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Tag: Office Planning Solutions (page 10 of 13)

Why Sound Acoustics Is Vital to Office Design

Offices come in all sorts of layouts from sleek open plan, to period offices in city centres.

The challenge in both cases is to find a solution that not only creates a sense of space but also provides privacy and a quiet place to work for those employees who need it. So when designing an office layout, a delicate balancing act needs to be struck to ensure that everyone in the workplace will be happy.

Unlike visual distractions, which can simply be screened off or hidden by a simple re-arrangement of furniture and screens. Unfortunately, good acoustics will require a more complicated solution to reduce noise from phones, chatter and colleagues moving from one place to another.

All of this can become very frustrating for those who require peace and quiet to do their best work, which will in turn hinder productivity.

While the modern trend continues to lean towards the open plan spaces which have been seen as the best way to develop cooperation and creativity since the 1950s.

To improve acoustics in your office requires knowledge of how sound impacts on different surfaces and how it is absorbed by others.

This starts with the introduction of carpets, acoustic panels and acoustic screens which can help reduce noise dramatically. Then create separate spaces for collaborative work so as not to disturb those staff members who prefer to work in quiet isolation from time to time.

Is Your Office Layout Influencing Your Business Culture?

October 10, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

The more you learn about architecture and the buildings we use everyday, the more you understand just how much they can influence us.

Do you ever find yourself sitting in a room at work wondering what might be going on in the office across the corridor or do you feel excluded from management who occupy a corner office hardly anyone ever goes into?

Despite open plan offices and glass partitions now being an established part of business culture, you can still be left feeling an unwanted sense of seclusion and separation.

As a business owner, having your office laid out in this traditional manner is more likely to put people off coming to work for your organisation.

The days when people coveted the big office in the corner are now numbered as collaboration is understood to be the key to effective working.

If everyone in your office is crammed into small rooms, then it can be little wonder that conflict between staff members can begin to develop and instead of working as a team, the organisation becomes fragmented.

This can all be changed by a re-imagining of your office layout to encourage rather than discourage collaboration and a more harmonious working environment.

Is Working From Home Losing Its Appeal Compared To The Office

September 25, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

Working from home has become boring and more stressful than working from in the office for some lucky employees. So does this mean working from home will no longer be classed as a perk?

According to research the majority of workers now say they work more productively in their offices than anywhere else. This blows away what appears to be the myth that working from home leads to better productivity.

Most bosses will probably agree and will prefer their staff to work from the office rather than home to make sure they remain motivated and free from the distractions of home.

What’s new is that two thirds of workers agree with them according to recent research.

Publicity surrounding the opening of various new state of the art offices seems to point towards offices designed around employees rather than their bosses as firms attempt to create spaces and office culture that encourages people to stay and enjoy themselves in the workplace.

Understanding how employees might become stressed due to a lack of natural light, quiet spaces to unwind and so on appears to be at the centre of new thinking in office design and architecture.

Firms are investing millions in creating the kinds of spaces their employees will feel at home in. The hope is that they will become more productive as a result.

Is This Office In Wales The Trendiest and Happiest In The UK?

September 12, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

The Daily Post recently reported on call answering company, Moneypenny’s, new offices in Wrexham revealing a trendy new multi-million-pound office to rival that of some of the world’s biggest business HQs.

Moneypenny’s aim when designing the new 91,000sq ft building was to create a happy environment for staff. The hope is that the new offices will make going to work a pleasurable for staff in contrast to the majority of offices in the UK.

The office features a treehouse meeting room and even its own village pub, which were all introduced in consultation with staff.

In addition to a pub the offices also feature a sun terrace, a triple height atrium and a restaurant featuring free breakfasts and fruit in true ‘Google office style’. These additions are likely to give staff not only plenty of natural light to enjoy but also keep them healthy and well-fed.

The cost of the new office building came in at £15 million which was according to the company owners the same price they would have paid for a standard brick built office on the same kind of scale.

The challenge for the architects was to design something ground breaking for the same price and it looks like they have achieved it.

Traditional Office Design Turned On its Head

August 21, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

Swiss athletics firm, On, has turned traditional office design on its head according to architectural magazine Wallpaper with an office design that makes use of the concept of flow.

While most traditional offices have anything but flow, what On achieved with the help of an industrial design firm was to design an office space that seems to be inspired by the sports products they design and make.

Short distances between departments were scrapped in favour of a single 100 metre strip where staff are lined up at desks, cubicles and meeting spaces. This introduces a constant flow between apartments where the aim was to link everything together seamlessly.

The typical office layout will generally have closed off areas where various departments will be isolated so as to keep particular areas of expertise separate from others. Having a constant flow between spaces means that it is possible to incorporate isolated work stations but also introduce collaborative areas that flow from one end of the office to the other.

Standing meetings can be held at one end while staff can relax and take refreshment at an indoor garden incorporated at the other. Is this a more natural way to organise a natural office environment? Whatever your view it certainly makes you think about how the future of the modern office will develop.

London Office Prices Could Fall 20%

July 26, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

Following the vote to leave the UK analysts are predicting that the price of a London office could fall by 20%. This news may not be as bad as it sounds for anyone looking for an affordable office in the city.

The fall in office prices is based on the assumption that there will be less demand for leasing office space if an economic downturn happens.

Another factor is withdrawal of investment from abroad, which is already happening. Commercial property investors have suddenly become more cautious about investing in the UK when it is set leave the EU in a little more than two year’s time.

Another reason for the gloomy prediction is that some businesses will relocate abroad if they feel that their needs will be better served on the continent.

One silver lining to all of this is that offices will be cheaper to purchase therefore more money can be spent on making improvements that will add value in the longer term.

It has to be remembered that the UK economy is fundamentally strong and it has more than enough in reserve to weather any future storms if they arise. Aside from a falling pound, there is little evidence of that storm arriving just yet.

How To Improve Forklift Safety In Warehouses

July 11, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

Fatal accidents involving forklift trucks have been reduced significantly thanks to better safety procedures, training and advances in technology. Unfortunately, there are still just over a handful of fatalities each year so what can be done to improve safety to reduce accidents in today’s warehouses?

Driving a forklift truck brings its own set of responsibilities that can soon be overlooked if a driver is in a hurry and cuts corners. This is why proper training to drive forklifts is a must and compulsory in organisations.

Another factor, which is often overlooked is the general condition of the vehicle. Is it inspected regularly for signs of wear and tear? Tires are of particular importance if the vehicle is driven outside on rough terrain. Just like a car poor tyre condition can be a cause of many accidents.

It is also important to select the right forklift truck for the job. If there warehouse within which the forklift is operating has narrow aisles, then a vehicle with a good turning radius is a must not only from a safety point of view but in terms of productivity as well.

It is also important to plan the layout of your storage facility to ensure that forklifts can be operated safely.

Is Office Design and Layout Male Biased?

June 23, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

The writer of an article in the FT this month seems to think so. The article Time to end male bias in office design highlights how male dominated design teams may not consider the needs of women when they plan out office interiors.

The issues raised include temperature setting inside being geared towards males of a particular size and age and even refilling paper trays. The former is the reason why a large number of women will report feeling cold at work.

Women generate 35% less body heat in relative terms than their male counterparts. This means that women require temperatures to be turned up 3 degrees centigrade higher than their male colleagues.

Having a female-friendly work environment may not be top of the agenda for certain business owners however ignoring the little things like heating may lead to disgruntled staff members which could harm performance which is not in the interests of businesses.

Even when it comes to something as simple as filling a paper tray, it seems women are often ignored as to what they can comfortably cop with. Hand grip strength is required to pull trays out of printers and here too men are likely to have the advantage with men consistently outperforming women in this area.

The only hope for women is to be included more in office design teams so that these kinds of problems don’t get overlooked or ignored.

Home Office Tips

June 7, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

According to a recent survey by the Office for National Statistics, 13.7% of the nation’s workforce work from home. That’s nearly 4 million people but how many of those individuals have an office fitted to meet their needs?

Quite often working from home means using one of the main leaving spaces such as the kitchen lounge or even the bedroom. The problem is, this can be quite uncomfortable and distracting if a person is sharing a house with family members.

This is unavoidable if the house is too small to be separated into dedicated work and living spaces, but if there is extra space then this can easily be turned into an office. It will even save money on office rental which can then be ploughed back into business growth.
Solutions include converting old stables into offices, garden rooms if the garden is big enough.

The best home offices make creative use of space which provides a clear separation from home life.  It is much better to have a small space dedicated to work than have your office incorporated into a part of a dining room or kitchen for example.

At least then you will have some kind of separation from home life. Also get yourself a dedicated office line rather than use your main house number. Constant calls from sales people can make life particularly uncomfortable when you may be relaxing after work!

5 Things Not To Forget During An Office Fit Out

May 13, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

They say moving house is one of the most stressful things in life but office fit outs must rank fairly high on the scale for business owners who don’t plan first. So if you’re approaching your first office fit out, here’s some advice on the basics.

Make sure your fit out fits your business
You will be spoilt for choice when it comes to office designs, however the main focus should be on choosing a layout that fits your business. Hot desks and spaces designed for creatives who move around a lot with their laptops might be right for a marketing company but if you prefer your workers to be static, then you will need some good sized desks to keep them comfortable.

Declutter and account for extra space
You can’t expect an office to have the same space demands forever so it is worth remembering that storage space should be adequate. Your business if successful should grow over time and this will require extra space for storage and additional staff when required. It is also important to declutter so that your office isn’t designed around stuff that would be better placed in the nearest skip.

Don’t forget about technology
Office design creativity is at an all-time high just as much because of technology as it is as a consequence. Many gadgets are wireless these days and often slimmed down so you need far less space for wires. Unfortunately even the most efficient office machine will need to be connected up to the power at some point so make sure your office include enough provision for extra sockets.