Trends in commercial office space - The co-working environment

As technology moves forward at a rate of knots and business is being driven by new ideals, so too is the workspace. One of the biggest trends having an impact on the design of the interiors of the "new age" offices is the collaborative space. This is also referred to as co-working and tests have shown that companies deploying this methodology are reaping the benefits and rewards as they see the increase in their staff’s outputs. It has also been proven that the design of an office will also have a direct effect on people’s concentration, interaction and overall creativity.


One of the most important aspects is having ample supply of natural light entering into the space so the bigger the windows the better. There is nothing worse than dark and dingy spaces and a large amount of natural light will have a substantial save on the electricity bill. Natural light, depending on the time of day can be excessively overpowering and blinding if reflecting onto computer screens. It is for this reason that the most common light control for these large glass expanses are blinds and predominantly the roller variety with varying degrees of block out, these allow you to still see out, yet cutting the glare. This can even be motorised as well as custom printed, with anything from patterns to logos and phrases.


These co- working areas call for different types of furniture unlike the common office furniture we have got used to seeing in most conventional corporate environments. Long tables and ergonomically designed chairs and benches allow for groups of people to face each other, chat and share great ideas and information. These new environments also boast lounge styled pause areas where people who prefer a more relaxed way of working can actually sit on occasional chairs and sofas, whilst putting their feet up on ottomans. This also allows for relaxed discussions and "think tanks".


These open working environments mostly show sensitivity to the environment and therefore are stripped down where less is actually more. This means that many areas have concrete floors, exposed brickwork as well as visible air con ducting. The major challenge with this is the fact that there is very little to absorb the noise, so without clever design and new innovative products, the noise would be exceptionally overpowering. To counter this, we find the trend is to break up the floor area with selections of carpeting and even wooden floors. Another method of controlling this distracting noise is to drop suspended bulkheads over strategic areas, which allow for absorption.  There has been a lot of development in recent years around textile innovation that is able to absorb noise, far more effectively than traditional fabrics. These fabrics are now used on moveable screens and even in  really high- backed chairs, that allow people to have an intimate conversation, even though they are in this open environment.


Conference "pods" are another addition to the new office environment and resemble cubicles, but open on the sides where people can have more private meetings and discussions. There construction varies, but in many instances the textiles used have a high sound absorbency. The outside space has become as important as the interior space and many companies have outdoor balconies and gardens where people can plug in their laptops and work, whilst breathing in natural air and enjoying the sunlight, which in itself brings a completely new dynamic to the work environment.
Plants are another very important element within these spaces and of course we are talking real plants, which assist in cleaning the air but also adding a natural softening touch. One of the biggest developments over recent years has been the vertical garden. This is literally a garden up against a wall; these never get boring, but do require a fair amount of maintenance and obviously expert installation.



The days of boring office spaces are over; we are living in exciting times and will find ourselves working in exciting environments.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Designer spotlight - Jean-Paul Gaultier

Image
Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean-Paul Gaultier is a French fashion designer born on April 24, 1952 in Arcueil, Val-de-Marne, France. At age 18, he joined the house of Pierre Cardin before moving on to Jacques Esterel and Patou. The debut of Gaultier’s own collection was in 1976, but he did not officially launch his own design house until 1982. His style is known to challenge standard views of fashion. He collaborated with Madonna in 1990 to create her infamous conical bras. In 2003, he became head designer at Hermes where he worked until 2011. Diet Coke appointed Gaultier as its new creative director in 2012.   Early Years The only child of a bookkeeper and a cashier, Jean Paul Gaultier developed a taste for fashion at a young age. He spent much of his childhood with his maternal grandmother, and found inspiration in her closet - her corsets in particular fascinated him. He even once made a bra for a stuffed bear - a childhood artifact that was featured later in an exhibition of his w...
Read more

Design with a sense of Humour - by Dave Nemeth

Image
As we look forward to future trends, we start to see a very interesting development starting to take place, a development so quirky and fun it is bound to bring a smile to anyone’s face. It is as if we have come to realise that we are sick and tired of all the doom and gloom of the recession and it is time to have fun and stop taking ourselves so seriously. As consumers, we want to smile and embrace all things positive and without a doubt, we want to smile in our homes when we do have those rare moments of free time. Worldwide, this new approach to design sees an exploration of fantasy, fairy tale and the imaginary, sometimes even bordering on kitsch; these designs uplift the spirits and make great points of interest in even the most conservative of homes. On the lighting front, this is especially obvious as we see a move on from just pure scale like we saw a few years ago with oversized angelpoise lamps, which were remodelled into standing lamps, giving one the feeling of...
Read more

Chair Trends by Dave Nemeth

Image
One of the oldest pieces of furniture is the chair, this functional piece has its origins dating  back to the Stone Age, where Archaeological evidence of sculptural relics at Neolithic building sites suggest chair and bench-like areas. Ancient Egypt has some of the earliest surviving physical examples of the Western world’s use of chairs. Egyptian tombs that have been unearthed contain chairs and stools from as far back as the Egyptian Old Kingdom, about 2680 B.C., well preserved by Egypt’s dry air. Regardless of how far back the design of the chair dates it is the continual evolution and constant reinvention of this exceptionally functional piece of furniture, which continues to intrigue. From British Louis chairs to American Chippendale chairs, almost every notable and world famous designer and architect has at some stage designed a chair, this includes the likes of Macintosh, Frank Lloyd Wright, Le Corbusier all the way through to Philippe Stark and Karim Rashid. Ma...
Read more