The working world and therefore also the office world have changed significantly in recent years. The cubicle office was the predominant form of office for decades. Today the office is increasingly defined as an open landscape with different zones. The open-space office concept should offer a working environment that enables communication and creativity, but also allows for concentrated activities. According to experts, modern office design should bring even more advantages: more communication, more effective processes, less sick leave and higher work motivation among employees. How should onemodern workplaceYou will find out in today's article that it can be designed to motivate people and increase their creativity.
The world of work and therefore the requirements for office space are subject to constant change. The requirement for a healthy working environment has become particularly important in recent years. Agile corporate structures, on the other hand, place high demands on the flexibility and space efficiency of office spaces. In this sense, modern office space concepts aim to provide solutions that take the new parameters of work in the office into account. Essential elements of these landscapes, which are repeated in many concepts, are highlighted below.
- efficient –An important topic in office space planning is space efficiency. To optimize space, the allocation of areas, functions and communication routes must be taken into account. Do the employees from Team A have the opportunity to communicate quickly and easily with their colleagues from Department B in day-to-day business? Are there desks in the office where documents keep piling up unplanned? With the right planning, solutions should be created that enable high space efficiency while maintaining high spatial quality.Thanks to the wide variety of desk shapesFlexible workplaces are developing that make dynamic team work easier and optimize work processes.
- healthy -Back pain is a widespread illness today and one in three people cite sitting for too long and poor posture as the reason. That's why German companies are slowly realizing how important ergonomics is to keeping employees healthy. The ergonomic office chairs and desks promote correct, back-friendly posture and offer better well-being for employees. For oneergonomic sitting and workingThe height of the work table is essential. Specifically, this means that the upper and forearm must form a right angle when sitting in a straight position. However, since people are different heights, the standard height of a desk is not optimal for everyone. A great option are height-adjustable desks that offer the option of switching between a sitting and standing position while working.
- creative– Creativity is one of the most important success factors of a company. The value of office space design in relation to innovative strength is still often underestimated. Authors like Scott Witthoft and Scott Doorley from the Stanford Design School focus intensively on the effects of interior design on employee creativity. In your book “Make space: How to set the stage for creative collaboration” (2012) you come to the conclusion that the generation of ideas and the concrete implementation of the ideas can be stimulated and controlled through the room design and furnishing. The more unusual the office design, the more creative ideas can arise there. Some stimulating color elements can also break up monotonous work.
The topic of sustainability in office planning is also becoming increasingly important. In 2009, the Fraunhofer IAO examined the sustainable design of office environments in its “Green Office” study. Study results show that environmentally friendly interior design and furniture will be very important in the future for 66 percent of the companies surveyed. The “Green Interior” measures include furnishing with ecologically sustainable furniture,environmentally friendly materials for surfaces, energy-efficient lighting systems, waste separation and recycling, etc. The willingness to invest and the lack of information about sustainable materials in the office are potential barriers to such measures.
Offices are often designed quite monotonously: with white walls, simple furniture and gray flooring. However, the right color design in the working environment can have a positive effect on the well-being and motivation of employees. Colors can create moods, stimulate creativity or promote concentration. Design experts in the area of office space planning recommend using colors accentuated to achieve the desired effect. Because consciously designed work environments motivate employees and make it easier for them to identify with the company. A good composition consists of three colors in a ratio of 70:20:10. It is important that the interplay between stimulating and calming colors, between color and contrast, becomes clear.
Basic recommendations for color design in the office:
- Red promotes creativity and self-confidence, yellow cheers you up, blue promotes concentration and clear thinking, green has a calming and balancing effect, purple creates emotional changes.
- Light colors make the room appear larger and friendlier. Dark colors make the room smaller.
- Floors that are too light suggest “little stability” and therefore have an unsettling effect.
- A uniform company color can become the company's identifying symbol: Deutsche Post (yellow), Coca-Cola (red), Milka (purple), etc. Consistently enforce your company color in your office design, but keep in mind the fact that a color has its meaning can also change depending on which colors it is combined with.
1. Modular facilities and multifunctional furniture are often used in the modern office. They offer flexibility and can be easily repositioned if restructuring occurs later. This would also significantly reduce any moving costs.
2. Design common areas that can be used as an open meeting place for communication or relaxation from concentrated work. You and your employees can only benefit from such retreat and communication areas in the office, because personal dialogue and collaboration between colleagues is a basic requirement for the company's success.
3. To make orientation easier, there could be a color contrast to the surroundings. Paint the exit door a striking color like yellow or orange to make it stand out enough from other doors. This means that every visitor will instinctively find the right door when leaving your office. This is more creative than the “Exit” sign.
