Whether we are passionate about our work or just want to earn a living; whether we work for ourselves or for someone we’ll never meet; whether we work with our hands, our heart, or our mind; whether we work sitting down, standing up, inside, outside, during the day, at night, in a business suit or in a boiler suit: work plays a central role in all our lives.

In France, the service sector now accounts for more than 76% of jobs, compared to just 40% in the early 1960s. Agriculture and industry mechanized, then automated. Construction is likely to become automated in the future. New professions appear every day, and others disappear. Work environments and spaces are constantly changing, but for the last century one has stood out: the office. Whether they’re large or small, open or closed, private or shared, Flex-office style or straight out of a Terrv Gilliam film, offices are our everyday reality.

Currently, only 40% of time spent in these spaces is dedicated to effective and efficient work. In fact, productivity, optimization and creativity are no longer the sole factors driving companies. Thanks to the consumerization of work, the office must be a source of inspiration. To compete, it has to be attractive. Workers, whether salaried or self-employed, want these spaces to be more fun, more welcoming and more customizable. The boundary between workspaces and living spaces is becoming blurred, and offices increasingly resemble homes.

How will this space, traditionally called an office, change in the coming decades? Beyond the pretenses and strategies of employer marketing in the short term, how can we rethink this space so that it genuinely allows everyone flourish professionally? Is it a question of use? Functionality? Scale? Interaction? Location? Atmosphere? Design? Ecology?

Each team will need to think about the near or distant future and develop a project which uses the tools of architecture, urban planning, design, concept creation, or any other relevant field to respond to the questions above. The project can be presented in any format (designs, cross-sections, elevation views, collages, comic strips, paintings, drawings, etc.).

The project can tackle any issue (or several issues), but it must address the question of the office. The project can also be on any scale. It can extend to an entire city or concentrate on a single piece of furniture.