The continued evolution of office interiors
The past few years have seen marked changes, but we haven’t finished altering the ways we inhabit the big commercial builds known as office blocks. While these changes weren’t intended to be long-term, they have persisted into a fairly recovered world and remain relevant. Restrictions triggered by the pandemic forced companies to adapt, and we were all faced with new challenges to accommodate remote working. Many of these measures soon became the norm and the ‘new way of working’. Today, it has altered the benchmark for a normal day at the office. But what does that mean for office interior design?
The motivation and the means
This global shift has shown us that it is, in fact, possible to work differently, despite many decades of a largely rigid approach to designing office environments. An impressive number of companies were able to adapt, provided they had the means to facilitate this change, but many others struggled. Certain types of work simply aren’t conducive to working remotely. Even after endless mark-ups on a screen, nothing quite matches the energy of sitting around a table and sketching ideas on a piece of paper with colleagues.
The hybrid solution
In these shifting boundaries of home and office life, hybrid working was born. Office design had to evolve to accommodate the needs of both remote and in-office employees. Regardless of personal preference, no one can argue that paying for an empty office building is financially viable. Industry-wide, there has subsequently been a drop in the number of new builds, with a rise in office refurbishments, as companies make necessary changes to reduce overhead costs. Not only did this model change the way we approach workspaces, but it also brought with it new minimum requirements to enable work to happen.
Post-Covid design strategies
There are a few things we know for sure. Open plan offices can be reduced by more than half in size if staff are only required to come to the office 2-3 days a week. Unassigned desks can be supplemented by ancillary areas to do less-focussed tasks. Collaborative areas have replaced the need for multiple meeting rooms, by offering a range of efficient set-ups to accommodate different ways of working.
Flexible furniture and versatile layouts ensure that areas can easily be adapted to suit changing needs. The close proximity of workstations to collaboration areas and breakaway spaces improves workflow and productivity by minimising wasted space and maximising efficiency. These areas are no longer exclusive and should be clustered together to enable a simple transition between physical and virtual work, making it easier for employees to navigate the office and collaborate effectively. Quiet zones can be identified and demarcated for focussed or deep work when individuals need to work undisturbed for longer periods of time. Individual, enclosed booths are also located centrally or along corridors to provide temporary privacy for online meetings or personal calls.
Comfort vs functionality
Good design can have a positive effect on the way we work by increasing productivity. It can shape how we interact with our environment, and ultimately our attitudes, experiences, and behaviours. The change back from home to office has raised certain expectations of comfort versus functionality. Comfortable work environments contribute to employee well-being, job satisfaction, and overall productivity. Finding the right balance between comfort and functionality means that spaces that are optimised for different tasks and work styles ensure that employees have the resources and tools on hand to perform effectively.
We know that communication and connectivity are paramount. In an age where your smartphone is like a second skin, we take our work with us wherever we go. Features such as integrated AV systems and connectivity infrastructure can serve well in this case to streamline daily tasks and facilitate collaboration among remote and in-office teams.
Community and company culture
One of the biggest challenges of hybrid working is maintaining company culture and a sense of community. Communal spaces, shared amenities, and branding elements all promote cohesion and teamwork. A sense of belonging can be a powerful driver of employee engagement. It is up to organisations to seek office design which can cultivate stronger, more cohesive teams by promoting a culture of inclusivity and teamwork.
Finally, a hybrid office requires continuous improvement, with the ability to recognise when a system does not work, identify ways to improve it, and know when change is needed. More importantly, it requires the willingness to adapt by fostering a culture of flexibility and resilience for the of corporate life.
This article is an extract from our May Issue. Read the full issue here.
