Low Rise: A workplace reimagined

In our previous blog, we explored how the gleam and glamour of high-rise residences and offices may be less relevant today than they were back then. While the view from the top might be enticing, low-rise living still has a place in society.

“The job of buildings is to improve human relations: architecture must ease them, not to make them worse,” remarked Ralph Erskine, a British architect and planner. This is an ode to the role architecture plays in our lives and work – it has the power to impact the emotions of its inhabitants, whether positive or negative. To that end, architecture and developments must, in a way, improve our living or quality of life.

This speaks to the redevelopment of The Five.

While the surrounding Damansara Heights CBD has developed and evolved, the people at Selangor Properties Sdn Bhd (SPSB) recognised the value of establishing a place of work and community in the cluster of 5 low-rise buildings.

With the revitalisation, two blocks (The 5th Place and Block E) have been reinvented and remodelled to become retail buildings, while the remaining three blocks (Blocks B, C and D) continue their purpose as low-rise office buildings.

A place of work in an oasis in density

There is much to be said about low-rise living and how it provides a respite from the already frenetic pace of people's everyday lives.

At The Five, you will discover how low-rise living provides gives a sense of ease and takes away the pressure of working in high-rise workplaces. Working in a low-rise building keeps people grounded and connected to the neighbourhood as people are connected to everyday destinations such as markets, parks and dining places. If employees need a break from work they can easily leave their office to get a breather by enjoying some fresh air.

For individuals who value a more balanced and environmentally friendly office, The Five's compound features a carefully cultivated natural landscape that provides tranquillity. It can enhance the employees’ well-being by reestablishing their connection to nature. The greenery also permits a milder climate where workers can stroll comfortably in between work.

Convenience and community are found in the holistically curated tenant selections of The Five. To illustrate, workers can visit Qra for their grab-and-go lunches or after-work grocery shopping. If they are looking for an early morning yoga flow or a post-work sweat session before returning home, The Flow yoga and pilates studio provide rejuvenation. Not forgetting the range of food alternatives at The Five encourages employees to dine or work outside of their workplace.

Reimagine your workplace at The Five

Aside from the surroundings at The Five which provide a revitalising environment for its community, the inside space of your workplace also plays a role. There is just something to be said about a space's transforming power and the powerful effect that office space planning has on performance and purpose.

Offices have developed dramatically over time, from factory-like office floors in the early twentieth century to the cubicle-bound corporate world to our current era of the flexible workplace and open floor layouts. So, when creating your workplace, consider what makes working in an office more appealing by incorporating interactive office space design with customisable interior layouts that minimise the division between coworkers.

But take a step further and go beyond the usual fit-out of collaborative spaces, and incorporate a multi-use strategy into your office space planning so that employees may switch between uses with ease. Not forgetting, having a synchronisation between analogue working and digital workspace in your office plan is excellent, keeping in mind the hordes of virtual calls for cooperation and external meetings.

Fret not, the large tenancy space available at The Five makes this possible. The internal layout of The Five's office blocks ranges from one unit at 2,000 square feet to the entire floor at 8,000 square feet. Each space is move-in-ready while remaining customizable for new occupants, giving them a chance to create their own modern/state-of-the-art styled office.

Beyond modular workplace design, your office space should support seamless transitions for employees between in-person and at-home work. This will enable employees to choose the location that best satisfies their own practical demands and personal well-being. The onset of the pandemic caused a significant shift as people realised they could work more effectively in varied settings, whether they are working from home or an office. Herein lies the challenge of designing an office space that supports employee performance.

Martin Henn, the managing director and head of design at HENN, predicts that employees will thrive when their workplace is more integrated with the local community. With this in mind, work is no longer insulated. The characteristics of previous office space planning, where the work era was physically and mentally separated from its immediate surroundings, are no longer functional. Undoubtedly, the epidemic has demonstrated that as long as there is internet connectivity, we can work from anywhere.

Therefore, for employees to engage in the urban life around them, office owners and employers must find new ways to negotiate the link between the private workplace and the public sphere. At The Five, employees can find a non-insulated working environment. For instance, several casual dining establishments in The Five offer a setting for employees to work outside the workplace while still being close.

As the pandemic subsides and we enter the endemic phase, there is no one-size-fits-all method when returning to work. What the pandemic has left us with is a new perspective of how we live and work. People now seek experiences and enrichment in their daily lives, and what better way to encourage that than build and provide an office space where people can work with purpose?

If you want to reinvent your office, look no further than The Five, an oasis in density. For more information, contact our team at 012 633 6375 or visit www.thefive.com.my.