2019 October 30 | Sydney Moeller
In an age where time is more valuable than ever, companies are always looking for ways to maximize their teams’ time. AI, digital assistants and automation are innovations that are providing new ways to increase productivity in the workplace. However, there is more that can be done to increase efficiency in the workplace – and it starts from the ground up with office design.
Several design elements can be incorporated into a space to create a productive and purposeful office environment to fit any company’s needs.
While open office plans have done a lot to foster collaboration in the workplace, adding active components to a team member’s workspace can make that process even faster and easier. Companies can utilize design and furniture, like movable tables, whiteboards and space dividers to allow the user to transform their space, in minutes, to fit their work needs.
Recently, our team started placing desks on casters and including a flexible power source to allow individuals to easily move throughout the office, collaborate across teams and easily reconfigure their areas.
Co-working spaces provide comfortable and reliable areas for freelancers, telecommuters and small businesses to work. We’ve designed co-working spaces, like Industrious, to create a sense of community amongst its users.
Interior of the Industrious co-working space we designed.
From an architectural perspective, our team has also worked with developers to design larger floor plates within office buildings to accommodate flexibility within the entire space. This includes increasing the size from a standard of 18,000 – 20,000 sq. ft. to 25,000 -26,000 sq. ft. to allow room for shared workspaces not just within their office but between companies as well.
Companies work hard to create a culture that supports their employees, so why not have an office space that reinforces those values? Whether it be glass walls for transparency, custom murals that represent the company’s history or subtle displays of a company mission – we’ve found that emphasizing a company’s culture, through design and beyond, has proven to help with retention and provided a winning solution for clients.
As technology continues to change the way we work, and a new generation moves into the workforce, designing and diversifying office spaces to accommodate a variety of workstyles is essential for keeping morale and productivity high in the office.