Revolutionizing Office Space
Redesigning Offices for Better and Workable Space
TABLE OF CONTENT
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Theme and Scope
Target market
Type of office designs
In the near future – Technology & design
Case studies – Creative & fun offices
Proposed solution
Conclusion
References
ABSTRACT
These days, majority of people works in offices and therefore, great portion of their time is actually
spent in office environments. For them, work is a significant part of their life and therefore, it is
important to ensure that they have a good working environment as environment is crucial in
determining the stress level of the society. The lesser the stress level and the happier the users are,
the more productive they will be. The right working environment will translate into users wanting to
come and feel good about where they work. Research has shown that stressful working environment
can lead up to various health problems. How can we improve the working environment to make it
more “livable” and fun for the users? The answer is to make office space feels like a place where they
can work and “breathe” at the same time.
ABOUT ME
Angeline is an aspiring interior designer who is currently a 3rd
year’s Interior Design & Architecture student at Temasek
Polytechnic. She is an independent and self-motivated
person who takes genuine interest in design. Besides that
she also strives for continuous personal growth.
1. THEME AND SCOPE
In the past, life used to be more slow-paced and people spend more of their time
socializing and bonding with others. It is not so much about work but living their life to
their fullest. Therefore, there are lesser health-related problems occurring back then.
What dominates human’s life nowadays? It is not family nor fun activities. Instead, work
prevails over everything else and our lives are more work-centered and hectic in the
present.
In the last six months, a survey of 3,051 people reveals that almost 50% have been
significantly stressed and their stress was work-related. The survey by Robertson Cooper
showed that people who are stressed are more likely to experience health problems. The
stress will cause them to be less productive in their jobs. Managing stress in the
workplace can be challenging for both employees and employers. Taking steps to tackle
stress in the workplace will definitely benefit the health, well-being and morale of an
employer’s workforce.
Work-related stress affects not only the health and well-being of employees, but also the
productivity of organisations and it is a growing problem around the world. health and
well-being of employees, but also the productivity of organisations. It normally occurs
when demands from work exceed the person’s capacity to cope. I can be caused by other
events as well such as conflict with co-workers or bosses, constant change and threats to
job security i.e. high turnover.
How bad the stress level depends on each person’s characteristics and psychological
make-up, for example what one person may perceive as challenging, another may view as
stressful
simply
because
of
the
difference
in
capability.
Recognizing the impact of occupational stress on work performance, research is carried
out to determine whether office design plays a part in inducing stress. As an employer, it
is important to ensure that the employees have conducive working environment. Bad
working environment will lead employers to record loss in productivity to stress through
absenteeism, reduced work output, and increased disability claims. Employer can play
their part through investing in better office design to make office space feels like the
employees’ second home where they will feel comfortable working at.
2. TARGET MARKET
The main target market for the proposed office design solution is office worker who
works in creative or service industries. What are creative industries? Creative industries
can also be called cultural industries. They include:
• Advertising
• Architecture
• Broadcast media
• Design – Fashion design, graphic design, interior design, product design
• Gaming software, new media
• Film
• The “finer “arts – literary, visual and performance arts
• Libraries, museums, heritage
• Music
• Photography
• Print media
• Object d’art – Glass, ceramics, cutlery, crafts, jewelry
These are the people who constantly needs creative juices to flow in their minds and
they spend most of their time in the offices. They need a conducive and relaxing
environment to enable them to be inspired and come up with new fresh ideas.
Moreover, the creative and cultural industries are a sector of the economy that has
exhibited strong long-term growth and nowadays, more industries are linked to design in
a certain ways and the prospect of having design infused with other industries enhanced
the working experience. For example, according to Daily Sundial (2011), creative
industry is expected to grow over the next five years. Direct employment in the creative
industries is expected to increase by more than 4 percent, or 13,100 jobs, by 2015.
3. TYPE OF OFFICE DESIGNS
The different type of office design might have different impact on stress level. Human
being is now the focus of office planning and soft factors (non-measurable for example,
feelings etc.) is increasingly considered to measure employee productivity and is no longer
measured in terms of number. Interpersonal contact amongst peer is promoted. There are
both positive and negative consequences when interpersonal contact occurred at work.
Positive contact, such as peer friendships, can be a channel for the employees to distress
and can be one of the factor that makes employees want to keep working at the company.
On the other hand, negative contact, such as bullying (outcaste), can badly affect the work
performance. However, peer and organisational support can protect the employee from
some of the mental and emotional harm associated with negative contact.
For the individual, one of the most important aspects of the workplace is the workstation.
One of the factors that determine whether one feels if the workplace is suitable for
him/her is the feeling towards the immediate workplace. There is also a connection
between the permanence of the workplace design and pride in the workplace among
employees. Adjustable and customizable workstation will contribute to the feeling of
having a “private” space than having an actual workspace enclosure and therefore increase
the satisfaction with their work environment.
Traditionally, there are 2 methods of categorizing office space, either by work or spatial
organization. However there are other factors to be taken into consideration, namely
the architectural and functional features since one factor affects the other. The most
dominant architectural feature is the spatial organization because spatial organization
is important in determining the type of office. There are several types of office design,
they are:
1. Cellular Office
Shared Hallway
as circulation
Individual
Workspace
Employees have their own individual workspace and it is more for autonomous, focused
work and confidential meetings. Each space can be accessed via a shared hallway.
However, the hallway just exists as a circulation space, there is no activity going on and no
visual connectivity between all the spaces across the hallway
3. TYPE OF OFFICE DESIGNS
2. Combination Office
Multi-functional
shared area
Visual connection
across the room
This combination is more for focused work and interaction happen at the center. The
hallway walls are transparent to provide the central area with natural light and to help with
visual contact across the room.
3. Team Office
1
2
3
- There are different office types within the space, hence it is more flexible and have more
varieties. For example, in this case, there are 3 different office types here, 1 is a shared
office, where it is enclosed within a room, 2 is support spaces which are mostly used for
secondary activities such as taking a break and 3 is a team space.
- The space is designed to be partially transparent and the advantage is that it can be
modified at short notice for special events. This type of office layout also improve
communications as it is more open and there are interaction between the spaces
3. Open Plan Office
There is a flexibility in open-plan offices as it makes exchange of knowledge easier and
interaction become the focus. The spaces are efficient and it is non-territorial. It makes use
of open, large spaces and minimizes the usage of small and enclosed rooms
3.1 ANALYSIS OF THE OFFICE DESIGNS
(Bene, 2013)
From the diagram, it can be concluded that most of the employees choose to work in a team
office. This is perhaps due to the existence of certain degree of privacy and no strict spatial
definition. Instead, the space is defined by teamwork and the sharing of common facilities.
There is good access to back-up spaces for teamwork, meetings, etc. The work is characterized
by both independence and interactivity in teamwork.
In the modern day, a lot of offices seem to have an open plan design as it is more cost-effective
and improves communication. Why is it more cost effective? This is because open plan
eliminates the needs of building any extra office space, less lighting will need to be installed
due to the connected space. It can also adapts more quickly, particularly if the business
expands. Communication with fellow colleagues will be much more efficient and open plan will
increase accessibility to each others’ workspace. Since all the employees are in the same
room, it encourages personal relationship between colleagues and to work together as a team
as opposed to working individually in an isolated room. It helps business to run smoother and
jobs will be done quicker than if everyone was in separate offices. This increase in
communication and relationship will make workspace more bearable.
However, is open plan office really the answer to improve the productivity of the employees?
Research has shown that open plan office has a lot of disadvantages such as lack of privacy and
it can be a noisy environment to work at. The increase in connectivity can be a double-edged
sword where employees can get distracted by what their neighbors are doing or saying and
therefore make them unfocused and more prone to making mistakes in their work.
Overhearing conversations in the office can be very intrusive and distracting for the workers.
It’s not just an acoustical thing. The employees need to feel that they have their own space
and not be distracted continually by something that’s happening 200 feet away in the office. So
sightlines and acoustics need to be addressed. There is a need to create different zones, for
example, one space is for team work, another one is for sharing and so on. Much more factors
need to be taken into consideration rather than just letting everyone sit at tables in the open.
4. IN THE NEAR FUTURE – TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN
In this section, there will be more information about what are being done to office to keep it
more up to date. Companies are becoming more mobile and interconnected. There are more
freedom for the employees to choose where choose where, when and how they work. Therefore,
the constraining nature of the traditional office is just not suitable for current working style.
Individual workstations are being replaced by larger, more communal spaces. Such arrangements
allow workers to maximize the hours they do spend in the office. Therefore, here are some of the
current and future characteristics of offices
The Increase in Mobility
Today’s offices have cafes, break rooms and/or restaurant with Wi-Fi capability, and employees can
work wherever and whenever they want. It is estimated that a quarter of modern offices have
non-traditional workspaces, and it is done to provide a work setting that foster creativity. Offices
are starting to be replaced with individual workstations being replaced by larger, more communal
spaces.
Cross Collaboration with Different Departments
To achieve a common goal, future office will
encourage employees to work together. Therefore,
there will be communal worktables provided and
employees will be able to sit around one of those
communal worktables to share ideas or information
with the entire group. Many of today’s companies are
converting the old conference room in favor of an
open-air lounge to be used as shared room.
Meetings and conferences will be held in a variety of
settings, and although video and audio conferencing
equipment needs to be set up to be functional now, in
the near future, people will be able to hold
conferences from anywhere on any device. A tablet or
other handheld device can be used as a conferencing
tool and teleconferencing will be easier then than ever.
4. IN THE NEAR FUTURE – TECHNOLOGY & DESIGN
Catching Up with Technologies
Touch screens devices are becoming more of an essential in human’s lives nowadays. It is an
invaluable tool for getting work done. Interactive display technology will be installed on walls
and tables in the office. These technologies will enable employees to sit together as a group
and brainstorm ideas while they are still fresh in mind.
Instilling the Element of Fun in the Space
Small little features like swing, ping pong or pool table can be placed in the office to boost the
happiness of the employees in the office. If the employees do not feel comfortable working
behind a desk, they can try to work at the swing or sat on a picnic bench because the fact is
that people can do their work everywhere. When they are taking their break, they can use
these features as a channel to distress themselves to improve their productivity.
These are all the elements that are expected to be incorporated into the design of future office
and they have and will change the working environment for the better.
5. CASE STUDIES – CREATIVE AND FUN OFFICES
ThinkGarden – Milan, Italy
The one thing that is mostly absent in office is nature. ThinkGarden understand that to do work,
we have to spend most of our time indoors, but there’s no reason why we can’t bring the
outdoor to indoor. Their whole office is designed with nature as their concept in mind, with
stone shaped bean bags, large plants, flowers and trees, and unusual desk positioning. The walls
are even designed to make it look and feel like as if you are working in the middle of the woods.
The bright white furniture stand out amongst the plants
Selgas Cano - Madrid
This is the office of one of the biggest companies in the world, but when it comes to making
awesome offices, size doesn’t matter. This office must be one of the most relaxing offices to
work in, it is designed to sink in the ground, half underground and half above ground and is even
provided with the view of the woods. This is Selgas Cano Office, designed by Iwan Baan and is
situated in a forest, near Madrid, in Spain. This office for architects is light and airy, with clean
lines and colorful details, making it a very conducive and relaxing environment to work at. In this
office design, it’s less about fun slides, great food and gaming areas, and more about a relaxed
environment, away from harsh lighting and big empty rooms
5. CASE STUDIES – CREATIVE AND FUN OFFICES
Parliament - Portland
Resembling a log cabin, Parliament has a hand-constructed look and floods its office with a rustic
charm. With hardwood lining the floors and campfire logs covering the walls, the space is too
comfortable and it's hard to not think of the creative agency as a second home. Attention is paid
to every detail in the office, right down to the wooden worktables and band posters.
One thing that all these offices have in common is that they all have mixture of different type of
offices. Hence, the employees have a say and choice to work at either the open space or a more
enclosed space when they need to do some deep thinking.
6. PROPOSED SOLUTION
As mentioned in point 3, employees feel more comfortable working in a space which have
mixture of office types. Hence, the employees have choice to select the space in which they
want to work at. Most of the offices have the inclination to have open-plan office even though it
have been proved that having an open plan office actually increase the stress level of the
employees and decrease their productivity level. The problem with an open plan office is that
everybody can all see each other and hear each other and there are times when employees
need to collaborate and there are times when they want to do their work in private. So, the
proposed solution to solve the issue of reducing the stress level of the employees through
redesigning the office is to place alcove sofas with high, padded sides to provide acoustical
insulation and privacy for workers who want to sit and have meetings where they can feel more
removed from the hustle and bustle of the open office around them. The sofas are high enough
that there is no visual distraction because of the high sight line.
Padded to provide
acoustical insulation
High sides to
lessen visual
distraction –
provide more
privacy
Individual workstation where there are more privacy due to the high sides
Large sofa to provide for when there is a need for group or team meeting
6. PROPOSED SOLUTION
These sofas are also ergonomically designed and they make it much more comfortable for
people to work at compared to sitting all day on a stiff chair. The output of employees may not
be as brilliant as expected if they experience discomfort all day with their stiff office chair. This
way, the staff can enjoy using the daily furnishings with improved comfort, encouraging them to
be more productive more than ever.
They also eliminate the needs of building structural elements to create separate zones for the
employees and hence this solves one of the problem that many company is trying to reduce
nowadays : cost. Building walls to separate and zone the space will cost more than investing in
furniture, hence having alcove sofas in the office will be more cost-effective. Furthermore, they
are movable and not permanent, so when the company have any events that requires larger
space, these furniture can be moved to clear some space.
7. CONCLUSION
The design problem identified is that there is a rise in stress level amongst the office worker and
one of the reason causing it is the design of the office. A lot of modern offices have open plan
office designed without really understanding the needs of the employees for different type of
spaces. These different spaces are needed in order for employees to be more productive and
less distracted. Open plan office is not just about placing rows and rows of tables in a vast open
space where we expect people to collaborate and be more effective in their work just because
they can see and hear each other. A lot more planning is required in order for an open plan office
to work. Several successful examples of such offices have been shown at section 5. Therefore,
with the suggestion of having acoustical high sides sofa in the office, the problem of the lack of
privacy and noise distraction in the office will be reduced and office environment will be a much
more comfortable space to work at.
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Essay
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