Knak Group

As we settle into the "new normal", hard research is clearly documenting the benefits of hybrid work. Stanford Professor Nick Bloom details key takeaways:

1) Hybrid WFH 2-days a week has no impact on employee or firm performance. No effect on employee grading, promotions, innovation, development, leadership, lines of code or other business metrics.

2) Hybrid WFH reduced quit rates by one third. Given each quit cost the firm about $20,000, this saved millions a year, making hybrid *very profitable*.

3) Quit rate reductions were largest for female employees, non-managers and those with the longest commutes. In industries struggling with gender diversity - like finance and tech - this is another benefit.

4) Managers pre-experiment estimated hybrid would reduce productivity by -2.6%. After the 6-month experiment they updated this to estimating it *increased* productivity by +1%. Managers discovered hybrid works well :-)

These results explain why hybrid is profitably used by about 80% of US and European companies (Flex Index). Hopefully, the WFH debate will focus on data and science, rather than outdated lockdown WFH anecdotes.

What changes need to be made to accommodate this new reality? Ask your Architect and Interior Designer. They are leading the necessary redesign of workplaces.

Hybrid working has benefits over fully in-person working — the evidence mounts Some employers are backing away from hybrid working, but research suggests that they need not be concerned.

30 years of IIDA excellence! congrats to all!

Triple Gold medals at Neocon for Halcon, a perennial design leader!

On Harvey Milks' birthday, we celebrated with a pre-opening IIDA tour of the new Harvey Milk terminal at San Francisco International Airport. I was in San Francisco when he was killed, and again when our City erupted during the White night riots. Harvey had a profound impact on the world- here's a link to just one small bit of his influence. https://lnkd.in/gJ_FFk83 How fitting that we honor and celebrate his legacy with a bright, beautiful, cutting edge symbol of connection, freedom, and exploration.

Once again, our friends at One Workplace pulled out all the stops to bring the South Bay IIDA community together and raise funds for a great cause. Culinary Academy 2024 was a huge success, with nearly 200 revelers celebrating, and proceeds going to The Creekside School. Congrats to everyone who put this together!

Catching up with Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang after a talk she led at Salone in Milan. Yes, she has an office in SF (and Paris and NYC and Chicago) but it’s more fun to connect here! 😉

Thanks Halcon! What a treat to host the best of Northern California in Milan for Salone!

This is a a thoughtful and optimistic summary of a transformed workplace, as we emerge from a period of unprecedented change.

The Case for Office Space: Workplace Trends for Employee-Centric Offices Emerging workplace trends suggest that companies are expanding their real estate footprint to create more relevant and versatile offices to support today’s workforce.

If you're heading to Milan for Salone, (April 16-21) let me know- fresh designs everywhere, always inspiring! https://www.salonemilano.it/en

Happiest of Holidays from all of us at Knak Group

Interesting choices! Your favorite?

From Doom Loop to Boom Loop!

You'll find several past posts from me about the folly of writing off San Francisco and underestimating the brilliant minds that gave us the tools to work from home during the pandemic in the first place. Naysayers are already hedging their doom-loop rhetoric as our region continues to attract an enormous critical mass of artificial intelligence horsepower, which will lead to another profound shift in how we live, work, and play.

In our new, post pandemic world, San Francisco's downtown is rapidly restructuring, re-inventing, and recapitalizing itself. Granted, there will be some painful adjustments for the next couple years, and our massive vacancy rate will take a while to correct. Nevertheless, I remember when Google, Facebook, Apple and Amazon were small startups with handfuls of employees, and the platform this post resides on had not been hatched. As this decade matures, San Francisco will continue to lead the the way forward in providing unimaginable leaps in productivity and quality of life. If any City is capable of inventing solutions to address homelessness, poverty, and a host of other issues afflicting the human condition, it's San Francisco. We're just getting started. Still not convinced? Watch this, for a recap on what we've already done. Then get ready for the next boom. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lg7ljrJK7co

Halcon - Optic

Curved table shapes enhance sight-lines, allowing in-person and remote participants tp enjoy a more equitable Hybrid meeting experience.

Leap Sandcastle 2023!

When our industry bands together behind a common cause, we can do amazing things. On Saturday October 28th, around 4000 people gathered at Ocean Beach, for the 41st annual Leap Sandcastle Competition, intent on supporting arts education in our schools. There were 21 teams on site, and each was interviewed briefly. If your firm was a part in the festivities, click on image below.
Thank you!

Team Killer Pios
Cahill Contractors BAR Architects & Interiors Leonard R. Flynn Elementary School

Team Quiring General
https://www.quiring.com/
SVA Architects
SPRING VALLEY SCIENCE SCHOOL

Team Mall of the Dead
The Whiting-Turner Contracting Company
Stantec
Clarendon Elementary

Team Frankensand's Army
BCCI Construction
HMC Architects
https://garfieldelementarysf.org/

Team Dragon's Lair
SmithGroup
DPR Construction
https://www.ratcliffarch.com/
Alice Fong Yu Alternative School

Team Shells and Spells
Architectural Resources Group
Pullman Construction LLC
https://www.sfusd.edu/school/john-yehall-chin-elementary-school

Team Haunted Kings
HNTB
https://www.vanir.com/region/california/
https://www.starrkingschool.org/

Team Flad XL Construction
XL Construction
Flad Architects
Chinese Immersion School https://explore.cais.org/

Team Sandy Eagles
Dome ConstructionConstruction
Gensler
Arup https://www.arup.com/offices/united-states-of-america/san-francisco
George R Moscone Elementary School

Team Creative Dragons
Swinerton
Mithun Architects http://mithun.com/people/about-us/mithun-san-francisco/
New Traditions Elementary School

Team Ghost Builders
Build Group, Inc.
BDE Architects https://bdearch.com/
De Marillac Academy

Team Creepin' it Real
Woods Bagot
Hathaway Dinwiddie Construction Company
Central Elementary School https://central.brssd.org/

Team Ghoul School
Level 10 ConstructionConstruction
KSH Architects https://www.ksha.com/
TenderloinCommunityElementarySchool
https://www.sfusd.edu/school/tenderloin-community-elementary-school

Team Jefferson Pirateship
LPA Design Studios
NOVO ConstructionConstruction
One Workplace Workplace
Jefferson Elementary https://www.sfusd.edu/school/jefferson-elementary-school

Team Parnastronauts
HDR https://www.hdrinc.com/locations/US/California/San%20Francisco
Quezada https://www.qa-us.com/
The Boldt Company https://www.boldt.com/
Rosa Parks Elementary School https://www.sfusd.edu/school/rosa-parks-elementary-school

Team Castle Trolls
Nibbi Brothers General ContractorsBrothers
Lms Architects
Malcolm X Academy https://www.sfusd.edu/school/malcolm-x-academy-elementary-school

Team Sandcastlers
Perkins + Will https://perkinswill.com/studio/san-francisco/
Taylor Design
Turner Construction Company
Lafayette Elementary https://www.sfusd.edu/school/lafayette-elementary-school

Team Sand Pandas
Bernards https://www.bernards.com/
Perkins EastmanEastman
Gordon J. Lau Elementary Schooll

This financial services firm wanted an elegant, understated, and timeless solution for their new office in San Francisco. Mission accomplished, thank you Huntsman, Halcon and Two!

The first time i set foot in this firms' office, i realized they were transforming space in a way i'd never seen before.

Nice to see them get recognized!

modOffice / Shadow Ceiling | AIA Silicon Valley modOffice / Shadow Ceiling. I love shadows. The poetry created from the dancing and dappling of filtered and obstructed light throughout the day brings a peacefulness and calmness. AIA Silicon Valley

Our community gathered for a festive celebration- this IIDA event brought together our future- many SJSU students, as well as designers from across the region. What a wonderful gathering of friends!

Don't miss this new Mckinsey study, "Empty Spaces and Hybrid Places". San Francisco exemplifies the extreme of these trends, but existential changes are impacting most North American cities.

Empty spaces and hybrid places: The pandemic’s lasting impact on real estate In this McKinsey study, we look at how the pandemic has affected the real estate market in the world’s biggest cities and what we can expect to see next.

This Earth Day, check out www.pbd.org and make a difference.

Every industry conference has a different vibe; NeoCon has been buttoned down in recent years, with a "we survived covid" (and Trump?) mantra, and a North American influence with Asian overtones. Orgatec was even more serious (and less inspirational) in October of 2022- with a formal European bent that shouted "we survived covid and now there's an enormous, dangerous war going on just down the road". But Salone' in Milan seems intent on throwing caution to the wind, inspiring and reinvigorating the entire world of design, and doing it in less than a week. Every nook and cranny of the city is alive, with displays, exhibits, open-houses, interactive events, shows, celebrations, openings, un-ending "first-evers". Leave it to the Italians to host a care-free celebration, in the face of a fierce battle just a couple hours by air away. Leave it to the Lombardy region to bid farewell to the memory of the devastation of an early, terrifying, and horrific Covid experience. It is time to celebrate design, and no one does it better than the Italians. Even better, the focus is global, not local or regional. The excitement is palpable and genuine. This is the first year since before Covid that Salone' is back on it's April schedule, and they have pulled out all the stops. I spent day 1 at some of the citywide events, and was reminded that if i never slept this week, i would still only catch a fraction of the celebration that is Salone'. The activities engage our youth in large numbers- with parties, concerts, lectures, and gatherings on countless streets across the metro area- an experience that happens ONLY in Milan. Twenty Nine major universities participate in Salone, cultivating the next generation of design. I can finally say, the future looks bright. Hats off to Milan, Italy, and the Salone' organizers!

Sometimes we need to be reminded of the amazing and inspiring spaces our community creates. Mission accomplished, Nvidia!

Knak Group updated their phone number.

A festive gathering atop the new San Francisco Conservatory of Music, with the Architect sharing details of this amazing new facility

👉 Join us at Design San Franscisco 2023!

The San Francisco Design Center is showcasing some award-winning, patented breakthrough products from Europe and North America.

Come and see for yourself the remarkable products that demonstrate how we can provide flexibility to the spaces where work is conducted, whether it’s at home or in a downtown office.

📅 Tuesday March 7th and Thursday March 9th, 2023

📍 At the San Francisco Design Center, 101 Henry Adams Street, Suite 101 and our temporary exhibit space in Suite 376.

Will you miss this unique opportunity?

Join us next week!

Join us at Design San Francisco 2023 The Future Of Work! You're invited- Tuesday March 7th and Thursday March 9th, 2023, with a discussion led by Alistair Simpson, at 2pm both days, at the San Francisco Design Center, 101 Henry Adams Street, Suite 101 and our temporary exhibit space in Suite 376. We learned during the pandemic that pro...