DESIGN & INTERIORS
UNIQUE NOT UNIFORM
Tim Polisano, Senior Designer at Morgan Lovell, discusses the evolution of office design and the latest trends to make the most of your space, people and brand.
Whilst we have seen vast technological advances in the last 50 years that have fundamentally changed the way we work, the office has been slow to keep up. Little has changed in the physical environment, with some offices yet to reflect the differing needs of their employees – rows of desks in a big open plan space, with outdated storage solutions, vast empty meeting rooms and little (if any) break out areas.
In order to thrive, companies must address the evolving needs of their employees, and think about how changing the office environment can inject a new energy into the company. There are four key areas that define office space, which businesses should consider - design, technology, people and brand.
Design When thinking about your office design, it should be tailored to suit your organisation. What are the requirements of your business? How do you want people to feel when they enter the space? Should your reception be brand led, formal, informal? Are your employees predominantly office based, or do many of them work out in the field? Quite often, it’s a mixture of both and the modern workplace needs to support different ways of working. Spaces should support conversation and collaboration, as well as offer solutions for independent working.
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We recommend activity-based solutions incorporating desks integrated with areas of collaboration and quiet zones, all of which are technologically enabled so that employees can work wherever they like. Within these core attributes, other things to consider are the type of furnishings and layouts – would sit/stand desks suit your organisation? Do you need a range of informal and formal meetings rooms, and booths for private working?
Interestingly, we find that one of the most popular requests from companies looking to refurbish their office space is for coffee shop style break-out space. It is perfectly normal to have a meeting in a coffee shop nowadays, and the office is evolving so it can emulate this relaxed, informal setting. Some of the best ideas are thought up whilst relaxing, so it is important to place as much emphasis on the breakout space as everywhere else.
People Offices should be designed around their people – the lifeblood of the organisation. The workspace is fundamental to recruiting and retaining talent. Who are your employees and what do they need? We tend to categorise employees into four types; the roamer – the person who’s rarely in the office, the hopper – the person who is in a couple of days a week, the hugger – the person who is largely office based with occasional external meetings, and the anchor – the person who is in the office all week. Design solutions
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