When designing our office space, we have many things to keep in mind. Pure functionality is of course not the only measure we should hope to prioritize, which can seem strange in itself to suggest. Raw practicality is not always the main solution to a healthy and happy office environment. To illustrate this, we may wish to use an example. In bed hotels in Japan, multiple tiered rows of small cubicle beds with a curtain are placed on top and next to each other, providing a night of sleep for guests who wish to relax and pay for very cheap lodgings. This way, they can fit more people in and ensure regular rotation of guests. Does that mean this is preferable in the long term for someone hoping to gain a truly comfortable accommodation experience? Perhaps not.
In the same way, office design can prioritize too many people to a desk, or for terminals to be packed into one another. We can forget office adornment and simply go for grey concrete blocks everywhere with no visual identity. It might work, but it’s not optimal. In the following advice, we’ll help you avoid further issues that may be felt if inexperienced with this planning experience:
Plain & Uninteresting
It’s unfortunately very common for offices to be designed in a purely functional setting, which is fine, but the missed potential here is in providing a lively, colorful and worthwhile office space for your staff to enjoy being part of. With color, branded logos, a wall of excellent memories, or greenery, you can enhance the office space and make it a place that people wish to occupy, rather than a grey, boring and insular part of their daily work necessity.
Navigable Space Frustrations
Navigable space is important to get right, because it can quite literally dictate how comfortable your staff is when walking around the terminals, and in getting from one place to another. Additionally, certain open areas, carefully placed, can allow for team collaboration and the ability to maneuver around one another easily. With office design from Maris, you’ll be sure to get the most out of your space in both of these fields, increasing the convenience, socially cohesive and productive development of your building – in no uncertain terms.
Noise & Comfort
The noise of your space is also important to consider. For instance, if you have staff situated a round, humming or spluttering air condition unit, odds are they’ll struggle to work well on their projects. The same goes for how you handle ventilation when situated next to a busy road, as leaving all of the windows open may not be the healthiest manner in which to preserve office comfort. The worst thing you can do is just assume that because you’re okay with it, other staff members will be. Careful placement of air purifiers and other machinery, such as beeping printers, can help you ensure the room is carefully laid out and routinely supportive in this light.
With this advice, we hope you can avoid the common office pitfalls of design.
