The Comic Workplace

Advertising giant Wieden + Kennedy’s have installed a monochrome 2D office in the window of their London Headquarters, made entirely from card. The pop-up, comic-like workspace has everything from a working desk lamp, the ubiquitous office plant and filing cabinets, to more surreal elements such as a clock that goes backwards and a phone that constantly rocks from side to side, plus a rather ironic waste paper bin. It even has a typewriter fascia on the desk, no doubt to hide an otherwise out-of-place laptop. 

Employees of the agency will take turns to work inside the Real Life at Work installation, allowing passersby to see what they're up to. You can also watch whoever currently inhabits the window via a live video link at http://www.reallifewk.com/

The Ultimate Elegant Office

We have to say we are blown away with this contemporary office design in São Paulo, Brazil. A stark white interior decorated with eclectic, grandiose items, from ornate gold chandeliers to a white grand piano, create a space akin to an opulent townhouse or boutique hotel, or even an haute couture personal shopping suite – anything but a small office for a start-up brand design consultancy.

School/SS99 comprises a seven-strong workforce, all branding experts who left behind long-held positions at top advertising agencies to try something different. Its aim is to design a complete, coherent brand package for its clients, so it was vital that its own brand, from website to office space, was equally seamless.

The agency’s entire identity is based on the work of fashion designer Alexander McQueen, specifically his spring/summer 1999 collection (hence the firm’s mouthful of a name), thus the brand colours are black, white and gold, and its aesthetic is a mix of contemporary and traditional luxury. Consistent with this theme, the founders initially set out to find an office setting that was far removed from the cliches of a traditional, corporate setting, instead seeking a small, intimate space that, Hayashida says, was more like a London home. They found this 1950s house and stripped back many modern additions in order to create a blank canvas with character.

When it came to decoration, they didn’t do anything by halves. Absolute dedication to their McQueen theme saw Nogueira travel to New York and London sourcing unique items, such as vintage chandeliers and other golden details such as taps, door handles and even keys, because they just couldn’t find them in Brazil.

In the main entrance hall and meeting space, monochrome tiling covers the floors and brick-pattern white tiling covers one wall, an idea sourced from a New York subway station. The space is dotted with a mix of modern and classic furnishings, like Eames rockers from Vitra, a black Smeg fridge, a Chesterfield sofa that the duo reupholstered in white, and a coffee table made by adding ornate gold legs to a white cuboid top. The aforementioned grand piano, an original Diederichs & Freres from Russia, was reclaimed from a boat in São Paulo and revamped, creating an unintentional Liberace-style flamboyance, helped by fur rugs – added for much-needed cosiness.

The bathrooms are equally dramatic, with black tiles, gold finishes and a cabinet of beautifully packaged, far-too-nice-to-use toiletries, whereas the workspace is less ostentatious, with exposed original wood floors and three walls lined with idea-spurring high fashion magazines. Having said that, the design team does sit on Kartell’s Louis Ghost chairs, designed by Philippe Starck, around an antique Louis XV dining table adorned with Seletti candelabras. But that’s all part of the story School/SS99 is trying to tell. Its office exists as a working example of what the agency wants to achieve.

“One client said it reminded them of London,” says Hayashida proudly, “and another said that it felt like walking into our website. We don’t have much emphasis on interior design in Brazil, so they’re often surprised how an interior can be part of their brand. They come in, and straight away, they get it.”

Top 10 Office Design Trends

Here are Hi Designs top 10 office trends and our solutions for them.

1. Businesses emphasize collaboration.
Workplaces are becoming flatter, with less hierarchy and more emphasis on working together. As a result, office furniture is being designed for more casual collaboration, like modular desks that can be arranged and rearranged in a number of different configurations.

2. Everyone is expected to get their hands dirty.
CEOs no longer rely on a secretary for their grunt work. Executives are more hands on, answering e-mails and checking their tablets. As a result, executive chairs are now being designed with tuck-away tablets for CEOs to work on their iPads and smart phones.

3. You’re always working. 
Whether you are on a break, eating lunch, or waiting in a lobby, you need to be able to answer a call, check your e-mail, or browse the Internet. As a result, comfortable seating options with arm rests are designed for even the break room.

4. Workplaces are more creative. 
In the old days, companies and organizations were focused on efficiency. With so many American businesses working on intellectual property, workplaces are now designed to encourage creativity. That means office furniture is becoming more colorful with more artistic options.

5. Everyone is using lots of different kinds of technology.
In the past, you might have had just a computer on your desk. Today, you’re liable to be using a computer, a tablet, and a smart phone, sometimes all at the same time. Many office desks are now designed with two tabletop grommets to keep all your tech wires organized and out of the way.

6. Companies are trying to be more spontaneous.
Businesses no longer need just a set of office chairs for a group meeting. They need seating that can be configured on a fly for an ad hoc group of employees from different departments working on a project. That means office furniture needs to have more than one purpose, like chairs that have a swivel tablet for meetings that can be stowed when not in use (this makes the chair an option in other settings too).

7. Each worker is more important. 
Companies today are smaller, meaning each individual employee is more important. Today’s managers work harder to prevent employees from leaving, and one way they do this is by offering a comfortable work environment. As a result, office chairs for the everyday employee are now made from things like molded form soft seating that is ergonomically designed.

8. Everyone is working longer hours.
The days of 9-to-5 with an hour for lunch and three breaks are in the past. Today, chairs need to be designed with ergonomics in mind to allow workers to sit in them for long periods of time. That means office chairs are being designed for more than eight hours of use per day and come with as many as 16 different ergonomic configurations for customization.

9. Companies want to show they value the environment.
Companies are working to show that they care about the environment regardless of the industry. Furniture with low chemical emissions and made from recyclable material is one way to show this corporate value. As a result, office furniture that is Greenguard certified is becoming popular with workplaces that want to demonstrate their commitment to the environment.

10. More people are working from home. 
With an increasing number of companies allowing employees to work from remote locations, more people are working from their home office, which means there is a greater need for office furniture designed for home use, many times to fit smaller spaces. There are now more options than ever to design a home office that is stylish, yet efficient and comfortable.

Uplifting Design

Add a little blue sky thinking to your office or business by installing a piece of aviation history to the boardroom. We love this idea and put it forward for our aviation client BBA.

The Californian company called MotoArt has come up with an uplifting solution for what to do with decommissioned aircraft  as it turns them into eye-catching office furniture.

The craftsmen takes wings, spoilers, stabilisers, ailerons and engines from iconic planes such as the DC-4, the Boeing 727 and Boeing 747, C-119 and Albatross Aileron's and turns them into custom-made, glass-topped conference and office tables. The company also sells airplane seats.

One design sees a Boeing 747 jet engine cowling transformed into a conference table with room for twelve people around it. Measuring 12ft across, the General Electric engine nacelle houses internal LED lighting in different colours as well as six pop-up connection ports, 

The engine table is then topped with a B-52 engine spinner.

How to Create a Productive Office Environment

At the office we need all the inspiration we can get. Working out of an uninspiring grey bull pen will simply not help generate that award winning idea; landing that deal to pave way for your boss to give you that promotion. So, what can you do to help boost personal productivity in the work space? Well, quite a lot really. So, let’s remodel your forty-five-shades-of-grey-of-an-office and start getting your employee’s creative juices flowing! Here are some top tips on how to create a productive office environment. 

What motivates an employee?

When a company tries to recruit employees, it pulls out all the stops to make them feel welcome. A recent study by the American Society of Interior design investigated how employees felt within a workplace. The study revealed: 

• 31% of employees felt that the positive physical aspects of their workspace impacted their job satisfaction. 
• 41% of potential employees felt that the workspace influenced their decision to accept a job. 
• 51% of workers felt that the workspace plays a part in their decision to leave the company. 
• When it came to benefits of the job, comfort and aesthetic of the workplace came in at second after compensation. 

This study just goes to show that an office which is warm, comfortable and welcoming will give employees a sense of satisfaction with their jobs. If this is ignored, an office can be full of resentful people who are always on the cusp of leaving. So, what steps can be taken to inspire greatness within the office? 

Comfort 

An employee spends as much time at work as he does sleeping; so coming into the office should be a pleasurable experience. The more comfortable an office is, the more the employee will enjoy the tasks at hand. Design your office space with plenty of natural light, ventilation and purposely picked colours to suitably enrich the working experience. In doing this, absenteeism levels will drop among workers, whilst willingness to work and self-value will increase.

Aesthetics

As much as each worker wants a big window by their desk to let plenty of light in and gaze out of; it is not always possible. So, take a look at your office aesthetics. This may be changing the lighting fixtures, bringing some new plants in or even finding ways to incorporate some art into the office. Conduct small surveys and ask your team how to improve on the space around them. The inclusion of your employees in this will not only help create a better workspace, but will help to build rapport between boss and employee. 

Furniture 

The average employee spends many hours sitting down either on the phone or tapping away at a keyboard. Find chairs which are not only modern, but provide adjustable back & neck support. Furniture which can be moved around easily is also ideal, for it symbolizes a changeable working environment. Temperature Workers that are too hot or too cold will spend a lot of time saying how hot or cold they are, preventing them from working. You are never going to please the whole office with one temperature, so if possible create localized temperature settings so that you can please more workers. 

In doing all this you will have constructed a workplace which not only provides comfort but inspires greatness. Remember to regularly check in with your employees to see what is working and what is not to get the best results. 

Happy working, the Hi Team! x

Flexible Working.. What the experts say

We are always promoting flexibility in the workplace so it’s great to see key figures are also supporting it. Read below to find out their shared views.

Adam Crozier, chief executive of ITV:

When we set out to transform ITV it was clear that the ability of our people to work flexibly and adapt to a changing media environment would be a key part of that journey.

While there is still some way to go the changes we have made in our workplace technology have facilitated flexible and mobile methods of working, which have enabled staff to communicate and collaborate more effectively.

Creativity and consumer needs are at the heart of our business and increased agility in our workforce benefits both our employees, and our business, in particular our customers and clients.

The media landscape will continue to evolve and we will continue to look at ways to keep adapting for the needs of all our stakeholders.

Nick Clegg, Deputy Prime Minister:

The Coalition Government believes that a more flexible approach to working practices can deliver real benefits for business, the economy and families. The leadership being shown by the Agile Future Forum on flexible working practices is an important input for helping British business to be competitive in the global market place.

Martyn Phillips, chief executive of B&Q:

We're delighted to be a founder member of this new forward-looking employers' group, and are committed to encouraging and facilitating workplace agility not only to help future-proof our employment needs but also to help future-proof the careers of our employees.

B&Q has a strong track-record of flexible employment policies. They are core to our business and help us to ensure that we attract and retain a diverse talent pool: people who are able to work flexibly ensuring a work-life balance, who deliver a great service for our customers, and whose skills, knowledge and expertise we are able retain within our business.

Retail is renowned for being a dynamic sector, and that's no more true now with our constantly transforming operating environment. We look forward, through membership of the AFF, to working alongside other leading organisations to develop employer best practice to further strengthen the agility of our business.

John Cridland, CBI Director-General:

Businesses need to be agile as they go about creating and managing increasingly mobile workforces.

That means thinking about flexible working, responding to fluctuations in demand to meet business and customer needs, as well as engaging fully with staff.

The Agile Future Forum’s work throws a spotlight on both the tangible economic benefits of workforce agility and the challenges that lie behind building models of flexibility for the future which work for employers and employees.

Jo Swinson, Employment Relations Minister:

We know that flexible working is good for business - it can boost motivation and productivity of staff and ultimately help support growth of our economy. This report by the Agile Future Forum provides clear evidence to show this.

I welcome businesses taking the lead on this issue and demonstrating to other business how valuable flexibility can be. Sharing best practice is important in making sure that flexible working becomes the norm.

We love Dropboxes new head office

As Dropbox enthusiasts as Hi design we couldn't help but notice the inspiring new offices the file sharing geniuses have moved in to. Located in San Francisco and designed in collaboration between Geremia Design and Boor Bridges Architecture, the office space provides a flexible environment for the fast-growing team.

Geremia Design notes:

“We clad the entire core of the building in a washed black walnut, and used raw copper throughout the space that will continue to patina as it is used. The copper reception desk is an original design of ours, as are all of the conference room tables (fabricated by Alexis Moran), and the couch seating in the main lobby. We hired a local designer to make all of the desks and a traditional sign painting company for the signage above and around the conference rooms.

Plants, especially palm trees, were an important part of the design, we were dedicated to having a lot of greenery in the space. A collaboration with a local lighting designer led to the creation of innovative LED lighting in the office, rather than the traditional fluorescent lights found in most offices. We designed a ping pong ball wall was an experimental art piece in one of the hallways. The creation of office lounges were an important part of our design, our design included a music room with a grand piano and a beautiful custom chandelier designed by Lindsey Adelman.”

Boor Bridges Architecture notes:

“If cubicles are the suburbs then our approach to Dropbox HQ is downtown, with their core product as the design inspiration.  The company’s new workspace a simple, well-executed container that maximizes functionality and allows for customization without compromising honest aesthetics.  Our design reiterates our belief that all spaces – particularly the all-too-often neglected office – deserve real materials and attentive, appropriately-scaled interventions.

The primary challenge of this design was to continue the charged and collaborative newsroom feel of the company’s former open office space, while planning for projected growth that could more than quadruple staff.”

Location: San Francisco
Size: 87,000 sf
Completion: Spring 2012
Design: Geremia Design
Contractor: Skyline Construction
Architecture: Boor Bridges Architecture
Photography: Bruce Damonte and Boor Bridges Architecture

We think Geremia Design have done a fantastic job and we can really appreciate their creative use of space and colours. We also love the exposed ceilings as its something we would love to do with the right client!

Could that be you?.. take a look here