Skip to content
MarketScale
‹ Back to IndustriesEngineering & Construction

Element Sessions: The Rise of “Resi-mercial” Design

Office spaces have long been attached to the stigma of being cold, grey rooms filled with an endless sea of cubicles. The design of office spaces today, though, is turning the idea that workspaces must be bland and sterile on its head. On this first episode of Element Sessions, we were joined by Element…

This story was produced through MarketScale. See how Engineering & Construction teams put it to work with Partner & Channel Enablement.

Share
Element Sessions: The Rise of “Resi-mercial” Design

Get featured

Want to get featured in MarketScale Engineering & Construction?

Create a free MarketScale workspace and get your company's expertise featured across our Engineering & Construction coverage. No credit card, no demo required.

Request an invite

Office spaces have long been attached to the stigma of being cold, grey rooms filled with an endless sea of cubicles. The design of office spaces today, though, is turning the idea that workspaces must be bland and sterile on its head.

On this first episode of Element Sessions, we were joined by Element Designs guests Beata Klecha, vice president of marketing, and Nelson Wills, partner for sales & operations design, two professionals freshly off attending NeoCon 2019, a conference that serves as the launchpad for commercial design and innovation.

We dove into how commercial design trends and changes are being implemented in real time, and what ideas we can anticipate upsetting the industry in big ways. The prevalent movement in commercial design today can be boiled down into one hybrid word: ”resimmercial.” The warmth and comfort of residential design merged with the open concept, collaborative nature of commercial design–resimmercial.

Klecha noted the warm colors and cozy fabrics found in homes inching their way into workspaces. Wills, a NeoCon veteran, gave his insider advice on which trends are here to stay and which are passing fads. We noted how modern tech is weaving its way into furniture that includes charging docs or storage areas for devices, and how the commercial design industry is pushing open-concept, collaborative workspaces while nurturing the notion of privacy by cultivating cozy nooks for employees to find solace during a buzzing workday.

The overarching sentiment pushing commercial design, however, is a need to make employees happy. After all, a happy employee is a productive employee. We unpack the question “What makes employees happy in their workspace?” today on this Element Sessions podcast.

For the latest news, videos, and podcasts in the AEC Industry, be sure to subscribe to our industry publication.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Twitter – @AECMKSL

Facebook – facebook.com/marketscale

LinkedIn – linkedin.com/company/marketscale

Your experts belong here

Every story in MarketScale Engineering & Construction starts with a company putting its project engineers, superintendents, and estimators on the record. Buyers are already reading this topic. The only question is whose experts they find.

Owners shortlist firms they already trust, and your field leaders become the reason your name is on that list.

Get your team featuredSee how it works15 minutes, straight to a calendar.

Follow Engineering & Construction Insights

Get new expert content in your inbox.

Engineering & Construction: are you visible to AI?

Before they reach out, Engineering & Construction buyers ask AI engines which vendors to trust. See how AI describes your company today, and where competitors show up instead.

Free workspace

You just read one Engineering & Construction expert. Your company is full of them.

This article was produced through MarketScale. The same platform turns your project engineers, superintendents, and estimators into the articles, video, and social content Engineering & Construction buyers are searching for. Create a free workspace and see it with your own people. No credit card, no demo required.

NPS +73 · 1,000+ creators · 38+ countries

What you get, free

Your own MarketScale Studio workspace
One video edit a month, on us
AI writing, editing, and publishing tools
In-platform coaching to learn the system

More Engineering & Construction Insights

Valtra N135

Valtra N135

This is a request for video editing assistance rather than a published article with factual content. No substantive information about Valtra tractors or products is present in the body text to analyze.

  • 01No verifiable claims or data points are present in the source text

Sep 7, 2026

FAB 40 highlights top U.S. metal fabricators, including acquisitive Cadrex

The Fabricator’s 2023 FAB 40 ranks U.S. metal fabricators by reported revenue. PR Newswire reported Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions debuted at No. 2 with $480 million in 2022 revenue after a series of acquisitions, while MEC again held No. 1 with $539.4 million.

  • 01PR Newswire reported Cadrex Manufacturing Solutions entered The Fabricator’s 2023 FAB 40 at No. 2 after a series of acquisitions.
  • 02MEC has held No. 1 on the FAB 40 since 2011 and kept the spot in 2023 with $539.4 million in reported 2022 revenue, according to PR Newswire, a benchmark for scale at the top of the list.
  • 03PR Newswire flagged both material price inflation and demand as drivers of record revenues, buyers should press suppliers on what portion of growth was pricing versus volume.

Sep 6, 2026

HUD backs a 24-month study on mass-timber modules that ship and stack faster

HUD backs a 24-month study on mass-timber modules that ship and stack faster

HUD funded a 24-month Washington State University project on hybrid mass-timber modular housing. It targets transportability and faster site assembly. A 2023 Journal of Building Engineering review says 2D modular CLT tends to ship farther and build faster than 3D.

  • 01If transportation is the cost driver, HUD’s study plan points straight at the spec: treat the truck interface, tie-downs, and lifting points as part of the structural module design, not afterthought hardware.
  • 02The most actionable design fork in the CLT modular literature is 2D versus 3D: according to a 2023 Journal of Building Engineering review, 2D modules are typically moved longer distances and assembled faster on average.
  • 03Owners who want future change-of-use optionality can start writing it into module grids and connection details now. HUD-backed research is explicitly testing modules that can be repurposed across occupancies over their lifetime.

Sep 6, 2026

Explore More Engineering & Construction Insights

Read more expert perspectives from across Engineering & Construction.

Browse Engineering & Construction Hub

For B2B teams

Your experts could be publishing here

Stories like this one run on content MarketScale captures from real practitioners. See how your team's expertise becomes coverage in Engineering & Construction and beyond.

Book a 15-minute demo

Or call us. No forms required. We pick up. 214-945-2512