Archive for November, 2009

The tried and true “form meets function” concept of home interior design certainly applies to office designs, and then some. Unlike a home where a handful of people are living, an office has to account for the productivity and work- styles of multiple types of people.

Home Intel also realized, during research, that “office design” can mean different things to different people, but most often is a mix of furniture choices, spatial layouts, power and storage. Oh, and toss in the “green” component for good measure. It’s as diverse as the companies out there.

Overall the fact that offices are aligning workspace to meet the needs of the changing workforce isn’t what we’d call “new news.” But, gone (or quickly going by the wayside) is the “prairie-dogging” style of work where folks poke their heads up out of their cubicles to catch up with a co-worker.

Some companies are replacing the “cube farm” with a wagon wheel design that has smaller single-person office spaces with lower walls as the spokes, and inside the wheel is a collaboration center in the form of a conference table setting.

Even textiles are seeing a revolution in the office world. “The new design is more contemporary and cutting edge,” said Kelly Burrows-Reeves, account manager for David Burrows Limited, a manufacturer’s representative group. “Manufacturers are mixing different materials together to create a more modern aesthetic. For example, wood with metal, Corian, or back painted glass.”

Burrows-Reeves also agrees that office layouts are getting smaller, so furniture companies are finding creative ways to provide storage to clients.

Here are some of the more emerging trends in office design and layout:

• Flexibility – Whether it’s furniture on caster wheels so that they roll into configurations that improve group work or arranging different departments according to their individual dynamics (more privacy or better communication), flexible work environments are critical.
• Mobile power sources – With flexibility comes the need to “plug in” quickly and easily. Power sources, like the HBF’s casegoods docking station are popping up in innovative places making it easier for people to move around the office and find quick and easy power for PDAs, phone and computer.
• Furniture innovations – Making better use of storage and smaller layouts, today’s furniture designs are minimalistic and functional. The “sit-stand” LOOK UP even elevates the work surface to a higher level to accommodate people who want the flexibility to stand up wheil doing their job. According to BOB article, this design would appeal to people in jobs like call centers.
• Green – According to Burrows-Reeves, most of the new office buildings are going for LEED certification, so the furniture and textile companies are producing products with very strong green Initiatives to help them contribute to their LEED certification. Furniture is a small portion of the certification, but every little bit counts. Some design firms will only specify products that are Greenguard certified or meet their environmental standards.
• Hoteling – This is an industry buzzword that means that off-site employees are now provided space – whether it’s an office that offers small workstations that people can sign up for or a locker to keep personal or office items – to make the office more “home” for them when they are in town.

Want more? Check out the Neocon show in Chicago each June. That’s the place for the hottest and newest items.