What makes a workplace worth leaving home for?

In this episode of Workspace Design Lab, Sylvanna VanderPark speaks with Jennifer Lloyd, Associate Workplace Principal at HDR, about designing workplaces around how people actually work—not assumptions about how they work.

Jennifer brings a unique perspective to the conversation, having worked on both sides of the table as a workplace designer and as a client. She shares how that experience changed the way she approaches workplace strategy, including an important lesson: clients sometimes arrive with a solution before they've fully identified the problem they're trying to solve. 

The conversation explores what organizations can do to create workplaces people genuinely want to return to—from reducing friction in the employee experience to providing greater choice over where and how people work. Jennifer explains why choice is fundamental to designing for multi-generational and neurodiverse workplaces, and why seemingly simple considerations such as task lighting, acoustic privacy and visual privacy can make an environment work better for everyone. 

Jennifer also introduces the fascinating idea of the restorative workplace and her interest in fractal design: using patterns and principles found in nature to explore whether our workplaces could actually help us feel calmer, healthier and less cognitively stressed. 

Sylvanna and Jennifer also discuss:

•  Return to office and creating experiences worth the commute 
•  Change management and why employee involvement matters 
•  Trust, flexibility and the changing role of workplace managers 
•  AI as a tool for designers 
•  Neuroinclusive and multi-generational workplace design 
•  Workplace culture, identity and brand 
•  Designing spontaneous “moments of collision” 
•  The importance of mentorship and human connection for younger workers 
•  What the workplace of the future could become 

Ultimately, Jennifer challenges us to rethink the question organizations ask about their real estate: rather than simply asking what the workplace can do for the company, what can the workplace bring to its people—and what can we create that they would actually want to come back to? 

Listen to the full conversation and join us as we explore what it means to design for the human experience.

Workspace Design Lab
Conversations exploring workplace design, technology and the evolving relationship between people and the places where we work.

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Workspace Design Lab | Healthy Spaces, Lasting Impact



Join host Sylvanna "Syl" VanderPark as we explore ergonomic office design, modern interiors, and sustainable workspace solutions with architects, designers, and industry leaders.

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💡 If this conversation helped you reimagine what a workspace can be, share it with a colleague or client. Together we can design offices that support wellbeing, productivity, and lasting impact.

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