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Hosting a livestream event on 17 September, Implenia and the World Council of Churches (WCC) invited speakers and fostered a dialogue that showed how Green Village will be the place to be for the way of work in the future.
Camille Sainte-Rose, Implenia’s team leader for Real Estate Development, opened the livestream with an introduction to Implenia, the developer of the Green Village. “The goal of the project is really to make the very best use of the site not only for the WCC but also for the other international organizations that will come there,” she said. “One challenge at the start was how to deal with the site’s existing buildings.”
Those “existing buildings” include the chapel in the Ecumenical Centre, which is now classified as an historic building in Geneva. WCC interim general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca reflected on the deep meaning of the chapel and, more widely, on the values that the WCC holds precious. “The first value is to bring people together in dialogue and cooperation,” he said. “Another value is commitment to sustainability; and both of these values are deeply integrated in the planning of Green Village.”
Christoph Magnussen, co-founder of a mobile phone company, “reCommerce”, which grew from Swiss francs 1M to 31M revenue in less than five years, defined the concept of “new work” in 10 seconds. “New work is work that makes people stronger instead of weaker,” he said. Reflecting on our ability to anticipate what may change in the way of work, he observed: “We tend to overestimate what can happen in one year but underestimate what can happen in 10 years.”
Antoine Verdon is an expert on “blockchain”, the new technology, which is fundamentally changing business concepts. "This is really hard to fathom but I think we are on the verge of having our lives changing in ways that we need some time to comprehend,” he said. “Is your boss a human being or is it an algorithm?”
Laura Venchiarutti, an expert on artificial intelligence, reflected on how artificial intelligence should be placed at the service of a sustainable humanity. “Artificial intelligence can shift work in a new way of beneficial activities—and shift beneficial activities to excellence,” she said. “When you do a dream job without ever noticing it, you become excellent.”
In conclusion, Magnussen observed: "New technology will deliver smart buildings, connected for people, and for optimal collaboration in the new way of work, green spaces are integrated in the design."
