Hypar 2.0 – putting the spotlight on space planning

JLL's tenth Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report 2025 provides an in-depth analysis of how organizations are managing their commercial real estate portfolios, adapting to evolving workplace dynamics, and leveraging technology to support hybrid work models. The report, based on data from 99 global organizations representing over 745 million square feet of commercial real estate, identifies key trends and challenges in occupancy planning. A central finding is the emergence of portfolio optimization as the top priority for corporate real estate (CRE) leaders, surpassing cost reduction. This shift indicates a more refined approach to physical space management, moving beyond mere expense cutting to strategic asset utilization. The report highlights the increasing significance of utilization data in occupancy planning. For the third consecutive year, utilization data remains the most valued space metric. While 74% of organizations now collect this data, only a small fraction (7%) report excellent data capabilities. This disparity points to a substantial gap between organizations' aspirations for data-driven decision-making and their current capacity for effective data collection and analysis. Although utilization rates have improved globally, they still fall short of target levels. This gap underscores the need for advanced integration platforms that can connect utilization metrics with space attributes and employee feedback, enabling more dynamic and responsive hybrid work planning. Organizations are increasingly adopting structured hybrid work models, characterized by fixed in-office day requirements. Concurrently, fully flexible approaches are experiencing a notable decline, suggesting a move towards more predictable work arrangements. The maturity of governance structures is also evident, with most organizations having well-defined hybrid policies. However, the report identifies a significant opportunity for improvement in change management, as only 38% of organizations currently utilize change management programs. This indicates a potential area where organizations can enhance the implementation and acceptance of new workplace strategies. Further insights from the report include the evolution of technical spaces and changing space standards. There is a growing recognition of the critical role that both focus areas and collaboration spaces play in creating appealing and effective workplaces. These magnetic workplaces are designed to attract and retain talent by offering diverse environments that support various work activities. JLL's occupancy planning and management experts emphasize their role in partnering with organizations to develop data-driven workplace strategies. These strategies aim to balance real estate efficiency goals with human experience priorities, ultimately helping organizations close utilization gaps, optimize their real estate footprints, and create environments that boost productivity, engagement, and overall employee well-being. The Global Occupancy Planning Benchmark Report 2025 serves as a valuable resource for organizations seeking to understand their performance relative to industry benchmarks. It provides actionable insights that can guide workplace transformation initiatives, ensuring that real estate strategies align with organizational objectives and evolving employee needs. The report encourages organizations to download it to compare their practices and leverage the findings for future planning. #OccupancyPlanning #Benchmarking #HybridWorkplace #PortfolioOptimization #UtilizationData #RealEstate #WorkplaceStrategy #HumanExperience #Technology

The adoption of cloud computing for High Performance Computing (HPC) workloads offers significant benefits over traditional on-premises infrastructure, particularly in terms of elasticity and scalability. However, this flexibility also introduces cost variability, which can be challenging for organizations with strict budgets. This article explores best practices for managing costs in cloud-based HPC environments, drawing insights from 'The Frugal Architect' principles, which emphasize integrating cost as a non-functional requirement. The core idea is to find a balance between flexibility, efficiency, and effectiveness, especially for large-scale HPC operations. High Performance Computing, encompassing both tightly-coupled systems like computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and massive loosely-coupled systems for financial modeling, frequently generates substantial costs. Therefore, careful design, measurement, and observability of these systems are crucial. The article primarily focuses on opportunities for loosely-coupled workloads, though many principles apply broadly to all HPC tasks. The first law of 'The Frugal Architect' — "Make cost a non-functional requirement" — highlights the necessity of considering cost alongside other critical factors such as security, accessibility, compliance, and maintainability to ensure system success. In a pay-as-you-go cloud model, costs are determined by unit cost and consumption volume. Optimizations can be achieved by either reducing the unit cost, decreasing total units consumed, or both, using various AWS services and features. Opportunities to reduce unit costs on AWS involve leveraging services like Amazon EC2 Spot instances, which can offer up to 90% savings compared to on-demand provisioning. The trade-off is that these instances can be reclaimed by AWS with a two-minute warning, making them suitable for HPC workloads that can handle interruptions or checkpoint their progress. For consistent demand, Amazon EC2 Savings Plans provide up to 72% savings with a one or three-year commitment. Often, a combination of Spot instances, Savings Plans, and on-demand capacity is used for optimal cost management. Technical optimizations include provisioning precise instance types from over 750 available EC2 options, ensuring that only necessary CPU, GPU, memory, storage, and network performance are paid for, avoiding the costs of unused capabilities. For data storage, services like Amazon S3 with Mountpoint or S3 Intelligent-Tiering can significantly reduce unit costs, especially for infrequently accessed files. Reducing unit consumption is another key strategy. The units of consumption vary by AWS service, with some having multiple units for different utilization types. For Amazon EC2, reducing core-hour consumption involves increasing efficiency by ensuring cores are actively computing and not idle, and tracking effectiveness by ensuring the value of the work outweighs the cost. This aligns with the second law of 'The Frugal Architect' — "Systems that last align cost to the business." Unlike static on-premises infrastructure, every increment of cloud capacity incurs a cost, which should be justified by business value. Minimizing the billable lifecycle of instances by reducing overhead activities like OS boot time, binary installation, and idle time, can significantly improve efficiency. Techniques include optimizing boot processes, using long-running On-Demand Instances to reduce frequent reboots, or diversifying instance selection to mitigate Spot instance interruptions. Arm-based AWS Graviton instances offer up to 40% better price/performance and 60% less energy consumption than comparable x86 instances for HPC workloads. While porting applications to Arm64 may be required, tools like AWS Porting Advisor for Graviton can assist. Graviton adoption can lead to faster workload completion at the same cost or reduced costs for the same duration. Monitoring CPU utilization is crucial; high periods of under-utilization indicate potential for reducing instance count. For large datasets, using Amazon FSx for Lustre linked to Amazon S3 allows for high-performance access without storing the entire dataset in Lustre, thereby reducing filesystem size. Data compression and Amazon File Cache for hybrid environments can further decrease storage costs. Shutting down FSx for Lustre and Amazon File Cache when not in use and recreating them on demand also contributes to savings. Finally, observability is essential, aligning with the fourth law of 'The Frugal Architect' — "Unobserved Systems lead to unknown costs." Robust observability systems are necessary to inform HPC managers about overall efficiency (computation as a percentage of capacity) and effectiveness (business value as a percentage of compute cost). Timely and detailed metrics enable stakeholders to identify improvement opportunities, measure changes, and detect unexpected outcomes. AWS provides tools like Amazon CloudWatch and Amazon Managed Service for Prometheus for metrics, logs, and traces. For cost visibility, AWS Data Exports allows exporting cost data in the FinOps Open Cost and Usage Specification (FOCUS) schema, which can be analyzed with Amazon QuickSight or AWS Cost Explorer to identify trends and cost drivers. AWS Compute Optimizer further assists by recommending ways to optimize underutilized resources, such as adjusting memory provisioned, with projected savings. Integrating these FinOps practices ensures that HPC workloads in the cloud are not only powerful but also economically sound. #HPC #FinOps #CloudComputing #CostOptimization #AWS #EC2Spot #Graviton #Observability #Scalability

The 21st century's architectural frontier is shifting from skyscrapers to underground spaces, driven by urban density and environmental considerations. Architect James Ramsey and developer Daniel Barasch are pioneering this movement with their proposal for the 'Lowline' in New York City, an underground park envisioned for a disused trolley terminal beneath Delancey Street. This innovative project aims to transform a 65-year-old, subterranean space into a vibrant public park, complete with pathways, benches, and trees, all accessible regardless of weather conditions. While the absence of natural light presents a challenge, Ramsey has developed 'remote skylights.' These systems utilize pole-mounted receptors above ground, connected via fiber-optic cables to panels in the underground ceiling, to channel genuine sunlight into the space. The Lowline project is currently seeking political support and an estimated $60 million in funding, building on the success of similar urban revitalization projects like the High Line, which repurposed an elevated rail trestle. The concept of underground construction offers several advantages, as highlighted by Dutch geologist Eduardo de Mulder. Despite the initial costs and technical complexities of excavation, particularly in areas with high water tables, underground spaces are more cost-effective to maintain. They are less susceptible to weather damage, eliminating the need for exterior cleaning and repairs. Furthermore, the stable temperatures below ground significantly reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling, offsetting the costs associated with artificial lighting. Cities experiencing extreme climates or rapid urbanization are leading the charge in underground development. Shanghai and Beijing, for instance, have seen their underground real estate expand by approximately 10% annually, with Beijing projected to have 34 square miles of underground space by 2020. Helsinki's master plan includes a substantial expansion of its tunnel networks and over 400 underground facilities, including a seawater-cooled data center. Despite the practical benefits, the psychological aspect of underground living remains a hurdle. Esteban Suarez, an architect from Mexico City, proposed the 'Earthscraper,' a 65-story inverted pyramid designed to extend deep into the earth, incorporating a central shaft to provide natural light and air. While this ambitious project is yet to be realized, the historical precedent of human subterranean habitation is evident in ancient sites like the Derinkuyu Underground City in Turkey. This ancient complex accommodated up to 20,000 people across at least eight levels, featuring living quarters, workshops, food storage, and even livestock pens, with stone slabs indicating its use as a refuge from invaders. These historical examples demonstrate humanity's long-standing capacity for and adaptation to living below the surface, suggesting that modern innovations in lighting and ventilation could overcome contemporary psychological barriers. #UrbanDesign #UndergroundArchitecture #SustainableCities #ArchitecturalInnovation #LowlineProject #FutureCities #UrbanPlanning #GreenSpaces #SubterraneanLiving

For over a decade, open floor plans have been lauded as an ideal architectural solution, particularly for those who enjoy entertaining. This trend has been significantly popularized by shows like HGTV's *Fixer Upper*, where hosts Chip and Joanna Gaines frequently endorse open layouts as optimal for social gatherings. Homeowners often express a desire for an open floor plan specifically because they "love entertaining," and the prevailing notion is that removing walls fosters togetherness, creating a central communal space. However, this widespread belief is challenged by the assertion that open floor plans are, in fact, terrible for entertaining. The design, while aiming for an ideal of constant togetherness and ample personal space, fails to facilitate the conditions necessary for successful parties and can even be actively detrimental. One significant issue is the difficulty in filling the space. In a large, undifferentiated open area, a party with a respectable number of guests can still feel under-attended, making both hosts and guests uncomfortable. This contrasts with more traditionally compartmentalized homes, where smaller gatherings can be contained within a single room, creating a sense of intimacy and energy. Open floor plans also hinder natural guest movement and interaction. Parties typically bring together diverse individuals with varying interests and conversational styles. In an open layout, guests may find themselves trapped in unwanted conversations without a plausible escape route, as there are no visual barriers or distinct spaces to facilitate discreet movement. In homes with separate rooms, guests can easily transition between different areas, seeking out new conversations or simply a change of scenery. This ability to move freely is crucial for maintaining a dynamic and engaging party atmosphere, allowing the event to evolve organically. Furthermore, the lack of varied spaces in an open floor plan limits opportunities for novelty and different "theaters of action." Traditional layouts allow for conversations to shift from a porch to a kitchen, then to a living room for dancing or food, injecting new life into the gathering. In an open space, this variety is absent, making it harder to sustain interest and energy. Additionally, more intimate conversations, whether romantic, professional, or polemical, are difficult to find in an unwalled environment. Nooks, corners, and halls, which are often eliminated in open designs, provide essential privacy for such interactions. Finally, the acoustics of open floor plans are often problematic for parties. Achieving the right balance of music volume—loud enough to be energetic but not so loud as to impede conversation—is challenging in a large, echoing space without the sound-dampening effect of walls. The design, despite its popular image as a social facilitator, often creates an environment that undermines the very social goals it claims to support. While open floor plans might be seen as an attempt to foster family closeness or as an arbitrary trend, their efficacy for entertaining is largely a misconception. #OpenFloorPlan #HomeDesign #Entertaining #ArchitecturalTrends #PartyPlanning #InteriorDesign #HomeRenovation #SocialDynamics