Our way of working is evolving and along with it our work spaces, offices and co-working. Here below we examine some of the more interesting innovative architectural and interior design ideas happening right now:
- Hot-desking
Currently the majority of workers carry out their daily tasks using laptops and tablets, so there’s no need to be tied to the desk for the 8 hours in the working day. Instead they are free to move around bringing whatever tools necessary with them. For that reason many businesses are getting rid of personal work desks and replacing them with collective spaces where nobody has an assigned station in particular, and in exchange they can decide every morning where they’d prefer to sit and work to be more comfortable, and by extension more productive
2. Moveable work stations
Another alternative that we find interesting is the possibility of using mobile work desks in either a collaborative or individual approach. Based on the idea of work stations that fit together like the pieces of a puzzle but which can be moved around, reorganised and placed in the required positions at any point over the working day. This type of design is found more and more frequently in modern offices and also in design related co-workings, which are suitable to working in teams and bouncing ideas off work colleagues, brain-storming etc. This alternative approach is helped by moving around, the inclusivity of all workers and the resultant flexibility.
3. Music rooms
Promoting affirmative company culture is key to encouraging employee productivity and motivation in order to carry out any given task. We should not forget that our workers are people and so deserve and need to be able to disconnect and relax from work every now and again. Why not add a music room to offices? It’s a great alternative for all music lovers (for those who either play an instrument or just listen). We’re convinced that it would provide a genuine break in the best possible way.
Obviously it’s also important to keep in mind that a music room in the middle of an office must be completely sound proofed….If not it’d be counterproductive.
4. Shared zones
Creating shared areas helps foment the possibility of employees coming into contact with one another, so that new collaborations and potential projects are forged.
It’s also important to break with the static idea of the work place to allow the mind to flow freely and try and come up with ideas that might turn out to be interesting for the company. Absolutely nobody can be creative 24 hours a day sitting in front of a computer in their office, removed from external stimuli, conversations, being able to change their minds, physical sensations etc. So it’s really important to have spaces that break with this formality attached to the office space! And in those spaces that employees should be comfortable to engage with one another.
5. Green always
Who doesn’t like plants? Who wouldn’t like to work surrounded by trees? At Elastiko Architects we are 100% in favour of bringing an element of greenery to the office space. In fact researchers have discovered that adding vegetation to an office can be instrumental in improving productivity up to 15%. “A green office shows employees that the bosses are concerned for their workers’ wellbeing,” explains Professor of psychology Alex Haslam, one of the authors of “Greening the office helps the work place to be more pleasant, comfortable and profitable” book.