Whether you’re busy hosting meetings or seeing new clients, the perfect office space must walk the line between comfort and productivity. The old standard of cubicles and desktops just doesn’t cut it for the modern workforce. Today’s offices demand enticing open spaces that allow employees to transform their workplace continuously. The 21st-century workplace requires the following features:
1. Workforce Accommodations
The first step in learning how to design an office space is to consider the employees’ needs. While plenty of modern design conventions can serve as a solid baseline, there is no replacement for consulting with your workforce and addressing their specific concerns and demands.
Natural sunlight and amenities like coffee makers are common requests, but more niche support is also often needed. Meeting these needs can go a long way in improving the office space.
Acknowledging that different employees have different needs is important. The office can’t be dedicated solely to isolated, focused workspaces or open, collaborative conference rooms. It must embody a balance, catering to as many employees and approaches to work as possible.
This balance makes the office more welcoming and functional for your employees, no matter their preferred atmosphere.
2. Open Office Floor Plan Ideas
There are countless benefits of open office spaces. While compartmentalized workplaces and cubicles can increase worker stress, open office spaces encourage the collaboration and comfort necessary to improve your employees’ productivity. Open office spaces also allow for easier communication between your team and reduce the need to book meeting rooms for collaborative sessions.
As workplaces blend personal and company technology more frequently, open office spaces allow for better flexibility and workplace agility. An open office plan is a perfect way to encourage open communication and collaboration in your teams and keep them comfortable and productive. Open office spaces also make it easier to clean while allowing everyone to maintain their own personal workspace bubble.
3. Workplace Amenities
Creating dedicated spaces and including new workplace amenities helps your employees get in the right frame of mind, no matter what project they’re working on. Certain amenities, like conference rooms and Wi-Fi, are essential to helping your employees be more productive, while other amenities, like break rooms and convertible workspaces, help your employees seamlessly transition into the workplace.
Amenities like on-site dining and gyms are becoming increasingly essential to entice and keep the best talent. Some property managers allocate more than 10% of their offices to lifestyle-focused amenities to compete for new candidates. These amenities may also include tenant lounges so employees can build a sense of community and retail spaces so workers can get the essentials they need without having to leave the building.
4. Office Functionality
While your workspace should encourage comfort, collaboration and team building, it’s essential to keep your workplace productive. Productivity should reflect a shared vision between your employees, and the office must facilitate that vision and commitment. To create an office that’s simultaneously functional, productive and comfortable, designate specific zones within the office that inspire creativity and collaboration. Consider a “layered approach” to office design that features easily accessible spaces for quiet, focused work and vibrant areas for collaborative, creative thought.
5. Technology Integration
One of the most exciting aspects of designing an office space in the modern day is integrating new technology. From smart lighting in the office to 360-degree microphones that can make employees who work from home feel included in meetings, there is a lot to be excited about.
That said, a consistent, powerful network connection that can support the work of dozens of employees without buckling is perhaps the most important piece of technology in the modern era of business.
No matter the complexity, any technology incorporated into your office should blend in with the architecture and layout. It should serve as a tool and complement the existing space, as rampant or careless technological integration can decrease productivity and employee well-being.
The benefits, however, far outweigh the risks. The community, connectivity and efficiency that new technologies can bring have the power to transform the office for the better.
6. Sustainability and Eco-Friendliness
In recent decades, it has become vital to design an office space layout with sustainability in mind. Many businesses and corporations focus on phasing out old systems for more energy-efficient ones.
Incorporating recycling bins and building with natural light in mind are two of the biggest ways you can embrace sustainability in your office, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. Using upcycled and reclaimed materials throughout the office can minimize your carbon footprint and lend the space an earthy, natural feel.
Eco-friendly design also benefits your employees and your business as a whole. Incorporating plants and softer, more natural colors into the workspace can energize, motivate and relax your employees while making the space more welcoming to guests.
When combined with natural light and a walkable, open environment, this approach to office design can improve employee health and embody sustainability to the community at large.
7. Personalization and Branding
Few things make employees feel welcome and at home like control over their workspace. Photos and knick-knacks on desks and posters and paintings in hallways, for example, can make a workspace feel comfortable and safe for those spending eight hours a day there. They may even feel more motivated to get work done and build closer relationships with those around them. An investment in the space can quickly turn into an investment in the work and the people there.
Company branding — such as logos, team colors and the like — can also enhance camaraderie and unite the workforce around common symbols and goals. This branding can even extend to tote bags, clothing and other items employees might use day to day.
Maintaining a balance between branded elements and personal expression is important. Together, they can complement each other and encourage teamwork and passion simultaneously.
Design Your Dream Office With Alta Construction
Building the perfect modern office means embracing technology and sustainability while satisfying your employees. Alta Construction designs office buildings suited to each client’s industry and unique needs. We know how to balance form and function to create a space that maximizes worker productivity and comfort. Learn how Alta Construction can transform your office construction and get a taste of our latest office remodeling ideas. Contact Alta Construction today!
