As Yuval Noah Harari, author of A Brief History of the Future, said, "For the world of the future, the biggest constant is change." In today's fast-changing era, change is not just a challenge. It’s an opportunity for renewal and new chances. Lifestyles and needs are undergoing rapid transformation; the pursuit of a healthy life, a work-life balance, healing, and healthy spaces have become basic demands of ordinary people.
In the context of the workplace, the concept of a distributed workforce as a form of "operational agility" has gained significant momentum in recent years. This model enables organizations to leverage talent from diverse cultural backgrounds and time zones, fostering innovation and creativity. Characterized by individuals collaborating remotely from diverse locations, distributed teams offer an outstanding advantage for organizations seeking agility, resilience, and efficiency in today's competitive environment, making this one of the preferred models for the future of work.
Application of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) principles to the design concept is also undoubtedly a must for the meaningful future of work. Diversity in the workplace is not just a feel-good buzzword; it's the strategic inclusion of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, cultures, and abilities.
Along with the rise of environmental consciousness, there is a growing demand for safety, sustainability, wellness, and smart and contactless technologies in the workplace. Protecting against climate change has become a new employee benefit, which means that designers must have a sharper sense of environmentally friendly design. We hope to create a workspace that can adapt to embrace social change while balancing the sustainable development needs of the next generation with the imperatives of nature.
For older people particularly, subjected to the health pressures of urban life, there is more and more concern for the well-being of both body and mind, generating a richness in spirit and life with a sense of well-being. At present, the supply of healthy residential areas and apartments in China cannot meet the needs of elderly people; Generation Z and millennials pay more attention to health, sleep, nutrition, fitness, and psychological health design and services than the older generation. The continuous release of national policies and the needs of the health care industry have prompted more and more existing properties to be turned into elderly care facilities, creating unprecedented development opportunities in this sector.
The Design for Wellbeing Conference will explore how to build livable lifestyles and shape a harmonious new ecology of livability in the ever-changing environment. The three-day conference will cover a range of issues, from flexible workplace layouts to comfortable experiences that incorporate natural elements; from intelligent workplace equipment to humanized designs that create a sense of well-being; and from healthcare-integrated urban community programs to recreational and wellness spaces for spiritual healing. Prestigious experts from the fields of architecture, design, real estate, healthcare, furniture, and materials will gather and discuss how to create a new workplace ecology of harmonizing space and reshaping the relationship between people and the environment through a design lens. Meanwhile, numerous well-known workplace and healthcare brands and service companies will display their latest products and cutting-edge solutions.
Join us to explore more possibilities for healthy living and define new ways of harmonizing living!
Design Shanghai Conference Team