31st March 2022 | IN INTERVIEWS | BY SBID Share Tweet Pinterest LinkedIn In this week’s interview with 2021 SBID Awards winners of the Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Workplace category, Modus Workspace, share the key elements they focus on when designing workplaces and predict future changes in workspace designs. SBID Awards Category: Fit Out Contractor of the Year – Workplace Practice: Modus Workspace Entry: Modus: 30 Years of Excellence How important is it to enter the SBID Awards & receive industry recognition for your work? What are the benefits? It’s so important to our team and our clients. I’m lucky enough to work with a group of people who get up every day and truly love what they do, no matter what. It doesn’t matter if an award is waiting for them at the end of a project, but it sometimes helps. For my team, it gives them the recognition that they deserve and keeps them motivated to continue to aim high, always. We have seen just how powerful winning awards can be for our clients, from stakeholder management to employee retention and hiring top talent, it also reaffirms to our clients that their investment and trust in Modus was worth it. As a specialist in workplace fit-out projects, what are the most important considerations when designing for working environments? For the past 30 years, Modus has been designing and delivering office spaces with the objective and empirical evidence to support, that this helps our client’s businesses perform better and have happier, healthier work environments. Every project is unique, and we approach each one with open minds, because it is about understanding the fundamental needs and wants of our clients including their goals and ambitions. However, there are a few key areas that form the baseline for all decision making: workplace strategy, sustainability, wellbeing, culture and future proofing their space for today and tomorrow. What insights can you give regarding the future of the workplace? How should office designs evolve alongside changing trends? There’s a lot of talk around the future of the workplace and how it will evolve and change. The digitalisation of spaces will be a big thing. From ‘zoom’ kitted out meeting rooms to intuitive tech, the office of the future will be designed for a different kind of working and a multitude of different office landscapes. Now that you’ve won an SBID Award, what are the next steps? Is there anything new you are excited to be working on? We’ve got so many exciting projects already in the pipeline for 2022, we’ve been venturing abroad with projects in Dubai and Europe – it’s all under wraps for now but watch this space! What advice can you give to young designers starting out in the design industry? Think big, think broadly and have a go. Be brave with your designs and send that email to the D&B firm you’ve always wanted to work at, you never know what’s around the corner. At Modus, we pride ourselves on nurturing the designers of the future. It’s something we take very seriously and I particularly love doing. We are always looking to take on new talent so if you’re looking to start a career in design, get in touch with us at [email protected]. View the full project Questions answered by Vidhi Sharma, Creative Director, Modus Workspace. Vidhi Sharma Visit Website Vidhi graduated from the University of Ryerson, Toronto with a degree in interior design, and came to the UK in 2007. She joined Modus in 2013 and was promoted to the Board in 2019. “My passion for the Design and Build industry began when I emigrated from Toronto, Canada and started a new life in London, a place that I always viewed as the vanguard of global office fit out. Working for other D&B companies and latterly Modus, I have had the privilege of creating workplaces for some of the world’s leading companies in iconic architectural buildings, such as the Shard, the Leadenhall Building and 22 Bishopsgate. Naturally curious with an intrigue for the components of brand, I strive to create a positive impact on both the individual and the business. Whilst I will always work on my own clients’ projects, I also lead a large, multi-disciplined team of designers, 3D artists and technicians. Our aim is to be the most foremost workplace design team in the UK and to do that we have assembled an incredibly talented group of people who love working together, inspire each other and delight their clients.” Hey! I am first heading line feel free to change meIf you missed last week’s Interview with the KBB design category winner Extreme Design, click here to read it.