Design of the times

It seems that even in these trying economic conditions, working environments and space planning continue to be at the forefront of many businesses’ agendas. During times of hardship in the economy, a lot of weight is placed on property and innovations within the workplace sector in terms of sourcing opportunities to reduce costs and increase productivity. Property tends to be the second largest expense for most companies, second only to personnel; therefore it is vital that a business maximises its return on such a large expense. Many companies are reviewing their interiors and adapting to meet demanding twenty-first century standards, with the emphasis on sustainable construction and the value and significance of workforces.

As the working environment changes, today’s office is radically different from the traditional workplace. The state of the economic market, advances in technology, changes in socio-demographics and attitude to work are a few of the aspects affecting office design. Now that people have got used to the economic climate they can now look beyond it and try to understand the type of world we will be living in. Rapidly changing workforces and consideration of environmental performance have pushed facilities managers into having to assess the way forward and have changed the way they think about their modern workplaces.

Times like these offer the chance to focus on what a property offers the organisation. Financial issues such as cutting costs and reducing space are important design issues and give businesses an opportunity to focus on the workplace as an agent of change. The office or workplace is a communicator of identity, not only to the business but for staff and customers alike. The design of a workplace can be used as a tool of change management and a motivator of people. It can help a business evolve into one that is better able to thrive and rise to the challenges of the future. Office design is no longer dictated by traditional methods such as cost per employee or job tides.

Today’s businesses are being forced to look hard into squeezing efficiency and productivity from every inch of office space, with a backdrop of changing workplace trends. A mobile workforce is emerging as radical advances in the power and performance of technology, together with flexible working attitudes mean that workers and businesses alike are realising that you don’t have to go to work to ‘work’. Priorities are changing in a non-stop technology-driven, 24 hour global economy meaning that work can be done any time of the day, anywhere. As a result of this, remote working or ‘cloud computing’ is becoming ever popular. The conventional office design with individual work desks no longer satisfies the emerging workplace trends. Desktop equipment has become redundant in many businesses as technology is liberating workers from being bound to the office.

The average desk footprint is set to continue to reduce as laptops and other mobile technology replace the traditional desk top equipment. The introduction of office furniture concepts such as bench desking compliment this trend. Research has shown that many desks are empty for extended periods of time as people opt to work from home or their role requires that they only work a few days per week in the office.

The key to a successful office design is finding a careful balance between practical functionality and professional appearance. This can include features such as breakout zones, one to one pods and similar areas which encourage interaction and collaboration between colleagues, interesting storage solutions or interactive furniture, for instance movable tables, allowing people to hold impromptu meetings easily without having to have a specific meeting room.

Staff always fear that an open plan office space will be a noisy environment where ‘chicken runs’ are created. However, this will only happen if it is badly planned. Evidence is that ‘white noise’ keeps noise levels in open areas to a hush. Cleverly broken up zones with storage, part height walls, glass partitions, graphics and soft zones can make the open plan office a friendly, interesting and vibrant place to work.

However, many companies simply do not have unlimited cash to spend on office design. In this instance it is important to remember that it is not how big a space is, it is what you do with it. It is certainly possible to be economical with your design and use of materials and still adhere to H&S and DDA standards as well as reflecting the latest environmental issues.

By introducing more innovative and inspirational designs it is possible to improve the working environment of even the smallest offices, while still being cost aware.

Involving employees in the whole design process can make them feel more valued, without breaking the bank. It may also bring to light exactly what is required from a particular space; rather than simply fitting in a particular number of desks. Furthermore, increasing staff involvement can highlight problems with the current working environment, which might have been overlooked in the past.

One of the challenges faced by designers and facilities managers is how to take into consideration the needs of the older worker and their views on the traditional office, the needs of the emerging younger, technology-savvy worker as well as the demands of future workplace trends. Companies have to consider a blend of all of these factors and combine them to provide a suitable working environment for all.

Maximum occupancy within offices and the introduction of flexible ways of working create challenges to many colleagues. Communication and education is needed to explain the benefits of this new doctrine of working. New and old staff need to be made aware of how new systems work. Communication is the key. Staff will want to stay at a company that has listened to their needs and acted upon them. Working closely with steering groups within a corporation helps the designer create an identity which ‘branding’ can enforce tenfold.

A good office design can encourage positivity in staff, improve staff retention and reflect and enforce brand identity. Knowing and understanding inter-departmental dependencies ensures that each department is ideally positioned to support interaction, encourage team work and collaboration. Understanding the work function of each department and job role is also essential in the design process. The ‘one size fits all’ approach has no place in the design of the modern office. Staff requirements need to be reflected in the everyday working environment with different zones complimenting this environment in a practical way (and not just for effect).

Office design trends will continue to meet the comfort needs of end-users. As advances in technology seem set to continue, designers and facilities managers will be forced to provide new initiatives that facilitate these emergent demands. As a more diverse and flexible workforce evolves, design trends will need to adapt to suit a wide range of tastes and requirements.

It looks as if design trends will revolve around technology, flexibility, efficiency and comfort as space affordability and an increasingly diverse workforce become the main issues of concern in the future.

For more information: Fran Hamilton is lead designer at Visual i’s consultancy, offering office design, project and relocation management. Visit: visuali-s.com