remember: people with ill mental health take 62% longer to do tasks

2. Acknowledging that we have adapted to situations we couldn’t have predicted thanks to being RESILIENT.

Resilience is the key attribute to get through confinement. (Resilience: the ability to absorb a shock and recover the previous condition or come out better).

Our future spaces will need to be more resilient, providing us with solutions for unforeseen crises, like the one we are experiencing.

3. We are all longing to “go back to normal” by which we mean, being physically with our teams, even though we are being able to work remotely, stay engaged, and build TRUST in the distance.

Humans need social contact to grow, learn, stay engaged, blossom,..This implies having a physical space that provides identity and sense of belonging.

Organizations will need to re design all their workspaces to provide a sense of belonging: office space, virtual spaces, home office spaces.

4. Aware of the impact of our human actions on the ENVIRONMENT: Cities’ air is cleaner; the oceans’ and the rivers’ waters are transparent, acoustic pollution has decreased…

Do we really want to go back to normal, exactly as it was before? No, we need to take this opportunity to redesign our culture, our behavior, the use of the natural resources.

We need to design from the inside out: from our the mentally and physically healthy interiors to the outside; to reflect the new more respectful culture on the outside shape of our buildings, streets, cities…

5. Acknowledge that we value the physical space more and understand that INTERIORS are critical for our mental health and wellbeing.

The key approach is the constant review and re-adaptation of ALL spaces and infrastructures to ensure social distancing and healthy environments:

at home, the workplace, the hospitality sector, the commuting systems…

Including the installations, to allow more fresh air flow cleaner environments. This means RENEWAL and upgrading of all the infrastructures.The new focus is around comfort about perceived safety

What are the recent trends and future developments of workspace design? Could you tell us more about “New Ways of Working”?

The recent trends all need to be reviewed and adapted to this new situation.

Instead of trends, let me suggest thinking about approaches to our staggered return to the office and to a phased redesign:

• I suggest reconsidering FIRST the reasons WHY we need to go back to the office. List the actions and tasks that need to take place physically at the office and with your team. The list will be filled with collaboration, ideas and knowledge sharing tasks, innovation, kicking off projects and social interaction
• The list of tasks that can still be performed individually and remotely will likely be production work, repetitive work, concentration work, confidential work
• Teams, disciplines or projects should then gather and decide frequency of these F2F meetings, length, number of people attending ad type of setting
• Once every team has done the list, the FM team should organize the weekly schedule of F2F gatherings at the office, ensuring a low number of employees simultaneously
• And adapt the office space to the type of settings teams have defined, where possible

After the first month (or 2 months) there should be a review of what works and what doesn’t and improvements need to be implemented.

In the following 3-6 months the workspaces should keep readapting to the new needs.

Analyzing the tasks and actions that need to take place physically at the office and designing accordingly is what the activity based workplace design trend was all about….and it is still valid!

What do you think about the role of architects and designers in society today? How can architects better communicate their value and help to develop a more human centric, resilient and meaningful built environment?

Now that we have realized that our previous formulas are not fully valid any longer, architects and designer need to start re designing and adapting all our physical spaces.

I suggest starting from the inside out:  from readapting the interiors of our homes, our workspaces, our social spaces….learn from what works and what doesn’t and open the social conversations about the new cultural trends and its impact on the urban design.

What are the most successful marketing strategies at AECOM that help your firm to attract new clients?

This is a cliché, but staying close to them; rethinking strategies with them, providing solutions thinking out the box and suggesting phased and staggered improvements to their projects.

We sit together with the client and communicate much. I would say it is the time for CO CREATION and joined efforts.

Do you think that consulting work is something that architects should explore more especially in the first phases of projects?

ABSOLUTLY.

A first phase of consulting for a designer/architect should be as vital as the first conversations are to a great doctor with his/her patient. They don’t jump into conclusions only by seeing them and the results of their analysis and write a recipe. They ask questions, observe, listen, engage, understand, measure to do the diagnosis. And then provide a solution for their situation that is bespoke and adapted to the specific needs of the patient.

This is what consulting does to a project: it brings you closer to your client and then, together you do CO CREATION. (Futher reading: The Social Reactor)

Design is not applying some recipes or formulas that have proved themselves successful before. Nor is it receiving data and requirements and applying them mathematically. It is all about empathy, knowledge sharing and CO CREATION.

You are the Director of the Master in Strategic Design of Spaces. What are the main skills young designers should learn in your opinion?

Creativity
Observation
Curiosity
Criteria
Empathy
Critical Thinking
Teamwork and collaboration, F2F and remote
CO CREATION
Decision taking
Communication, verbal and illustrative
Prioritization
Trustworthiness
Constant updating of knowledge
Love for arts and Nature: if you follow the rules of nature, you cannot of wrong

What are your thoughts on the future of architecture and the built environment? How can it improve, and what are the major opportunities?

This crisis has provided us with a unique opportunity of going leaner and rethinking what we really need and what already exists. For a while I would like to have teams rethinking the future of our buildings, our cities, our streets, our shopping centers….and how to adapt them to our new, healthier and safer needs.

I believe this is the moment to redesign the existing spaces and buildings and providing them with a more meaningful future, designing resilient spaces, that adapt easily to unforeseen future disruptions and changes.

About Elvira Muñoz

Elvira Muñoz joined DEGW (now, Strategy Plus, a strategic business practice within AECOM) in 1998. And has been leading the Consultancy and Design team since 2000.

With her recent client, Telefonica, she was responsible for the consolidation of five business units involving the move of more than 12,000 employees to a new 150.000 m2 campus. While working with Garrigues, the largest law office in Europe with more than 1,000 lawyers, she managed the consultancy and interior design services for the new headquarters. She is currently leading projects for Cisco Systems in Madrid, PricewaterhouseCoopers and Google.

Elvira Muñoz has been actively involved in the development and implementation of “New Ways of Working”. And also been part of the international team for the European Commission supported research project “SANE”. Sustainable Accommodation for the New Economy, which explores the implications of the distributed workplace.

Elvira Muñoz has worked directly with the Secretary General of Universities of the Spanish Ministry of Education for the last four years. To develop, “Social Spaces for Learning”, demonstrating that interstitial and unprogrammed spaces for meeting are crucial in the university learning experience.

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Here’s a list of some of the world’s most technologically advanced buildings that push the envelope when it comes to responsiveness, well-being, sustainability and construction costs.

The Top 10 Technologically Advanced Buildings:

#1 The Edge by PLP Architecture

Described as the world’s greenest, most intelligent building, Deloitte’s new Amsterdam head office, the Edge, has received the highest sustainability score ever awarded by the British rating agency BREEAM. The building, designed by PLP Architecture, uses technology to achieve an unprecedented level of resource efficiency, but also create a collaborative work environment in tune with its users. Its LED panels pack about 28,000 sensors that track motion, light, temperature and humidity, creating a unique artificial neural network.

Surprisingly, the building comprises only 1,000 desks. The concept of hot desking–using desks only when they’re needed– increases occupancy efficiency and boosts productivity. The rest of the spaces designated for work are informal meeting spaces and lounge areas.

A smartphone app, developed with Deloitte, is connected to the building which directs you to a free parking spot, finds you a free desk and caters to your preference in lighting and temperature.

#2 Taipei 101 Tower by C.Y. Lee & Partners

Named for its 101 floors, Taipei 101 held the record as the world’s highest building for six years after its completion in 2004. Its sustainable construction has also made it the world’s tallest green building. The building received LEED Platinum Certification in 2012 and has some of the most advanced disaster prevention features ever built.

Taiwan is heavily affected by typhoons, which makes building tall buildings a tricky business, to say the least. Massive storms hit the East Asian coastline each year, bringing wind and rainfall strong enough to take down entire buildings. Taipei 101 tackles this with unprecedented inventiveness. The building’s most notable engineering feature is its tuned mass damper. This element functions as a large pendulum that counterbalances the sway of the building by swinging in the opposite way on hydraulically controlled suspension cables. This movement is controlled and reacts precisely to the movement of the building.

#3 Apple Campus 2 –Cupertino- by Foster+Partners

Apple’s new spaceship-shaped campus in Cupertino, California, has been a hot topic of debate in the AEC community ever since the release of its first images. The heavily-publicized project has a ring-shaped layout enveloping a patch of greenery. It is outfitted with solar panels and will be powered mainly by an “on-site low carbon Central Plant”.

Foster+Partners included a 100,000-square-foot fitness center, 300,000 square feet of research and development facilities, and two miles of walkways and running paths for employees, underground parking, as well as an orchard, meadow and pond. The staff can also navigate the campus on bikes, electric golf carts and commuter shuttles. The building will feature the world’s largest panels of curved glass which will limit glare and provide views of the outdoors from any location inside.

The project received some criticism due to its inward-oriented design that reflects Apple’s notorious secrecy. Some critics have called it ““anti-urban, anti-social, and anti-environmental”. As the first images and impressions of the completed building emerge, we are curious to see if the project will fulfill its ambitions.

#4 Bullitt Center by Miller Hull

The Bullitt Center in Seattle features several systems that make it one-of-a-kind and justify its status of the world’s greenest commercial building. A third of the building’s roof is covered in photovoltaic panels that produce around 230,000 kilowatt-hours per year. Rainwater is collected in a 56,000-gallon cistern and reused throughout the building. It features composting toilets and none of the 350 common toxic chemicals, including PVC, lead, mercury and BPA.

All systems are monitored and the real-time measurements of indoor air quality, energy consumption and photovoltaic power production are available to visitors. One of the most prominent features of the building is the fact that these innovative engineering solutions are visible and celebrated through the building’s architectural style.

#5 Powerhouse Kjørbo by Snohetta

Norwegian architecture firm Snohetta undertook a renovation of an existing 1980s building in Bærum, just outside Oslo, and transformed it into the world’s first “energy positive building” (EPB) or “net positive” building. The 200,000 kWh of on-site photovoltaics produce twice as much energy required to meet the needs of the building. According to predictions, the building will generate enough power in the next 60 years to cover the total amount of energy used to manufacture all the building materials, as well the construction, operation and waste disposal. This is something that is often omitted when considering energy efficiency of contemporary buildings that strive for sustainable performance.

#6 Ten Thousand by Handel Architects

Ten Thousand Santa Monica is a 283-unit, 767,240 square-foot residential tower in Los Angeles comprising four crystalline masses topped with a dramatic angled roof. The building offers an amazing array of tech-infused amenities, including a relay delivery robot named CHARLEY programmed to navigate the building, deliver packages, meals, drinks, etc.

Each resident has an iPad mini that features the Ten Thousand app. They can access the main menu and choose the item to be delivered by CHARLEY. Besides providing connection to the delivery robot, the app also integrates a beacon technology system throughout the building that predicts the residents’ needs. The residents can also use the app-based valet system to pay for training sessions, drinks at the bar, reserve private dining rooms and event spaces, request vehicles, and pay rent.

#7 Ng Teng Fong General Hospital by HOK

The Ng Teng Fong General Hospital is a community college science building in Singapore that uses 38% less energy than a typical Singaporean hospital and 69% less than a typical U.S. hospital. Its design, conceived by HOK, is based on passive sustainability principles aided by several active systems that curb its carbon emissions and power consumption. It is rare for buildings of this type to achieve net zero energy.

The hospital also is the first medical campus to combine continuing care from outpatient to post-acute care in Singapore. Its focus on patient well-being was the driving force behind many of its features, including its heavy reliance on natural ventilation and the presence of vegetation throughout the campus.

#8 Bahrain World Trade Center by Atkins

The 50-story Bahrain World Trade Center (BWTC), known as the country’s first ‘intelligent’ building with integrated SMART IT systems, boasts a unique feature – 3 huge wind turbines tying its two sail-shaped volumes together. The 29 meter wind turbines, each supported by a 30-meter bridge spanning between the two towers funnel and accelerate the wind going in-between the sails. The building is the first building in the world to incorporate this type of technology–and at this large a scale– into its design.

The development also incorporates the use of heat recovery systems, variable-volume chilled water pumps, energy efficient fluorescent lighting, solar-powered roads and amenity lighting, as well as reflective pools at the entrances which provide local evaporative cooling.

#9 IBM Watson IoT HQ by Universal Design Studio

IBM’s new headquarters in Munich is the company’s largest investment ever in Europe, and will serve as a research hub for artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things and Blockchain, among other things. The building, designed by Universal Design Studio, will gather software engineers, programmers, architects, designers, cognitive scientists, researchers and clients working together to bring cognitive computing to IoT. Distributed across more than 25 floors, collaborative spaces will be equipped with IoT devices, occupancy sensors, and voice activation automated interfaces.

As one of the most technologically advanced buildings it can automatically adjust temperature and lighting to users’ preferences, and detect free spots which enables hot-desking. Server rooms are left visible to show the technology driving the experiences communicating transparency and openness.

#10 Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center by AECOM

The solar-powered Sacramento Kings’ Golden 1 Center by AECOM is the first arena of its size to use a displacement ventilation system that directs fresh air upward from floor openings under the seating, instead of pumping forced air down into the arena from overhead diffusers. This kind of ventilation allows for cooling only the space around people instead of the entire building, which makes it more efficient and flexible compared to other ventilation systems. This means that the arena maintains stable temperatures at all times and during both hot and cold-weather sporting events. There is no need to pre-cool the building, so the building can host two events on the same day.

Furthermore, the air conditioning can be crowd-sourced, which means that the audience can use an in-game app to mark whether they’re too hot or cold in real time. The arena is the first to receive approval for the use of this kind of technology, and the first LEED Platinum–certified NBA arena expected to curb its carbon emissions by 24 percent compared to its predecessor–the Sleep Train Arena. The structure is powered entirely by a 1.2-megawatt solar array installed on its roof surface, and an 11-megawatt solar farm located 40 miles away.

Which technologically advanced buildings do you know?

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