在如此多的变化之中，领导者们意识到很重要 的一点，那就是他们的工作场所需要从根本上 改变，以满足不同于过去的需求。然而，究竟 该做些什么或什么时候做，他们却并没有概念。 员工希望获得更好的体验，但所谓“更好的体 验”太过笼统，难以定义。
我们为什么需要社区生活圈型设计？
如何实现社区生活圈型设计？
It’s difficult to shift our mindset about offices because we’ve basically done the same thing for over a century. Office design has mostly been about getting things done quickly and efficiently — set up to speed the flow of work.
In Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam told us how people are growing apart. His research found we have become increasingly disconnected: We don’t always live in the same community as our family, join clubs or know our neighbors as much anymore. Work is one of the few places where diverse groups of people come together to solve common problems, he noted.
“Community-Based Design is a more human-centered approach that emphasizes inclusion in the process and understanding how people really work,” says Meg Bennett, Steelcase global design principal. “Great cities are a source of inspiration for how to design workplaces that build a sense of community.”
Drawing from the diverse places within great cities, Community-Based Design translates those ideas into the workplace: Like a bustling city center that draws people together. Team neighborhoods where people live and work everyday. Business districts where you can generate new ideas and solve problems. Universities and libraries where people learn. And parks or plazas where people go to relax and find respite. All of these places meet multiple needs: they compliment each other, give people choices about where they can do their best work, and support all the different things they do throughout the day.
“People need to feel like they have control over where, when and how they connect with others,” says Libby Sander, professor of organizational behavior at Bond University in Queensland, Australia. Her research confirmed a link between lack of control over the work environment and physical stress markers like heart rate.
Community-Based Design was developed by Steelcase global researchers and designers beginning over two decades ago, drawing on the work of thought leaders like Jacobs and others who study the impact of place on human behavior. Originally conceived in the 2000s, it pushed back against the prevailing linear planning of cubicles and introduced the idea of diverse spaces arranged in patterns to spark more interaction. This approach and methodology evolved as work, technology and expectations changed. Now it addresses the rapid changes brought on by new patterns of behavior in the workplace: living on screen, the AI supercycle, building a culture to support increasing sustainability goals, and the urgent need to support mental health and wellbeing at work.
“Community-Based Design is more than a metaphor. It’s grounded in research,” explains Bennett. “When we identify patterns of behavior, we can design spaces to support how individuals and teams actually work. We can integrate points of connection, create choices for individual work, and use design to nudge people toward new behaviors that help them feel and work better.”
Bennett notes that this approach is different from ways of planning that focus on hierarchy, efficiency and standardization. “It goes beyond designing a workplace that is efficient and effective. It’s about designing for experiences that foster connection and engagement — how the space affects people. And it considers the unique needs of wellbeing — the mental, physical and emotional health of individuals and teams. That’s how you build community at work.”
而社区 生活圈型设计可两者兼顾。
“社区生活圈型设计是一种更加人性化的方法，强 调让员工参与设计过程并了解他们的实际工作方 式。”Steelcase 全球设计负责人 Meg Bennett 说道。“我们从繁荣的大城市中汲取灵感，来设 计能够培养社区意识的工作场所。”
社区生活圈型设计从大城市的多元化场所汲取灵 感，并将其应用到工作场所中：就像一个人群聚 集的市中心，有各种各样的社区，方便人们工作 和生活⸺商务区，在那里人们可以产生各种新 的想法并解决问题；大学和图书馆，供人们学 习；还有公园或广场，供人们放松身心，在忙碌 的生活中得到一丝喘息。所有这些场所都满足了 多重需求：它们互为补充，让人们能够选择在哪 里可以更好地工作，并为他们每天进行的各种活 动提供支持。
社区生活圈型设计是由 Steelcase 全球研究 员和设计师们从二十多年前开始开发的，借鉴了 Jacobs 等思想领袖以及其他人员在“场所对人 类行为的影响”方面的研究成果。这一设计最 初构思于 21 世纪初，推翻了当时流行的隔间线 性规划，引入了按不同模式排列多样化空间的想 法，旨在激发更多的人际互动。这种方法随着工 作方式、科技和期望的变化而逐渐演变。现在， 这一设计解决了新行为模式给工作场所带来的 快速变化：活在屏幕里、AI 超级周期、构建支 持日益增长的可持续发展目标的企业文化，以及 关注人们在工作中的心理健康和幸福感的迫切 需求。
“社区生活圈型设计并不仅仅是一种比喻，而是 有研究结果支撑的。”Bennett 解释道。“当我 们确定了行为模式后，我们便可以通过设计不同 的空间来为个人和团队的实际工作方式提供支 持。我们可以整合连接点，给每个人创造可选 择的办公空间，并通过设计来推动人们向新行为 转变，帮助他们获得更好的感受和更高的工作 效率。”
《办公设计 (Designs for Working)》 （《纽约客 (The New Yorker)》 2000 年 12 月刊）
了解： 首先要让社区成员⸺包括员工和领导 者在内的多元化群体⸺参与进来，以深入了 解人们的实际工作方式。与包容性设计原则 一样，即“联合设计代替针对性设计”，需要 拥有不同生活经历的人来共同打造一个适用 于各种能力、偏好和工作经验的工作环境。 由于各组织机构对办公室的使用方式和时间 有着不同的看法，因此了解出勤和出行方式 也很重要。
设计：核心原则是打造各种类型的多功能空 间，以支持人们的所有工作方式。设计应包 含五个不同的区域或“工作区”，其灵感来 自繁荣城市的构成元素。了解人们在办公室 的频率、所做的工作类型及其喜欢的工作方 式，这将影响到每个区域的设计选择，包括 指定工作站或共享工作站的数量、个人空间 与协作空间的比例、技术要求等。
评估： 定期评估有助于工作场所的发展和适 应变化。虽然评估效率和功能性很重要，但 检查工作场所的体验感也同样有所助益⸺即 给人们什么样的感觉。当人们感受到与他人 有良好的情感连接和归属感时，就会产生强 烈的社区意识。
It’s difficult to shift our mindset about offices because we’ve basically done the same thing for over a century. Office design has mostly been about getting things done quickly and efficiently — set up to speed the flow of work.
Even the open-office plans that emerged in the mid-20th century, and the rows of tightly packed benches that followed, missed the mark because they followed a “one-size-fits-all” approach that didn’t meet the complex needs of modern organizations or people who wanted to be treated like human beings. But when so much is changing, it’s human nature to cling to what we know and understand. Today, leading organizations are recognizing the need for a more human-centered approach. But how do we get there?
In Bowling Alone, author Robert Putnam told us how people are growing apart. His research found we have become increasingly disconnected: We don’t always live in the same community as our family, join clubs or know our neighbors as much anymore. Work is one of the few places where diverse groups of people come together to solve common problems, he noted.
她极力与当时想要分裂社区的城市规划“权 力掮客”作抗争。她主张混合用途开发，加入不 同类型的空间，使邻里关系更加紧密⸺她认 为，人与人之间的物理距离越远，社交距离也 就越远。她在其具有开创性的著作⸺《美国大 城市的死与生 (The Death and Life of Great American Cities)》中描述了帮助人们建立联系的 重要路径以及令人愉悦的丰富空间。她在书中写 道：“枯燥乏味的城市已经为自己埋下毁灭的 种子。但充满活力、多样性和热烈的城市却会 自我孕育出重生的希望。”
Malcolm Gladwell 也写到了 Jacob 的作品以及 在社区内营造社区意识的重要性。除此之外， 他还进一步建议组织机构应该效仿打造活力城 市的方法来打造工作场所。他写道：“社区与 办公室之间有着惊人的相似。归根结底，打造 有助于培养创造力和新发现的、充满活力的多 样化空间，其直接受益者就是雇主。”
人与人之间的物理距离越远，社交距离也 就越远。寻求适当的平衡，既要让人们相互靠近， 便于建立紧密的联系，又不能让他们感到拥挤。
在办公室布局中融入不同类型的空间和 不同模式。千篇一律的方法可能会让工作场所显 得单调乏味。
缩短空间之间的连接区域在视觉上更 有趣。如果各空间之间的距离较远，那么就要设 法把连接区域拆分开，鼓励人们在中途停下来或 进行互动。
打造自然的聚集空间，如咖 啡馆、长椅或小花园，让人们到户外放松身心， 建立人际关系。
当一个区域融合了各种不同的功能时， 城市会更有活力。住宅、零售、商业以及公园等 公共空间融合在一起，会带来更多的社交活动， 让这个地方变得更加便利，更显得生机勃勃。
来自社区居民的本地经验比外部“专 家”的意见更有价值。
“Community-Based Design is a more human-centered approach that emphasizes inclusion in the process and understanding how people really work,” says Meg Bennett, Steelcase global design principal. “Great cities are a source of inspiration for how to design workplaces that build a sense of community.”
Drawing from the diverse places within great cities, Community-Based Design translates those ideas into the workplace: Like a bustling city center that draws people together. Team neighborhoods where people live and work everyday. Business districts where you can generate new ideas and solve problems. Universities and libraries where people learn. And parks or plazas where people go to relax and find respite. All of these places meet multiple needs: they compliment each other, give people choices about where they can do their best work, and support all the different things they do throughout the day.
“People need to feel like they have control over where, when and how they connect with others,” says Libby Sander, professor of organizational behavior at Bond University in Queensland, Australia. Her research confirmed a link between lack of control over the work environment and physical stress markers like heart rate.
Providing a diverse range of spaces like those found in thriving cities gives people more control, which reduces stress, notes Sander.
“Community-Based Design is more than a metaphor. It’s grounded in research,” explains Bennett. “When we identify patterns of behavior, we can design spaces to support how individuals and teams actually work. We can integrate points of connection, create choices for individual work, and use design to nudge people toward new behaviors that help them feel and work better.”
Bennett notes that this approach is different from ways of planning that focus on hierarchy, efficiency and standardization. “It goes beyond designing a workplace that is efficient and effective. It’s about designing for experiences that foster connection and engagement — how the space affects people. And it considers the unique needs of wellbeing — the mental, physical and emotional health of individuals and teams. That’s how you build community at work.”
Malcolm Gladwell also wrote about Jacob’s work and the importance of building a sense of community within the communities where we live. But he went further, suggesting organizations should model workplaces after vibrant cities. “The parallels between neighborhoods and offices are striking,” he wrote. “Who, after all, has a direct interest in creating diverse, vital spaces that foster creativity and serendipity? Employers do.”
Gladwell’s story Designs for Working appeared in the New Yorker in December 2000. It reported on a new approach to workplace design developed by Steelcase, which was based on the same principles used to create thriving communities. This approach is even more relevant today.
工作场
所 社区
每个区域都是针对一种主要的工作模
式而创建，但像一个充满活力的城
市一样，它又包含了不同的区域，让
人们可以在不同类型的活动之间轻松
转换。
在较小的办公室，每种类型的区域可能 只有一个，专为满足员工的需求及其工 作流程而量身定制。
大型组织机构的区域可能分布在多个楼层， 区域的大小、相邻区域和数量根据团队需求 而定。应考虑将特定元素布置在统一的位置 上，以方便员工快速熟悉和找到所需地点。
人们的很多工作都是在所属社区完成的。该空间可用于个人和团 队工作以及社交、协作和休息。它为专注工作或团队工作提供了 不同程度的私密性和自主权，并为团队提供了所需的灵活性，使 空间能够服务于他们的工作流程。这一积极的工作环境包括一系 列个人空间，让人们可以自主掌控自己的隐私和舒适度，此外还 有团队空间，让人们可以轻松快速地与同事进行一对一或小组交 流，分享工作进度。
工作场所由多个生活街区组成，每个社区都通过独特的设计来满 足所在团队的特定需求。员工在办公室工作的频率高低将影响到 生活街区的设计。例如，如果大多数人大部分时间都在办公室， 那么社区可能需要更多自有工作站，并配备员工工作所需的工 具和设备。如果员工在办公室工作的频率较低，那么带有更多个 人和协作空间或社交空间的共享工作站可能是更好的解决方案。
灵活的家具陈设和集成式设 备使身在房间里的人以及远程参与者能够更轻松、更平等地建立 联系，并充分参与协作。旁边的安静空间或专注办公空间，如小 隔间，使人们能够轻松地在小组工作和个人工作之间切换⸺这对 于会议前后及期间的高效协作和活动至关重要。
如果组织机构不吸取城市规划的经验教训，就 有可能创造出“枯燥乏味”的工作场所。社区 生活圈型设计为打造充满活力、启发性、能适 应变化的工作场所以及构建繁荣的工作场所社 区提供了解决方案。
Vibrant communities help people and organizations thrive. Jane Jacobs warned cities become “dull and inert” when they’re not designed to truly meet the needs of the people who live there – essentially becoming ghost towns. “But lively, diverse, intense cities contain the seeds of their own regeneration,” she stated.