Where culture comes to work:
How connection, culture, and community define performance
Guests Esme Banks Marr from BVN Architecture and James Calder from Placing chat with Earle Arney from AFK Studios about the future of the workplace.
AFK Studios Podcast #1
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Click the video below to see the conversation.
Introduction
The workplace has transformed. It is no longer just a desk or a destination, but a place to connect, to feel part of something bigger, and to work in environments that support both wellbeing and performance. People now expect flexibility, meaningful collaboration, and spaces that respond to how they work best, whether that’s in the office, at home, or somewhere in between.
In AFK Studios’ first podcast in this series, Founder and CEO Earle Arney explores this evolution with two leading voices in workplace consulting and design: Esme Banks Marr of BVN Architecture and James Calder of Placing. Together, they discuss what the workplace must become to attract people with purpose and create thriving communities of work.
Earle: Welcome to our discussion about the future of the workplace—a subject that’s undergone a dramatic re-evaluation in recent years. Where we work is now inseparable from how we feel, how we learn, and who we become. And if there’s one constant we’ve seen, it’s that people expect more: More flexibility, more belonging, more purpose. It’s no longer just the office. It’s a community. Esme, this is where you often say the shift began well before 2020, right?
Esme: Definitely. The pandemic just forced everyone to notice. Suddenly, workplace design wasn’t a niche topic. It was everywhere. But the truth is: the workplace model needed to evolve long ago. Culture, wellbeing, how we connect—those were already changing. COVID just accelerated it.
Earle: And James, you’ve said that for a long time things were, well, stuck.
James: Very stuck. A lot of workplace solutions were simply repeating themselves with the same layouts and same assumptions. But the pressure is building. New generations, new expectations, new technologies, all saying, “We need something better.” I think we’re at the tipping point of a major leap forward.
Culture: The Heart of the Workplace
Earle: For many professional services firms, culture is the beating heart of the business. It’s how the firm grows leaders, builds judgement, shapes identity. A home for a practice isn’t just where work happens but also where judgement is formed.
Esme: Yes! And culture isn’t décor. it is emotional. It’s how a place feels. Our job isn’t to decorate culture… it’s to reveal it. To create places where confidence grows because people are learning, connecting, and being seen.
James: And that’s why people come in. Not because of a mandate, but because that’s where community is. The workplace should feel like a magnet where you want to be because your colleagues, your mentors, your tribe are there.
The Power of Proximity
Earle: And let’s be real: A junior won’t learn judgement from a chatbot.
James: Exactly. We forget that judgment is a social skill learned by watching, listening, absorbing subtle cues. That’s why the office becomes more essential, not less, in an AI world.
Esme: We can’t let technology remove the human side of learning. Younger professionals need access to the experts providing need mentorship, encouragement, even the occasional “Hey, let me show you something.”
Earle: You don’t get that popping into a Zoom link.
Esme: No, you need the buzz, the spontaneity, the people.
The Vertical Grove: Designing Connection
Earle: So how do we make buildings that support that? Particularly in tall buildings, how do we avoid silos?
James: The answer is movement. You build a workplace that encourages people to effortlessly cross paths. A vertical stair done well becomes the living link of a business. It’s how a firm’s culture stays connected, visible, and alive.
Esme: And it can’t be a symbolic stair—it needs purpose. It needs to bring people together, vertically and socially. That’s when the workplace becomes a village.
Earle: Exactly! A place where ideas take root and grow.
Wellbeing is Performance
Earle: Let’s talk wellness. Not beanbags and kombucha, but real, human performance.
Esme: Wellness is dignity. It’s the right light, clean air, quiet focus when you need it, energy when you don’t. It’s belonging. When people feel well, they think better, work better, live better.
James: And leaders are now measuring this. A healthier workplace means a more successful organisation, especially in a profession like law where people are the business.
Technology and the Human Advantage
Earle: There is no question that AI will change service delivery.
James: Yes, but AI isn’t replacing curiosity, wisdom or judgement. It just takes the process out. Which means the office becomes the place where the real work happens: Relationship-building, learning, becoming trusted advisers.
Esme: The role of place is to amplify what humans do best.
Flexibility, Variety & Pride
Earle: But people want choice and connection, right?
Esme: It’s not home or office. It’s a spectrum from cafés and collaborative settings to focused environments. When designed with intention, it creates pride. Confidence. Belonging.
James: When the workplace is energising and supportive, people want to come in. You don’t need to enforce it.
A Workplace that Evolves
Earle: Is it fair to say that the very best workplaces never stop evolving?
Esme: That’s right. Transformations must include iteration and experimentation, trying new ideas and refining them over time. The world will keep shifting, so workplaces must be resilient and adaptable.
Closing Thought
Earle: So to summarise, the workplace must be a place where performance, purpose and wellbeing intertwine, where culture thrives and people flourish.
Esme: A workplace that feels alive.
James: A place of community.
Earle: Indeed. A home for excellence.
Hear the full episode
Click on the image at the top of the page to start playing, or view it on Vimeo here
Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , and Amazon , or on RSS .
