2021 Year in Review: Krista Manna, Owner, KR Architecture and Interiors

What was the biggest lesson you learned while working during the pandemic? Don’t over schedule! Also, find what time of day you work most efficiently, and schedule tasks requiring the greatest focus during that time frame. I try to schedule meetings as early in the morning as I can, freeing me up to focus on the tasks (often coming as a result of the meetings) later in the day. I learned that I do my most focused work later in the late morning or in the afternoon.

How has your working environment changed over the last year? The way that people perceive the physical office that they go to has completely changed. Now people view it as a destination and not a place they go “just because.” Everything in office design this year has been focused on providing amenities and needs they don’t get working from home, in order to help drive them into the office. There is a lot more emphasis on collaborative spaces, designed to accommodate an entire team as well as individualized focus work areas that some people may not be able to get at home. Our designs reflect these changes.

What was your greatest professional accomplishment or most notable project, deal, or transaction in 2021? Our firm has been retained to help design a cannabis retail facility in one of the communities south of Boston. In addition to the design of this facility, approximately 2,000 s/f in size, we will also have a role in presenting the project before the municipal boards to secure the necessary approvals. The facility will provide additional revenue to the municipality and serve individuals who seek alternatives to traditional medicine.

What are your predictions for your industry in 2022? There will be demand for even greater flexibility in design as employers and employees evaluate the hybrid workforce environment. Employers are looking for creative solutions to make the office space more appealing. This includes “war rooms” for collaboration, and individual “touchdown” spaces for workers and individual private small working spaces, sometimes known as telephone booths. There is no one answer any longer to how people will work, so there will be a need to provide a variety of types of spaces to accommodate each individualized need.