People are spending more and more time at work with Britons on average using 35% of their waking hours in the office, so it is crucial to keep employees motivated whilst incorporating the latest design trends to any work space. As understanding of cognitive behaviour at work develops, we see new methods of working being introduced and with this comes new and innovative office design.
Managing Director of DV8 Designs Lee Birchall discusses what design elements are taken into consideration to enhance productivity and create a modern business space that will stand out from the crowd and become a unique selling point in its own right.
Lee said: “There is no denying that office space has come a long way since the basic and uninspiring set ups that we were familiar with just 20 years ago. Following the likes of global giants such as Google and Facebook, more and more companies recognise that the working environment can have a huge impact of staff and in turn affects productivity and motivation. As a result, we have seen the world of work undergo a design makeover. It is not uncommon for businesses to put a significant budget behind developing or regenerating office space, hoping to achieve something practical yet totally unique that adds yet another talking point to their offering.
“Creating flexible working space is key for me as a designer. Before my team goes to the drawing board with design concepts it is paramount to really get to grips with the space itself and think ergonomically about how best to adapt it to suit the needs of the business. This could be something as simple as changing office configuration or it could be structural to add smaller areas for individual or group work for example.
“Multi-Zonal working spaces are in huge demand and we recently completed a project which centred around creating adaptable areas to accommodate different styles of working including isolated working, training and briefings through to idea sharing areas. The design brief specified that the space should promote the development of staff and for this reason we wanted to create an open plan feel to enhance communication and create a community feel. Subtle or even removable partitions are a great way to create zones whilst being as unrestrictive as possible, encouraging open working especially within a large team.