Susan Whittle,
Managing Director of Hi Design explains
how office design needs to adapt to change:
The pace of
change to the global economy is unrelenting, and it’s now harder than ever to
predict the future shape of the working environment. However what is clear is
that the way we work is also constantly evolving, so office design needs to
adapt to this change.
The best
designs are always the ones that mould to a business’s culture and dovetail
smoothly with what works efficiently already. What seldom works is a ‘one size
fits all’ template design, imposed without a proper understanding of what makes
the business tick.
Although office
design varies from client to client and by market sector, it is fair to say
there are a few key points that should never be overlooked when considering any
office refurbishment:
- Need for flexibility
for multi-functional spaces and furniture solutions
- Importance
of controlling costs and specifying ‘best value’ products
- Need for
employee and visitor comfort
- Need to
attract and retain the right staff
- Need to
reflect the client’s brand, ethos and vision
- Promotion
of better internal team communication
- The
ability to adapt to changing technology
- The
environmental impact the project will have
Gone are the
days when simply specifying a design because it looks aesthetically pleasing
will suffice, and every product chosen must now earn its place within the
design. Each must be competitively priced, flexible in use and robust enough to
stand the test of time.
The need to
embrace changing technology and work practices (such as hot-desking and
home-working) requires offices to be adaptable and to be quickly adjustable to
whatever’s coming next.
Using desks and
meeting stations that can be swiftly and easily reconfigured facilitates
changes to the work-space that match the business’s needs, be it growth,
downsizing or other change, without having to buy new furnishings or fixtures.
For example, Senator’s Core furniture range is constructed in a similar way to
a Lego set. The legs and beams may start life as part of a wave desk, but can
be dismantled and re-assembled to form a 120 degree cluster. This flexibility
not only helps the environment but also saves clients’ money.
With the
increased popularly of home-working and ‘hot desking’, bench style furniture
provides the ideal solution. These large 'dining table’ style desks have set
back legs and fewer dividing screens. The availability of desktop power and
data along the run of desks means that staff can sit anywhere and as numbers
increase, people simply move along the bench to accommodate them.
Under the
prevailing economic climate, the need to keep overheads to a minimum is
critical, and clever space-planning can help
avoid unnecessary expenditure on additional square footage.
Therefore, today’s spaces are created to be multi-use: kitchens become informal
meeting areas and boardrooms become staff recreation areas. It is important
that offices do not become too static and inflexible as the new age of
coffee shop meetings and ultra-mobile staff becomes the norm.
When deciding
how to plan office space, its important to think not just about how the
business works now but how it might need to work in the future. If meetings can
take place in a more relaxed environment then why not accommodate additional
informal areas? With the prevalence of wireless technology, these areas become
more widely usable and accessible.
The phrase
“work is something that you do and not a place where you go” echoes this new
thinking about flexibility and mobility. It’s about using technology to enable
work from many different locations at times that suit the individual and the
business. Working from home is now an everyday reality for many types of
workers, including full-time employees who are positively encouraged by many
business owners to do so.
Whilst working
from home has its obvious benefits, it is vital that staff do not feel isolated
and the need for close colleague collaboration remains. We can work from home
or in a coffee shop, but it is rare that we can each do all the work alone. So
the only way we can support teamwork is to create places where people can come
together. The new trend in office design has seen a dramatic growth in
clustered office space; rows of cubicles have been replaced with non-linear,
organic layouts that group staff together.
There is a
trend even for senior staff to be accommodated in such cluster
layouts rather than private offices, as team-led working cultures are fostered,
with companies encouraging staff to learn from and inspire each other. The main
advantage of such an approach is its appeal to employees, especially younger
staff members who tend to prefer a more open and collaborative workplace
landscape.
High dividing
panels are giving way to open environments with lower partitions that are easy
to scan over and around. They help staff feel more connected with colleagues
and give access to natural light and outdoor views, both of which have a
positive impact on wellbeing and productivity. The direct connection between
wellbeing and productivity now informs and shapes office design in ways that
would have remained unconsidered until relatively recently.
However, open
plan offices will not suit everyone. Some departments such as Finance or HR (or
at least their senior staff), will require separation, particularly where
privacy and quiet space are essential to their function. Again, by careful
space-planning, a good office interior designer will ensure that each
department’s needs are met and sensitive teams are strategically located.
When
considering design, the emotional, physical and financial needs of a business
each have to be considered carefully, and just as no two clients are the same,
so no two designs are the same. Any interior design needs to be flexible,
easily reconfigured, cost effective and must suit the needs of the individual
business.
As a practice
we always use our experience to suggest new ways of working and alternative
products, but ultimately it is our client’s space, their staff and their money.
We are simply the conduit to bring all of their needs and wants together in a
creative way to deliver an inspiring working environment which supports the
business and help it to succeed.
For more
information, free downloadable guides and advice on how to get the most from
your space contact click here
