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SPOTLIGHT: CORPORATE

2020: A Day in the Life of a Placemaker

Nancy Johnson Sanquist Diane Coles Levine
VP of Global Strategic President
MarketingPlanon Workplace Management Solutions

ur story is about a day in the life of fictional Wendy Although these tasks can be described simply, they are quite
Welch in 2020. Wendy has an architecture degree complex. A few years ago, in 2017, the tasks would have taken
O from Columbia University and an MBA from California her several days to complete—some at great risk and cost. Today,
Arts College where she studied design strategy, design think- using the new technologies available to her, she can get this all
ing and sustainability. Her education prepared her well for her done in a few hours and meet her friends on-time for happy hour
current role at a global consultancy firm, where she also serves at the end of the work day.
as the ‘Placemaker’ in the firm’s newly formed Digital Workplace Wendy begins her day when her autonomous office picks her
Alliance. up at home. Gone are the days of driving yourself to work.
Wendy is an American who went ‘across the pond’ to work
in London a few years ago as part of the most exciting digital
business project in her industry at the time—the Digital Built
Britain (DBB) initiative. This was a government-led program
introduced in 2016 to encourage the development of standards,
methods and technology to accelerate the adoption of BIM and
its benefits for economic growth and improving construction
project delivery in the UK. As a Building Information Modeling
(BIM) expert, Wendy understands the value of BIM to create
‘digital twins’—digital models that integrate and optimize data
through the entire lifecycle of buildings, from planning through
design, construction and finally, management and optimization.
She also understands the importance of an Integrated Workplace Flexible work spaces, like this ‘WorkonWheels pod’, can provide more
Management Solution (IWMS) for interfacing with BIM, and accessible work environments. Source: Ideo
collecting and managing the invaluable data she needs to plan The first thing she does while on the road is schedule a room
and manage real estate portfolios—no matter what device she is for a team meeting later that morning. She tells her digital
working on, in the office or out in the field. assistant to book a room in a co-working center in the heart of
As the story opens, it is the beginning of Wendy’s workday in London. This particular location is stylish, comfortable, and fre-
London. As a Placemaker Sector Leader, she has several things quented by many creative professionals and Wendy feels the at-
she needs to accomplish today: mosphere is favorable for collaborative brainstorming. This makes
• Find a room for a team meeting by using her digital assistant it an ideal location for this meeting because she will be using her
• Discuss placemaking issues with the Digital Workplace design thinking skills to solve some immediate problems.
Alliance She then uses her phablet (smartphone combined with
• Review space plans in 3D for a Covent Garden remodel tablet) to display the location and best route to her next meeting
• Contract a neighboring co-working center for temporary with the Digital Workplace Alliance (DWA), an executive team
space for employees that includes: Omar, the Digital Transformation Guru; Erik, the
• Access her IWMS to review the entire real estate portfolio in Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) Sector Leader; and Wendy, the
London for optimization opportunities Placemaker Sector Leader, formerly known as the Director of
• Visit the Innovation Lab and check on furniture and parts Real Estate and Facility Management. The role of the Alliance is
production utilizing a 3D printer to ensure cross collaboration and strategic planning of people,
• Review the condition of a roof from a photo taken by a places, processes and technology. Some of the issues the group
drone is grappling with include:
• Visit the construction site in Canary Wharf with a virtual team • Robo-bosses are more prevalent in the workplace. Wendy
utilizing mixed-reality notes that one robo-boss (Dexter) keeps sending his human

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