38 . Glasgow Business February 2017
Brave new workplace
With a lot of people spending more time in the office than at home each day, it’s essential that the office is not only conducive to constructive and collaborative work, but is also a pleasing and stimulating environment to work in. In the US, tech companies such as Google, Facebook and Amazon are renowned for installing a wide range of fun facilities at their office, such as slides, tree houses and rock-climbing walls, to inspire their employees to be more energetic and creative, and also attract new talent to their organisations. This was also Andrew Dobbie’s thinking when he wanted to expand into new office space for his creative agency MadeBrave®. He explained: “I was looking
to create an office environment similar to those developed by big tech firms in Silicon Valley – a bright, roomy and playful office space that people would enjoy coming to. “I was finding it hard to find
a suitable venue in Glasgow but when I saw The Albus Building in the east of the city, with its big open-plan space and industrial style architecture, I knew this was the place for my business. “Our people often spend more
time at work than at home so it’s important that we have a nice environment in which to work and help promote creativity.” Andrew worked with
architects to develop the most effective layout for the office, as well as provide a bright colour scheme featuring LED lighting. Since Andrew could not find the right office furniture to use, he commissioned his own using sanded and varnished OSB wood panels, which gives a natural and funky feel to the office. He’s even provided a Segway for employees
to have fun around the office. However, with 24 staff, and
further expansion planned, Andrew is now looking to incorporate some meeting rooms into his open plan format, and is working with his architect to develop glass-based modules that do not compromise the open and spacious feel of the office. However, another option
to develop discreet and private breakout meeting areas is by using mobile partition systems, currently being promoted by Saxon office furniture suppliers in Ayrshire. Sales Director Chris Arkley
explained: “Office design appears to go in cycles: we’ve gone from individual cubicles to open plan formats, and now we are finding there is an increasing need from companies to create private meeting spaces away from the rest of the office. “Rather than building individual meeting rooms and compromising the architectural integrity of an open plan office, mobile partition systems have the flexibility to be positioned and arranged anywhere in the office. “And as they are also
upholstered in acoustic dampening materials this both blocks out noise from the rest of the office while keeping meetings confidential.” Chris said that acoustic office
“furniture” is proving very popular in large offices as the fabrics can also be customised to match the branding of the organisation or colour scheme of the office. The whole effect is integrated, giving employees a pleasing and comfortable working environment. He added: “We installed
acoustic absorbing features to the walls of large offices as artwork to lower ambient noise, so there are a lot of really cool things you can do with these new systems.”
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