Futureproofing the Workplace: Inside the Offices of 2050

As companies rethink how their offices should function in an age of rapid tech shifts, Geyer Valmont is spending its time reworking the buildings we already have.

CEO Marcel Zalloua says most of the structures dominating our skylines will still be here in 2050, but the way we use them will look nothing like today.

In this Q and A, he breaks down how AI, data and smarter design are set to transform the workplace.

Q: How are businesses futureproofing offices and buildings for 2050?

A: When we think about the future of the commercial building environment, it’s interesting to note that in 2050, most of the buildings making up our current horizon will still be standing, however what’s inside them will be completely transformed.

When we talk about future proofing commercial office spaces, our job really is to reshape the existing built world so that it continues to be fit for purpose, and incorporates infrastructure and design that enables our future state.

At Geyer Valmont, our remit is primarily to reimagine and redesign current spaces to be smarter, more sustainable and more efficient.

Q: How is technology influencing the way companies design and manage their office spaces, and how do you see this evolving in the next few years?

A: Offices are growing increasingly complex, incorporating new technologies, spaces and tools which continue to challenge traditional office design.

At the same time, technology has dramatically changed how we can enhance increasingly available data, to leverage many years of design intelligence, streamline processes and optimise performance.

This abundance of data has unlocked the ability to utilise new forms of technology that help companies visualise, simulate and redesign spaces with greater agility.

At Geyer Valmont, we’re using these technology advances to create new tools that can simulate office layouts, like our recently launched GVi tool.

GVi is an AI-powered ‘digital twin’ platform that can test design changes in real-time and forecast how spaces will perform before clients have to commit committing to physical adjustments, turning risk into evidence.

As Geyer Valmont is a fully integrated design and construction firm, GVi was developed as a critical tool to streamline the complexity of this process into one platform, and one simple, easy to use interface.

Our clients now only need to focus on their needs and the design outcome, as the delivery programme and costs are automatically calculated through the tool.

In the coming years, we expect AI to continue to play a deeper role in office design, taking the rapidly evolving needs of the business into consideration and helping companies accelerate the design process, with cost savings and efficiencies along the way.

Q: In 2026 and beyond, how do you see client expectations from their physical workplaces evolving?

The physical workplace is no longer just a place to work and meet, it can actively shape culture and performance through hyper-personalisation driven through AI tools and data.

As AI continues evolving, physical workplaces will too. AI will be used as a predictive tool to adapt to human needs in real time, using real data – lowering risk and recommending improvements.

This has the dual use of tailoring environments to individual preferences, for example lighting and temperature, as well as driving efficiencies for the business.

We believe that AI is a tool that should be embraced to streamline processes, as it enables us to spend more time with our clients, getting to know their businesses, so we can ensure we get under the hood of their operations to deliver workplace solutions that are right for now and for the future.

Australia’s housing crisis will not be solved by first-home buyer incentives or tax changes alone, with leading property figures warning governments must tackle supply constraints if affordability is to improve.

Speaking at the Kanebridge Quarterly Property Leadership Summit in Sydney last week, expert project marketing specialist Sam Elbanna, property investor and fund manager Paul Miron and property consultant Karla McNeice said that a lack of housing supply remained the central issue facing the market.

Elbanna, Director of CPM Realty with more than 30 years’ experience in project sales, argued that successive governments had focused too heavily on stimulating demand rather than addressing the barriers preventing new housing from being delivered.

“The misconception is that politicians think the way to solve the housing crisis is to drive demand,” he said.

“The reality is that’s not the way. This is a supply-side problem, and it needs to be solved on the supply side.”

Drawing on his experience in project sales, Elbanna said policies designed to help first-home buyers often had unintended consequences, pointing to previous grants that ultimately flowed through to higher property prices.

Instead, he said developers were facing increasing red tape, approval delays and rising costs, which were discouraging new housing supply.

“In the absence of stock, demand exceeds supply,” he said.

Miron, a Co-Founder and Fund Manager of Msquared Capital, said the housing debate had become overly focused on tax policy while overlooking broader structural issues.

He argued that affordability challenges stemmed from a combination of factors, including planning constraints, supply shortages, migration levels and interest rates.

“No-one can be 100 per cent certain on the real reason for property prices is going up,” he said.

“The reason why property prices are higher is a combination of interest rates, lack of supply, migration, vacancy rates and maybe taxes play a role.”

Miron was critical of recent federal housing policy changes, warning they could reduce the number of new homes being built and further constrain supply that was even highlighted in the budget.

He also highlighted the importance of the property sector to the broader economy, noting that residential real estate and related industries employed more than one million Australians.

McNeice, who advises developers on sales strategy and market intelligence, said understanding buyers had become increasingly important as affordability pressures intensified.

While affordability remained a major consideration, she said today’s buyers were focused on value rather than simply price.

“People are looking for value for money,” she said.

She said buyers were increasingly evaluating factors such as transport connections, walkability, nearby amenities and flexible living spaces that could accommodate changing family needs.

“What infrastructure is going on? Can I walk to the shops? Can I meet people at the local cafe?” she said.

The panel also discussed the mounting pressures facing developers, with Elbanna arguing that many projects become financially unviable from the moment a site is purchased.

“The viability of a development happens at the moment the site is bought,” he said.

He said rising construction costs, higher interest rates and overly optimistic feasibility assumptions had left some developers exposed as market conditions changed.

While acknowledging the growing number of smaller and first-time developers entering the market, Elbanna said property development required expertise across finance, construction, marketing and legal disciplines.

“It is actually a business that requires a level of expertise,” he said.

Looking ahead, the panel agreed opportunities remained in the market despite current challenges.

Miron said property should continue to be viewed as a long-term investment and cautioned against trying to time short-term market movements.

McNeice said success would increasingly depend on identifying projects that genuinely met changing buyer expectations.

Elbanna said affordable housing remained achievable, but developers needed to deliver more than just homes.

“We can provide affordable housing in this country,” he said.

“But we’ve got to wrap that affordable housing with the things that people want.”

As Australia’s housing affordability debate intensifies, the panellists agreed on one point: without a meaningful increase in housing supply, demand-side measures alone are unlikely to solve the nation’s property challenges.

Futureproofing the Workplace: Inside the Offices of 2050

Geyer Valmont CEO Marcel Zalloua explains how AI, data and design intelligence are reshaping today’s commercial spaces so they remain fit for purpose in 2050 and beyond.

Australia’s housing affordability crisis is being fuelled by chronic undersupply, planning delays and rising development costs, as politicians continue to focus on the wrong solutions.