Offices to Make You Work Harder

This article written by Sue Shellenbarger discusses the essentials of a modern executive’s office. Four design teams were asked to design “the perfect office” given a 15 foot by 15 foot cube. The results were interesting and Shellenbarger goes into these in some detail. Most interestingly, perhaps, is the common perception that an executive should be visible and, as such, the office should be at least partially glazed. However, as an executive is likely to spend a lot of their time out of the office, personal affects should be hidden away or even digital so that the office can be used by others while they are out. In this way an office is very flexible and can become personalised at the touch of a button. Rather than just having a personalised desktop on a shared computer it is now suggested that you could have a personalised office in a shared room.

The Five Star Hotel, by Genslers New York Office

According to Sue Shellenbarger, personal control is very important, with adjustable lighting and heat control essential. Technology also has a major role to play in “the perfect office” with touch screen tables and screens for conference calls built into the walls. Interestingly the actual workspace, the desk, remains fairly traditional with the exception of one designer suggesting it should be adjustable to suit seated or standing work. Is this because the desk is the most efficient piece of furniture for the work carried out or just a lack of vision on the designers part?

The Living Room by PDR, Houston

Other things remain rather traditional too; there is a lack of inspiration with a “normal carpet”, a big view, chairs, desks and a computer. It might have been good for the designers to have pushed the boundaries a bit more and moved away from what is still really an ordinary office.

The Idea Inspirer by VOA Associates, Chicago

VOA associates have, perhaps, attempted this a little more with the above design of a fashion designers office. Here there are pull out fabrics, fold out desks and movable tables. This is a more creative occupation and the office begins to reflect that.

The Sunlit Sanctuary by Studios Architecture, Washington DC

“Green Design” is seen to be important too. Studios Architecture, in particular, let sustainable design dictate their “perfect office”. This design consists of a fairly standard office layout but with the benefit of increased insulation, natural ventilation, and solar control, all of which enhance the space, making it a more comfortable environment in which to work.

While this is an interesting article, the author fails, other than by vague association, to indicate how these design features would actually make anyone work any harder, as suggested by the title.

The Other Office

The Other Office Creative Workplace Design by Matthew Stewart

Written almost a decade ago you might think “The Other Office” which looks at how changes in technology and the definition of work will, and in some cases have, affected the buildings in which we work is not relevant today. However, technology has continued to advance in leaps and bounds, and the nature of work continues to change, but offices built today are often not very different from those built 50 years ago. The Other Office begins by setting out how technology, particularly communication technology has created a “shift in our sense of public and private space”; We now expect to be able to communicate instantaneously with anyone anywhere and at any time.  This has an implication on how public and private spaces are defined and designed.

H2E Advertising Agency, Ludwigsburg

Since the dawn of instant communication and portable computers the role of the office has changed; Instead of being a place necessary to come to for its tools and arenas for discussion with clients and colleagues, it is now as much about being a corporate symbol as it is about work. As such, this book discusses the requirement for offices to be unique to a company and part of the desired image both in terms of architecture and interior design as well as the lifestyle that is promoted by such design.

TBWA, Chiat, Day, San Fransisco

While it is this “instant communication” now available to us that is the driving force for change in our offices, it is also the thing that many of these case studies look to encourage within their designs. That is to say that the creation of a hub or hive of activity and meeting place where people can easily and frequently communicate is almost always desired. Although many people can work from home this is not necessarily encouraged due to the increased interaction that can be achieved in a well designed office. Along with this manufactured interaction the hope is that productivity, particularly the production of ideas in a creative environment, will also be increased.

KBP West, San Francisco

Matthew Stewart explores the idea of the office being a second home. Many offices have domestic rooms such as kitchens and living areas. This is largely due to the vast amount of time currently spent in offices but also assigns formality to a place and allows for personalisation. Matthew Stewart interviewed architects and designers about workplace design and uses 34 case studies to explore where it currently stands as well as where it could be heading in the future. Offices of all scales and functions are considered and novel designs for communal work and more secluded study are investigated; the need for specific design that is still flexible is also discussed. Each project is described in detail in terms of its specific design and its intended use. Beautiful images and drawings accompany the text to illustrate the alternative office designs. The case study offices are also critiqued in terms of their performance, giving an interesting, if slightly biased, insight into what working in a “different” kind of office might be like. “The Other Office” looks to the future of office design by discussing what is currently cutting edge.

Rookin House (cottage industry)

Our group looked at Barclays and the cottage industry that we chose to research was Rookin House Activity Centre. This is a place that corporate groups can go for team building activities with conference and accommodation facilities. In order to represent our findings we decided to create an advert for the centre. The style of the advert is inspired by the centres own website which although quite recent and up-to-date is some what less than polished.

Office Connections

I use my home office which I share with my wife and our two lovebirds. This video shows the connections and movements of the following (in order of appearance):

Wifi, Phone Signal, Views, Electricity and Telephone, Lovebird Flght, and Conversation

Workplace?

Looking for interesting places to work is all very well. But finding places that are actually suitable for prolonged periods of “work” while still being a bit different is a little more tricky.

Here are a couple of places where I would be happy to work. The images are titled “Its All About the View” and “Who Needs Books”

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My Ideal Workplace

My workplace is fairly simple. I am happy to work in most environments as long as I have the basic requirements such as access to food, the loo, some chat from some friendly people and, of course, a computer, phone and sketch/note book. On top of that a roof is quite nice and a connection with nature is much appreciated.

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These collages give an indication of what my ideal office might consist of.