How can an organization empower employees to be autonomous, provide the best services for customers and clients, accommodate existing seating, all while making the workplace more efficient? Gensler spent the past three years trying to find the answer. Recently Google Cloud announced a new real estate strategy that shows just how difficult it is to balance priorities. They achieved efficiency and retained assigned seating, albeit with seatmates. Engineers are unhappy with associated assigned days in the office. In contrast, LinkedIn prioritized choice and amenities but abandoned space assignments. The company approaches workplace design like their product design: with focus on user experience. They identified and force-ranked parameters, created scenarios, and identified personas. They then monitored how people were using spaces, identified areas of improvement, and tested out new space types and concepts based on data and user feedback. This Dynamic Work Environment strategy allowed LinkedIn to close five of their eight buildings in Sunnyvale to prioritize social interaction, and focus-work in their offices. This iterative approach allowed leadership to make data-informed decisions regarding real estate in these otherwise uncertain times. After all, the future is not something we predict. It’s something we build together.