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Ep 26: The genius of inclusive workplace design and how it improves D&I with Matteo Zallio

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Helen McGuire
by Helen McGuire

When we don’t consider inclusion when designing our workspaces, we’re putting challenges in people’s way before they even get through the door.

In this episode of The D&Igest, we spoke with Matteo Zallio, award winning architect, researcher, designer and coach. And to top it off, he’s also a senior research fellow at Cambridge university. Matteo focuses on designing inclusive workplaces for large organisations. He aims to bring inclusion and accessibility to the world through people-first design.

In our chat, Matteo shared with us what inclusive design means and how he puts it into practice to create buildings that are comfortable, healthy and guarantee a sense of belonging. There are still many inequalities when it comes to using products and services and accessing buildings. Matteo stresses that companies should be considering how they can bring people back into the office feeling happy, and how this leads to more successful and productive staff.

We also discussed:

  • Why did Matteo choose to focus on workplace design?

  • How can business owners help staff feel included?

  • What are Matteo’s biggest success stories?

  • What challenges and pushback has Matteo experienced against his work?

Matteo’s passion and expertise are fascinating to listen to, and his aim of bringing inclusive design into the mainstream is inspiring.

Listen on Apple Podcasts here

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