Any city is defined by its skyline and the recent construction blitz of a dozen or so tall towers in this city - about half within a stone's throw of the Bell Centre - has many excited about how it'll make the city look.
Some of the buildings are quite gorgeous and signify a move back to the city, a useful buffer against urban sprawl, as many are condos and others are offices.
The idea is that people will work in those offices and buy condos nearby so they can walk to work.
But the question must be asked: really?
Now I too love a good-lookin' skyscraper and am quite happy when one gets built.
But it must be asked: how much will we need offices in the future when people increasingly work from home?
I spent many years working from home and can personally attest that one can get a ton of work done at home even when there's young kids and other such distractions.
Experts note that people who work from home are less stressed and are more productive. They don't have to commute and also are less alienated from their own surroundings and family.
Additionally the time spent gussying up one's hair, choosing and ironing shirts, hopping on a bus or driving to and from are totally wasted time.
I'd venture that employers can not only shave off office rental costs but also lower salaries slightly, as workers will give more to stay home.
Employers will also find it's a good method to lay people off, as as an employer can pull a Yahoo and order everybody to work from the office for a while and a bunch will doubtlessly just offer their resignations instead.
Commuting also pollutes and causes traffic jams, so there's a lot to be said for working from home.
One survey of 1,900 senior IT decision-makers in 19 countries predicted that by 2020 only six or seven out of 10 workers will actually go to the office.
I think it'll happen before then, some city will become impassable due to some natural disaster, forcing many of that town's residents to stay home to work and the result will be so successful that it'll change the working habits of the world.
So while I love to see Montreal's downtown area getting built up and attracting investment, it's not certain that the office and condo space now being built will be entirely needed.
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| Luckily this awful-looking proposed tower on Victoria Square ain't gettin' built |
The idea is that people will work in those offices and buy condos nearby so they can walk to work.
But the question must be asked: really?
Now I too love a good-lookin' skyscraper and am quite happy when one gets built.
But it must be asked: how much will we need offices in the future when people increasingly work from home?
 |
| Martin Fischer, New York City's supposedly most disliked architect, is building this sweet Point Zero thing on Dorch |
Experts note that people who work from home are less stressed and are more productive. They don't have to commute and also are less alienated from their own surroundings and family.
Additionally the time spent gussying up one's hair, choosing and ironing shirts, hopping on a bus or driving to and from are totally wasted time.
I'd venture that employers can not only shave off office rental costs but also lower salaries slightly, as workers will give more to stay home.
Employers will also find it's a good method to lay people off, as as an employer can pull a Yahoo and order everybody to work from the office for a while and a bunch will doubtlessly just offer their resignations instead.
Commuting also pollutes and causes traffic jams, so there's a lot to be said for working from home.
One survey of 1,900 senior IT decision-makers in 19 countries predicted that by 2020 only six or seven out of 10 workers will actually go to the office.
I think it'll happen before then, some city will become impassable due to some natural disaster, forcing many of that town's residents to stay home to work and the result will be so successful that it'll change the working habits of the world.
So while I love to see Montreal's downtown area getting built up and attracting investment, it's not certain that the office and condo space now being built will be entirely needed.