Month: January 2017
More Creative Ways to Produce Privacy In An Open Office Space Environment
As much as the open office space is a preferred design with most of today’s companies, certain office activities still require a bit of privacy… or the opportunity to get loud without causing too much distraction for fellow employees. As a result, both furniture and office space design companies have come up with a variety of creative solutions to create “privacy” without compromising the open-concept design. We’ve covered a few of them in previous blogs — office pods, partial living walls, Everblock®and Tetris® furniture and walls, use and placement of storage cabinets…but here are a couple more options an organization can take into consideration:
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The Rotating Office Screens – A similar concept to vertical blinds, the rotating office screen is actually a series of double-panel slats, each of which rotates on its own pointed base plate. Each slat and base unit can easily be oriented into specific formations in relation to the other slat-base units to create an interesting decor within the open office space design while in “open” position. Once a private meeting is required, the same slats can be turned to the “closed” position, instantly creating a semi or fully private meeting area.
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Acoustic Office Screens – Not entirely new to the office space design world, acoustic office screen panels are now available in a variety of sizes, colours and shapes to offer flexibility and interesting decor to an ever-changing open office space environment. Each panel is designed to either stand on casters or on its own unique base, so they can be easily positioned to either add a design to a main
wall or create a semi-private space for individual or collaborative activities. In some cases, the panel shapes are irregular but can interlink to make a visually stimulating wall design or collaboration area. In other cases, the walls are stackable or can easily “nest” into one another, allowing for easy storage. What is even more advantageous is the acoustic office screens are made with soft materials designed to absorb sound, so they help lessen sound disturbances in an open office space environment.
The best part about these solutions is that they not only provide a “privacy” option to the open-concept office space design, but they also enhance flexibility within an open office space design.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
Urban Office, “Viswall Rotating Screen”, https://www.urban-office.com/office/office-screens/viswall-screen.html
Urban Office, “Wannabetree Screen”, https://www.urban-office.com/office/office-screens/wannabetree.html
Urban Office, “Alp Screen”, https://www.urban-office.com/office/office-screens/alp-screen.html
Office Space Ideas That Take Flexibility to a Whole New Level
OK. Do you remember one of my previous blogs stating that flexibility would be key in office space design? Well, there are actually some office space ideas, concepts and materials that take “flexibility” to a whole new level.
Take, for example, the Everblock®. If you were ever a Lego® fanatic or ever dreamed of living or working in a room built of Lego® blocks, your dream could easily become a reality. Inspired by Lego®, Everblocks® are sturdy modular plastic life-sized interlocking blocks that can easily be used to build a wall divider or room whenever needed– but that’s not all. These same blocks can be used to build chairs, desks, sofas, shelving, cabinets….pretty much any furniture your office would need… and your team can be the creative “Masterbuilders” of it all. Talk about flexibility!
How about the sliding inflatable wall that doubles as a lounge bed? That’s right. A glossy transparent inflatable screen resembling a giant form of bubble-wrap is set within a frame on castors to create a great sliding office partition that can easily be moved around to define certain office areas without compromising too much on the open office space concept. This same inflatable screen can slide out of its frame and be laid on the floor to create a lounging area or bed. That’s flexibility.
If you are more of a Tetris® fan, then here is an idea for your office– Tetris® inspired furniture pieces which when fitted together can either be a table with chairs (suitable for a lunchroom setting), a lounge sofa, a full length display table, shelving, a storage unit…the possibilities are seemingly endless.
What is great about these ideas is that they not only facilitate flexibility in an office space, but they also encourage active creativity while taking into account the well-being of staff. Now that is thinking outside of the box.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
Everblock Systems, http://www.everblocksystems.com/
Trendir, Sliding Office Partition, Inflatable Free-Standing Screen From Sacea, http://www.trendir.com/sliding-office-partition-bablo/
Ackerman, E, Oh Gizmo, Space Efficient Furniture from Tetris, Http://www.ohgizmo.co/2007/09/10/space-efficent-furniture-from-Tetris
Tags: office, office space, flexibility, office furniture
Bigger Companies, Smaller Office Spaces – What Gives?
Well, 2016 is gone but the trends of larger growing companies occupying a smaller office space footprint and fitting more people in smaller work spaces will still be strong in 2017.
Why? Well, there are a few contributing factors:
- Companies operate differently – Throughout 2016, more and more companies adapted the “Workplace 2.0” style of operations. Instead of stringent 8am-4pm or 9am-5pm working hours for most staff, organizations allowed more flexible hours for their workers. Instead of assigned workstations, office and workstation “hotelling” or reservation-based seating became a popular practice. There were increasingly more opportunities for staff to work from home. Some organizations even found it more economically sound to outsource some of their administrative or in-office operations to outsiders who wanted to work from home. In addition, part-time and contract hires were on the rise. These trends are likely to continuing through 2017.
- Technological advances – Video conferencing, teleconferencing, Smartboards and other technological advances have lessened the demand for staff to physically meet in the same room, thus lowering the need for large meeting room spaces. The introduction of virtual storage spaces like the Cloud lessen the need for a lot of physical filing and storage space. In fact, physical filing and storage units have been re-purposed to store personal belongings, limiting the need for physical storage to be at the workstation itself. Most work is done on electronic devices (laptops, Ipads, etc) which are physically thinner and smaller. Even signatures are electronic– thus limiting the need to deal with physical paperwork.
- Economy – Though demand for commercial real estate remains relatively high in Toronto, there is an overall level of uncertainty about how the Canadian economy will be affected by key international events like Brexit and the US election results. The low oil prices and the low Canadian dollar, however, seem to make Canada an attractive country for international organizations to invest and expand in, which could be why commercial real estate vacancies could experience a slight decrease in 2017.
So what gives? Big companies, both local and international, will likely continue to occupy smaller office spaces throughout 2017 in order to maintain a competitive edge in a volatile economy.
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DJ Mcgauley and Associates Inc. is your Office Space Planning, Renovations and Relocation Project Management Company of choice. If a renovation or relocation of your office space is in your plans, please contact us to arrange a no-obligation site meeting. By the end of that meeting, you will know all that would be required to make your office renovation/relocation project a successful reality.
Call 416-239-1931, email [email protected] or visit our website for more information and to complete our contact form.
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References:
PWC and Urban Land Institute, “Emerging Trends In Real Estate: Canada and the United States 2017”, http://read.ca.pwc.com/i/741231-emerging-trends-in-real-estate-2017/5?utm_source=communities-etre&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=emerging-trends-in-real-estate-2017
Kirby, J., Macleans, “75 Charts Every Canadian Should Watch in 2017”, http://www.macleans.ca/economy/economicanalysis/75-charts-every-canadian-should-watch-in-2017/
Keywords: Space
tags: office space
Corporate Space Planning & Relocation Advice 