Tag: Office Workspace

We are children of evolution and with our ever-changing technology, the way we work must keep changing as well. Modern workplaces need to incorporate seamless change – the ability to evolve with our workstyles and integrate our priorities.

Adaptable workplace environments open up more possibilities for innovative working styles, efficient tasks and wellness. The well-being of employees is now central to office design, with more and more designers and architects embracing the concept.

guest chairs

Brigitte Preston writes for Work Design Magazine to shed light on the essential office design trends you can expect to see in 2017.

Authenticity-centered design

First and foremost, I see a surge in demand for authentic design solutions that signal an organization’s commitment to its core values. As interior architects, our job is to create a physical environment that tells the story of an organization in a way that resonates with not only its leadership and employees, but also their clients. So how do we accomplish this? There’s no standard solution, but listening to your client is key and knowledge is definitely the most powerful tool. We must not only gain a clear understanding of the organization’s history, mission, and objectives, but also figure out what’s most important to the client. While this takes time and requires the client to dig deep, it guides us toward authentic solutions that best exemplify the heart of their organization.

Authenticity-centered design may take root through a design vocabulary, expressive and creative visual branding, or specific materials, to name a few. Here are two companies that have used authentic design as a tool for a successful work environment:

Bazaarvoice

When Bazaarvoice called on us to design their new Austin headquarters, we used branded color and faceted architectural features combined with a bold planning concept to create a vibrant space that embodied the company’s energy and culture. We selected unique patterned carpet, wallcoverings, and light fixtures representative of each department and the cafe for each of the 14 collaboration areas. The cafe and breakroom reveal faceted pods in Bazaarvoice brand colors — grass, navy, sky, and teal. Through thoughtful planning, lauckgroup was able to create a workspace that embodied Bazaarvoice’s brand and mission — leading to heightened employee engagement, client retention, and innovation.

WiNGS

To empower disadvantaged women in Dallas, where we have the third highest poverty rate overall among major U.S. cities, WiNGS (Women in Need of Generous Support) offers financial, educational, and entrepreneurial guidance. When space constraints began to inhibit the nonprofit from fulfilling its mission, WiNGS declared its plans to move, and lauckgroup offered at cost materials sourcing and pro bono programming and design services. For us, creating a space that felt familiar and comfortable was a key deliverable, as the staff wanted clients to feel safe and heard. Placing a fireplace in the resource center, creating coaching rooms that evoked the feeling of a sitting room, and designing a treehouse-inspired childcare area all accomplished this. Our thoughtful approach resulted in a space that reflected the nonprofit’s mission to help women realize their limitless potential.

Appealing to millennials

As we enter 2017, millennials will continue to influence the direction of office design. First of all, this generation wants a career that offers a sense of purpose and contributes to the greater good. Given this reality, workplace designers should consider how the workspace can embody these goals and how they can visually be represented in the space. And similarly to the importance of authenticity-centered design, a company’s commitment to their community and their contributions to society can be incorporated into branding.

“This generation wants a career that offers a sense of purpose and contributes to the greater good. Given this reality, workplace designers should consider how the workspace can embody these goals and how they can visually be represented in the space.

“Many of our clients are focused on millennial-friendly design, such as Atlassian, who challenged our design team to create a raw and loft-like feel in the first generation building. A monumental stair is set at the office’s center, serving as a hub of energy for the space. Beyond its functionality and defining architecture, it encourages clients and employees to socialize and congregate on a tiered platform auditorium with bar-height seating. Ancillary spaces, including two large break rooms overlooking Lady Bird Lake, an upscale hospitality bar that serves beer and coffee, a game room, numerous open lounge areas, bicycle storage, showers, and quiet zones are scattered throughout the floor plan. The diverse settings for collaboration and privacy, coupled with mobile sit-stand desks and ceiling-mounted power sources distributed throughout, empower workers with autonomy and flexibility.

Wellness of tomorrow

Another important trend that continues to make waves in the A&D world: wellness. Certifications like LEED and the WELL Building Standard are not enough — designers must be deliberate in making astute observations about the space and how to best build a healthy, people-centric office. With studies that prove the psychological and physical benefits of exposure to nature, finding ways to connect to the outdoors is key.

Read full post

Learn more about the latest office design trends at vision-oi.com/blog. Visit Vision Office Interiors for the best in new and used office furniture.

Commenting: OFF

Good artists borrow, great artists steal. You may not agree with this quote most popularly attributed to Pablo Picasso and Steve Jobs. But if you’ve endeavored to make a career out of creativity and innovation, you are most likely to agree that everybody needs inspiration; and there is nothing wrong with that.

Work Design Magazine has given a detailed and interesting perspective on the philosophy of design that is employed by architects of the newly-built Studio-Tag. This, we think, makes for a good mid-day read for people venturing to design and build (or rebuild) a new workplace and looking for inspiration. Read further.

timthumb1

Imagine a space with the ambience of a modern boutique hotel’s lounge, but the functionality of an A&D office and curated showroom, and you’ll start to picture Studio-Tag. This gorgeous space, built by Fifield Piaker Elman Architects, was created to serve designers every step of the creative process, from the conceptual-design phase to the product-selection phase.

The Studio-Tag showroom features sustainable green walls, auxiliary European furniture, acoustic solutions, architectural glass and more. “I hope the showroom inspires designers and supports them in their creative process,” said Emma Robson, president and co-founder of Studio-Tag.

What is the address of the project?

321 West 44th Street, Suite 200, New York, NY 10036

Who was the building architect?

Fifield Piaker Elman Architects

Who was the interior architect or designer?

Emma Robson, president and co-founder of Studio-Tag, designed the showroom. She had a vision to create a workplace that allowed designers to explore and get excited about the specifying process. When she and her partners set out to build it, this fluid, think tank-esque space was very clear in her mind.

When was the project completed?

April 2016

What is the total square footage?

6,200 square feet

How many total employees are there, and what’s the daily population?

They are a group of 23, each one bringing their unique flair to the studio.

What is the location’s proximity to public transportation and other amenities?

It’s centrally located in the historic Plant Building near the thrumming Times Square. In fact, this spot was selected because of its convenient location and easy subway access.

Which furniture brands and dealers were used? Please touch on any notable products, how they were used and if they solved a particular problem.

Studio-Tag proposed a hands-on, all-encompassing approach when it comes to the specifying process. They aimed to provide professionals in the architecture and design industries with all of the considerations required when working on commercial and institutional projects. Their space contains architectural glass walls by Tagwall and auxiliary furniture from brands like Verpan, Hay, Johanson, Pedrali, and Creative Touch Rugs, which is very unique in its aesthetic. When it came to acoustics, they wanted professionals to have access to top-of-the-line products, such as Slalom, Donar, and Framery. They’ve also brought the outdoors in with Polar Moss, Opiary, and Greenwalls products.

Is there a mobile work or work-from-home policy, or are most of the employees there all day every day?

It really depends on each individual’s role on the team. There’s an eight-person admin staff, which works at the office and is available during regular office hours. The business development team tends to bounce between the office and meetings throughout the city, while the project managers are on job sites doing their work and making the experience seamless. Everybody’s position is specific, and location always depends on the job description.

How is the company’s brand reflected in the space?

Studio-Tag understands that the work environment is quickly evolving — and catering to millennials — so the Studio was designed to address these needs. It was important to design a space that served as both a fully functioning office and a showroom, where designers could experience multiple products simultaneously and see exactly how their selection blended together to achieve their vision. Knowing that today’s work spaces require a more collaborative open-plan environment that feels less like an office and more like a living room, the studio feels much like a boutique hotel’s lounge with acoustically sound furniture, breakout spaces for privacy, and larger conference areas. The result is a functional space that serves both employee and client needs.

What is the most unique feature about the new space?

Not only does the studio house functional and cutting-edge furniture and a series of unique environments, but it also contains 20×12-foot green wall, which naturally removes carbon dioxide, minimizes dust, reduces pollutants, and helps with noise reduction all while incorporating the beauty of nature into an office environment. Bringing the outdoors in can really change the way people feel at work; productivity is also a huge factor!

Please talk about any other notable aspects of the project that make it unique.

Studio-Tag offers a “one stop shop” for corporate interiors, which allows designers and clients the opportunity to see all of the products together, from architectural glass walls to a green wall, lighting to furniture, and curated integrated artwork as well. Robson travels to design shows all over the world to handpick the unique mix of internationally manufactured products. Her thoughtful selections introduce current European trends to the U.S.

What also unique is the studio’s focus on curating. It’s something companies rarely address when discussing corporate, hospitality and institutional projects. It’s common to overlook the details that often truly make a space noteworthy, and Studio-Tag wants to bring forth products that are durable, contextual and cost-considerate — without compromising design and art. They believe performance doesn’t have to suffer if aesthetics are considered.

They also believe in the Bauhaus principles that “form follows function, and color follows form!” Read full story

Feel free to share your design ideas with our team at Vision-Oi. It will be our pleasure to help you achieve your goals.

Commenting: OFF

Managing the limited space at your workplace to accommodate all that is required of your employees, coworkers and you is a requisite to developing an enhanced work culture. It also helps to have the freedom to customize your workspace according to your needs and task gratification. Working in an open office environment, however, brings down the factor of personalization than say working from your home.

Most of us are accustomed to an extremely high level of customizability at home, placing and replacing every little thing to our desire and comfort. This is not the case with the workplace. Not much is in our control. But our needs remain the same…

timthumb-php

Many workplaces have identified this anomaly and tried to rectify it in their own ways by adding accessories that have customizations built in. Furniture is the most important tool for workspace customization and objects like height-adjustable desks satisfy the much-needed desire for personalization.

Below are some of the most convenient ways to manage and personalize your workspace.

Height-adjustable desks

In the midst of all the hullaballoo concerning the ill effects of sitting at your desk all day, standing desks have found eternal haven in workplaces around the world. But you can’t stand all day, can you? That can’t be ideal. If you’ve held long discussions over migrating your workstation to a standing desk, you might be worried about coming across as a prima donna when and if you crave for a sitting position and migrating your workstation between standing and sitting environments is not exactly convenient. Enter, height-adjustable desks. Not only do they allow for more flexibility in your work patterns but they also provide a good amount of storage beneath. If you’re feeling extra paranoid today, you might sneak your beanbag chair underneath and work from within the confines your newfound kingdom.

Stools and auxiliary chairs

Movable furniture like stools and chairs enhances means of group effort and promotes collaboration. Having some power over the distribution of furniture, moreover, provides a sense of relief and accommodation required for collaboration – a necessity for workplaces that endeavor to achieve novel goals. This also enables employees to start learning from each other.

Screens and partitions

An open office design can be a huge distraction. Depending on how each individual employee functions best, your office may need more collaboration or seclusion. It’s true that an open office design is more collaborative, and communication is no hurdle. However, there are tasks and people that work best with a lack of distraction. Screens and partitions provide the necessary compartmentalization as and when required. Movable partitions work best with an overall functional and dynamic work environment providing the most accessible and effective means of workspace personalization.

Find out more at our blog and visit our website www.vision-oi.com to explore or purchase furniture you require.

Commenting: OFF

Staying productive at office all day long sounds like a real challenge. But with discipline and time you can train your body to stay productive for longer. At Vision Office Interiors, we can provide you with the most practical new and used office furniture, office design solutions whatever your requirement is according to your workspace.

We believe that businesses always need to stay on top of latest trends to stand knowledgeable and up to date. Also, some of these trends focus on productivity and efficiency. One of the most difficult aspects of running a business is to know how to mix things and redesign your commercial property. But we get stuck into our daily duties that we forget to take a step back and really look at our business. There are very important questions to be answered like when was the last time you redesigned? What has changed about your business since then?

workspace

The working environment plays a huge role in staff morale and outdated offices tend to leave workers uninspired. Employees working typically for nine to five job and sitting for longer hours can get problems in the lower back and various other parts of the body, which are badly effected by not sitting in the correct position with proper posture for longer. The reality is that most people slump over a bit while they are sitting down typing. If productivity of staff is down, it may be time to redesign your office. New office design with proper lighting, furniture, break rooms, color scheme can do all of this for you. To get a feel about what may work best for your office, take a look at new office design trends. An outdated office design may also give bad impression to your customers about your service.

If you’re thinking about redesigning your work space, get in contact. Vision Office Interiors always help you to make your office space more efficient and stylish.

 

Commenting: OFF
Show More Posts