Abstract

Industry 4.0, also referred to as industry of the fourth generation, has attracted a great deal of attention in recent research and publications. Although the majority of relevant literature remains focused mainly on the technical or economic aspects of the concept (including advanced manufacturing technologies, information technology issues, and efficiency), some of the latest contributions identify its broader perspectives, such as the possible benefits it can create for sustainability or the way it can potentially incite social innovation. The article aims to contribute to the discussion on how the vision of Industry 4.0 influences the definition and spatial typology of workplaces, focusing on the environments that are meant to inspire humans’ creativity. The analysis is based on multiple case studies, and the projects selected for the study are modern industrial plants designed by architecture students at the Poznań University of Technology. The interest in engaging architecture students in the study lies in exploiting their ability as young designers to perceive future-oriented trends in design. The results of the analysis include the identification of some spatial features that characterize creative workplaces in modern industrial plants, whose general functional principles comply with the concept of Industry 4.0. They can be considered as some of the guidelines for developing new factory models.