Insights from verto360
Aligning Vision & Reality
Andrew Lutowicz, President, Verto360
June 11, 2025
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to spend a few weeks connecting with architects and designers who specialize in office spaces, and catch up on some reading. Since then, I’ve been reflecting on what I heard and read - and with summer upon us, I wanted to share the Coles Notes in case they’re helpful as you consider a renewed approach.
- Office design is constantly evolving - you’re never “done” with your space. The future is, and should always be, in BETA.
- The demise of the cubicle has finally arrived and HALLELUJIAH! It’s about time we pitched this 50-year-old relic.
- Hybrid work models, employee well-being and sustainability are taking centre stage. Where have I heard that before?
- The industrial aesthetic that was pitched as the answer to our days of confinement in a cubicle farm is also quickly becoming outdated and a thing of the past. Amen!
- Circular design and solutions are being considered and adopted, going hand in hand with sustainability and extending beyond just materials, to support energy efficiency, waste reduction and reconfiguration.
- Manufacturers are finally starting to catch on that you can’t build one-size-fits-all spaces or widgets and expect people to be satisfied long-term.
- As needs change, the ability to adapt and reconfigure is key. The best environments will be designed for continuous evolution and change. This takeaway is perhaps my favourite!
Of course, some of this we’ve heard before, and isn’t particularly shocking. However, like many things, meaningful change takes time. Progress doesn’t happen overnight and first attempts don’t always succeed. This is where I see the problem - as a problem of alignment.
In the simplest terms, if the architect or designer’s vision doesn’t align with the client’s budget, the materials available, or the realities of what a general contractor and their trades can build, then their ideas won’t truly come to fruition. And as the old saying goes, the designer designed a racehorse for the client, and after all the machinations of building, value engineering and compromise, the general contractor handed over a camel.
Based on these Coles Notes, here’s what I think needs to happen to bring what people want into alignment with the likelihood of actually building it:
- Paradigm Shift: there needs to be a paradigm shift in designing and specifying with single-use materials. You can’t build an office environment that’s equipped for constant evolution by using traditional materials and techniques. Period.
- Transparent Bidding Process: the bidding process is a waste of time and money for everyone involved, and it’s taking way too long. Not to mention, it doesn’t address the atrocious amounts of waste in construction - meaning it doesn’t truly and sincerely support sustainability. Prequalifying products and solutions as the basis of design during this phase could speed up the process and make it more efficient.
- Future-Proofing: your office environment needs to be in BETA at all times. We have the tools and technology to do this, but we’ve been making a continued choice not to use them.
- Real Sustainability: I hate to be the one to say this, but much of what has passed for sustainability is simply green-washing. Recycling is just another way of saying. “We didn’t get it right the last time.” So let’s do more than just recycle. A prefabricated approach is sustainable in its very essence, methodologies, materials, waste and reporting. It’s time to challenge the status quo and redefine sustainability in the context of construction.
- Redefining Modularity: manufacturers have sold modularity as meaning custom - but it’s really not custom in the way we may think it is. Modularity means you can pick from a collection of small, medium or large, or a limitation of the antiquated assembly line manufacturing process we’re familiar with. With a modular or prefabricated approach, you don’t have to settle on any size, colour or finish other than the one you need. And that’s what makes it truly custom - you can select only what you need. It’s time for manufacturers to get on board with true customization. They can do it, and they can do it very efficiently if they choose.
The good news is, all of the above is possible via one simple decision - to embrace a systems-based, prefabricated approach. And when you work with Verto360, we’re there to partner with you every step of the way.
If you’re ready to find alignment and build it better, get in touch.