Summary
In the evolving landscape of work, hybrid models have reshaped the traditional office paradigm. As we navigate a new era where office occupancy rates are declining due to an increase in hybrid working arrangements, the importance of physical office space is being reevaluated, adding layers of complexity to the performance of building and energy systems, and also affecting transportation systems. This shift influences not only tangible and practical aspects but also psychological and social outcomes, with hybrid working altering the patterns of interactions and collaboration among members of organizations.This work seeks to explore and optimize the trade-off between workplace interactions, energy and spatial efficiency, and employee well-being in the context of the evolving landscape of hybrid work. Objectives, needs, and constraints will be defined in collaboration with Fribourg companies and organizations, which will also help us collect data on workplace behavior and interactions, building space use, and commuting practices.
Through multi-objective optimization, we aim to develop a decision-support framework that provides actionable recommendations for optimizing office occupancy dynamics. This will not only promote environmental sustainability and reduce commuting costs but also ensure that essential social interactions and organizational processes are preserved, thus maintaining high levels of employee satisfaction. The ultimate goal is to develop an optimization-based tool that aids in tailoring building operations and remote working policies to effectively meet socio-organizational and environmental goals across Switzerland.
General information
Project Lead: Andrew Sonta, Michel Bierlaire, Nikolas Geroliminis
Project Team: Giovanna Pilot, Evangelos Paschalidis, Pavel Ilinov, Zhenyu Yang, Georg Anagnostopoulos, Minru Wang
Fribourg Partners: BFF SA, SMG Swiss Marketplace Group, Groupe E SA, Siemens Suisse SA