In the future the way that we communicate and do business going to change dramatically - so much so that I don't even want to attempt to predict anything, because I'll either overshoot it (ei. hoverboards and timetravel) or undershoot it (mp3 CDs rather than mp3 players).
But in a valiant attempt at predicting trends, I can see the rise of social media and opinionated expressions continuing way into the future in that EVERYONE will want a say in EVERYTHING. This is definitely something that the new Brisbane will need to accommodate, and possibly benefit from. In using (the future's equivalent) of social media, the public can comment on what they hate/love/want from Brisbane, which is relayed back to the Big 5, and within my architectural program, people will work on making these changes.
But personal expression will also be evident in the individual workspace - people have always loved personalising their office environments: putting up photos of their families, funny/inspiring posters on their walls, introducing a pot plant, etc. Due to the transient and flexible nature of the future workspace, it may not be feasible for people to introduce physical personal items, and with the popular rise in sites like Pinterest, people are turning to digital media for inspiration/personal expression.
So why not integrate this desire for personalisation and inspiration with the future workspace, with each work station displaying its own active pinboard - allowing people to see what you're working on, who you are, and what inspires you. Alternatively, people may wish to use this board to transport themselves to another world, using this surface as a window or blank canvas.
But in with the future of work environments heading into social integration and collaboration, activities and tasks will need to be grouped, and people may end up stuck in the same work circles, not interacting with people from contrasting sectors. This is where the social breakout spaces (lunch rooms/relaxation zones) will be imperative. These spaces will allow people with nothing in common to interact and inevitably inspire each other.
(Back to Google again!) - in Google cafeterias, the distance between tables is reduced so that more people bump into each other and spark up conversation; lines are measured so that they are long enough to encourage interaction, but not long enough to make people become impatient and move away.
Sociometric Solutions did research that shows that larger tables in eating areas make workers happier and more productive, providing more opportunity for collaboration and the swapping of information. Even allowing everyone to have lunch at the same time can improve moral by 25%! With people to talk (and vent) to during their lunch break, people feel refreshed and happy when they return to their desks, making them more productive (and less resentful).
In one of the previous TEDtalks, Stephen Johnson talked about how an "idea is a network", with the greatest ideas being formed by using others as a sound board, working on slow hunches by talking them out and connecting ideas. This sort of interaction needs to be encouraged at and away from the desk.
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