From flexible designs and intuitive tech to more focus on hospitality and wellbeing, here’s what will matter most next year.

This year proved to be a crucial turning point for commercial real estate and leasing activity, while landlords and employers settled into a better understanding of how to create spaces that engage, inspire and drive connection.

So what’s on tap for 2026? We asked experts across the industry to give their take on what we’ll see in the months ahead and what you need to know. Here’s a look at that landscape:

Flexibility and technology will drive the future.

Companies will continue to settle into new ways of working and adapting spaces to be more responsive to individual employees, says Kay Sargent, a principal and head of thought leadership of interiors at HOK, an architecture, engineering and design firm.

Expect to see a trend of more curated, tailored workspaces and spaces that change and flex as needed, she says. Modular workspaces remain a top trend going forward as employers move away from fixed tasks and need the ability to dynamically adjust and reconfigure zones for different needs.

Technology will also continue to impact how we work and design offices. For instance, AI inside acoustic systems will automatically shift acoustics based on occupancy, user preferences and noise levels, says Sargent. They may use sound masking, music, or natural sounds to facilitate a variety of settings, whether it’s focused work, collaboration or socializing.  

Sensor technology, too, will also go beyond the mere collecting of data on office usage and will start to anticipate the individual needs of people who use the space, making adjustments for better cognition. This could be changing the sound levels, temperature, lighting levels and location of colleagues—all to optimize an individual person’s performance and satisfaction.

“I’m hoping that that kind of personalization could be incorporated into more office products to drive more centric ideas,” says Naoko Oguro, design director at IA Interior Architects New York studio. It may take months or years—and data—to know what is truly successful in the office.

Older, converted buildings will start to get more popular.

This year, we saw leasing demand pick up for prime buildings, or those built after 2010 which include collaboration spaces, on-site cafes, fitness centers, wellness spaces, natural light and outdoor spaces. 

But as those buildings get snapped up, demand will trickle down to older buildings that have been either retrofitted or upgraded, says Stefan Weiss, CBRE's U.S. head of office research.

Yet while we’re seeing the start of a recovery, it might take awhile, he says. In the past, big crashes of office leasing were typically tied to job losses. But this downturn was different, driven by the pandemic and remote work. Tenant activity is picking up in certain markets like New York and San Francisco, both of which have seen an abundance of finance and AI jobs. But the overall recovery may be slower, says Weiss.

The return-to-office conversation is still not over.

Most people didn’t expect the RTO conversation to still be brewing in 2025. Yet that may extend into 2026, too.

“I don’t think the conversation is over,” says Sara Dagovic, director of the Canada workplace design advisory at JLL, a real estate investment and management firm. “Our new clients are still struggling with it.”

Yet that conversation is changing in the sense that people aren’t necessarily questioning how to bring people back anymore. They’re mandating it and then working to ensure people stay in their jobs once they come. “How do you get them in the door and make them say, ‘Oh, okay, this is actually a great place to be?” Dagovic says.

She expects large companies to double-down on branding regional offices by focusing on what makes each office unique and by amplifying a sense of local pride or culture. It’s already happening for some companies in Canada, where citizens are feeling a sense of nationalism in response to the Trump tariff war, she says.  

For instance, the Guelph, Canada headquarters of Co-operators, an insurance and financial services cooperative, was heavily inspired by nature in the surrounding region. HOK designed the building with features like walnut and limestone finishes, a living wall of 3,000 plants, and art that tells the company’s story. Natural light, biophilic elements, and flexible work zones foster transparency and well-being. 

Data will drive design.

Designers will lean into the science in their work, looking at signals within macrotrends to drive creativity and to come up with innovative ideas.

“Designers that just focus on fads and how something looks will become less valued while those that focus on creating environments where humans can thrive and are future-ready will be in demand,” says Sargent. Designers will lead with evidence-based solutions to differentiate themselves from users creating solutions with Generative AI.

Events spaces and hospitality design will be important.

The trend of incorporating space for events emerged a couple of years ago, as leaders sought a way to create connection and community among employees.

Going forward, those event spaces will be even more important, says Dagovic. Leaders are looking beyond the traditional boardrooms and training rooms to consider whether a space can bring people together in a special way.

Business leaders continue to talk about the importance of human connection and spontaneous conversations and the importance of mentorship in the office.  Theyr’e dialing in that specific balance of social and private spaces in the office and how to bring people together so it matters.

“Obviously there are introverts and extroverts, but most of us crave and need that kind of guidance,” says IA Architect’s Oguro. “Finding that utopia, that perfect combination of things is a goal that we’re chasing.”

The trend of bringing hospitality to design will also continue to flourish in 2026. Leaders are looking to make the office feel more homey,  and they are adding lounges and amenity spaces like cafes and lobbies that use higher-end finishes and artwork. This goes hand-in-hand with a focus on employee wellbeing, ensuring there are prayer rooms, gyms, quiet spaces and calming colors and designs.  

“Any office that’s used to being quite corporate or what we would consider a traditional office will have to change to keep people coming in and to entice new talent,” says Dagovic.

Landlords are increasingly investing in ensuring that their buildings offer these kinds of amenities, whether it’s a gym, great retailers or food options nearby.

The earth and people will continue to matter.

Sustainability in the office is also here to stay. Companies are embracing circularity, material reuse, and responsible resourcing to combat rising cost and reduce waste.

Sargent says to expect pent-up demand to address environmental needs in 2026, but those efforts could cool due to mid-year elections. “That’s when we are likely to see if the patterns and policies of the past year will likely continue and become more entrenched or may be revised,” she says.

The focus on productivity will wane.

Organizations will continue to realize that they need to focus less on productivity to preserve the sanity of their employees. People are still mired in busywork and multitasking, and burnout and disengagement remain high. The 2025 Aflac “WorkForces Report” found that 72% of U.S. employees report moderate to very high stress at work. A separate report by Moodle (with research by Censuswide) found that 66% experienced some kind of job burnout. 
 

“We need to rethink how we work,” says Sargent. “We need to focus on outcomes and what we value. Workplaces need to shift from being ‘people warehouses’ to being designed to support and encourage preferred behaviors and activities.”

So how do you prepare for next year? Plug in what we see on the horizon already and be ready for more change and disruption. As we continue to define how AI will impact work, the workforce, and workplaces, industries will be affected differently, says Sargent.  “The ability to be future-ready and nimble will be key,” she says.