The latest findings from CBRE's '2026 Global Workplace & Occupancy Insights' study series confirm an ongoing transformation of the office landscape. Companies are increasingly adapting their space concepts to foster collaboration and strengthen corporate culture. This development is particularly evident in the redesign and division of office spaces, marking a departure from traditional individual offices and instead prioritising areas for communal activities.
Since 2021, a clear increase in so-called amenity areas has been observed. These are spaces specifically designed for social interaction and informal exchange. Their share has risen by 120 per cent in the period mentioned. Concurrently, the share of traditional individual workstations has significantly reduced, from 56 per cent to just 35 per cent. This shift underlines the strategic approach of many companies to create work environments that actively support personal exchange, thereby generating a clear added value for the office compared to decentralised work models.
Stephan Leimbach, Head of Occupier Accounts & Consulting at CBRE in Germany, states that the success of the future office lies in offering a component that working from home cannot provide: the creation of human connections. He explains that these connections would significantly promote engagement, performance, and the resilience of organisations. This also affects workplace concepts, which are undergoing a significant transformation. For example, the share of fixed assigned workstations has decreased from 83 to 55 per cent since 2021, while hybrid workplace models and desk sharing have increased from 12 to 36 per cent.
Data-driven planning and AI influence
Another aspect of this development is the increasing data orientation in office planning. Currently, 83 per cent of companies consider the specific activity of their employees when determining workstation quotas, and 78 per cent use occupancy data to optimise space. This leads to a more precise design of office environments tailored to actual working methods.
The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into daily work is expected to further strengthen the importance of the office. The study predicts a 327 per cent growth in the global use of so-called AI agents within the coming year. Already, 79 per cent of companies are using corresponding solutions, and 88 per cent of executives plan to increase their investments in AI by mid-2026. Although AI takes over many routine tasks and the average working time for AI users increases by 2.75 hours per week, personal collaboration, creativity, and judgement gain in importance, highlighting the office as a centre for collaboration and innovation.
Advantages through early investment
Dr. Jan Linsin, Head of Research at CBRE in Germany, predicts that office occupancy will continue to rise until at least 2027. He emphasises that companies that invest early in collaborative spaces, quality of stay, and intelligent building technologies will benefit most from this development. This underlines the necessity of implementing modern and flexible office concepts to meet future demands for work environments.
