Area is proud to be a founding partner of the WORKTECH Academy and a contributor to its latest report, The World of Work in 2026. The report brings together insights from a global network of workplace thinkers, designers and researchers to explore how work is changing – and what organisations need to do next.

Download The World of Work in 2026 report to explore all 20 workplace trends shaping the year ahead.

One of the most significant themes in this year’s report is Trend 4: Bioperformance, an area where Area has been actively shaping the conversation.

From wellbeing to performance

The Bioperformance trend marks a clear shift away from traditional corporate wellbeing programmes. Rather than treating health as a perk or an add-on, the report positions human performance as a core organisational capability.

Area’s contribution highlights a simple but often overlooked truth: productivity is limited by biology. As automation and AI take over more routine tasks, the human advantage lies in judgement, creativity, focus and resilience. These are not abstract qualities. They are directly influenced by the physical and cognitive conditions in which people work.

As the report notes, “we talk about hybrid working, smart buildings and digital twins, but the real revolution will be biological.” This reflects our long- standing view that workplaces must be designed around human limits, not just operational targets.

What bioperformance means in practice

Bioperformance reframes wellbeing as a precision-led practice. Inspired by elite sport and advances in neuroscience and medicine, it brings together:

environments that support focus and recovery

ergonomics that reduce cognitive and physical strain

personalised approaches to health rather than one-size-fits-all initiatives

workplaces designed for sustained performance over longer, non-linear careers

In the report, Area argues that wellbeing should be treated “not as a perk but as a performance imperative”. This thinking is increasingly shaping how organisations approach workplace strategy, from spatial planning to policies and daily behaviours.

The workplace as a performance environment

A key message from Trend 4 is that the workplace itself is becoming a high-performance environment. Offices are no longer just places to attend meetings or house desks. They are tools that can either support or undermine human capability.

As life expectancy increases and careers extend, organisations need spaces that help people perform well over decades, not just years. This has major implications for design, from lighting and acoustics to movement, recovery and cognitive load.

For Area, this aligns directly with our work helping clients create environments that are grounded in evidence, human-centred and built for long-term value.

A shared mission with WORKTECH Academy

Our partnership with WORKTECH Academy is rooted in a shared belief that the future of work demands deeper thinking, better research and more honest conversations. As a founding partner, Area is proud to contribute insight that bridges design, science and real-world workplace experience.

Download the report now to explore all 20 trends shaping the world of work in 2026.