When it comes to the all-important redesign of your office environment it can be difficult to even know where to start. Should you, for instance, go all out ‘open plan’ and abandon your imposing board room altogether? Or maybe the best idea is to compromise and have a huddle of small meeting pods in the centre of the room?
Then again, what about hot desking and colour-coordinated areas? And really, who needs a conference table when walking meetings are all clients seem to insist on these days?
One of the factors that makes coming up with ideas for a new office redesign so overwhelming at times is that there are so many personalities to take into account. There is also the knowledge that the design of your office can have a profound effect on the office culture and, as a result, the future of your business.
For inspiration, here are exemplary office designs that do exactly what the client’s brief outlined from the start:
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The Flexible Office
Moving from a cubicle-based and segmented workforce into a more open-plan and fluid office environment was what Californian internet security company Malwarebytes had in mind when they had their new 50,900 square feet of office space designed. Versatile modular furniture which could be doubled up, separated, stacked or used to form a giant conference table added to the new feeling of ‘openness’ management were after, while it also added a sense of ‘adaptability’ and ‘dynamism’ for staff.
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The super-sociable office
Creating a relaxed environment for staff so that they socialised in the office as well as worked there, was the intention of online survey company Typeform’s office design team. As a result they built a bar – complete with beer taps – in the reception of the 21,000 square foot office. It means that staff at the Barcelona based start-up can relax together and have a drink in the office once they’ve finished work and even have breakfast as a team in the morning.
The adaptable office
The walls really do speak at the former four storey bank in Malmo Sweden and whose top floor is now furniture retail king IKEA’s Creative Hub. In what is known as the Creative Meeting Room, the walls are covered in washable whiteboard paint. This is to allow designers to instantly sketch out an idea whenever it hits them so that they don’t forget it while foraging for pen and paper. Let’s hope no-one else absent-mindedly rubs it off…
The chilled office
If there was one place where meditation pods were going to be installed – and, indeed, become a feature of the office design – it was at Headspace, the company who designed the successful mindfulness app. The US and UK offices also boast a Group Meditation Room and another for sole meditation should staff feel a pressing need to chill.
The ‘green’ office
Most millennials have had the need to be vigilant about the planet drummed into them from a young age, and since these are the workers of the future it makes sense for companies to be more eco-minded. Plants are a good way to introduce a more environmentally-friendly feel into your office space. Washington law company Dixon Peabody took the whole concept a step further when they started growing herbs in the company canteen which staff could trim and add to their meals.
Reading the above it’s clear that an office redesign requires imagination, knowledge about current trends and a ‘feel’ for what your staff need and want. And the best way to achieve this is to turn to the office design experts. Put it this way, it’s far too important to leave to chance.
This article was supplied by Opus-4; experts in office redesign.