As people move away from home and into the workplace, office designs are becoming more unisex, with some surprising results. Some companies have created “a la carte” office designs for their employees, where they can choose a piece of individual workstation furniture that best suits their needs. Other firms offer a customizable chair height/desk configuration based on position or budget. The first step to creating a custom-fit office is to appoint an interior design professional like the Zenith Arc office design company in Singapore who can work with your company’s size, budget, and corporate identity. The following list of the most popular office designs used in today’s workplace.
The Open Office
The open office is where desks are arranged in clusters in a large room, making it easy to communicate and collaborate with other employees. While this design provides flexible space, it can make it difficult for employees to concentrate as there tends to be more noise and distractions. The style also makes it challenging to create private meeting spaces as conference rooms are not closed off from the rest of the general work area.
The Office Tower
This design aims to create a sleek workspace that accommodates most desks and cubicle configurations. The office tower has deep spaces and tall ceilings, making it ideal for storing or displaying large items. This type of design is often used in open office environments or high-end offices like the White House.
The Geodesic Cube Office Design
The geodesic cube office by architect Buckminster Fuller was a technical experiment that used flexible building materials like metal and plastic to create a sustainable structure. While the building designs are outdated, the concept has been used in more contemporary office designs for a creative and fresh vibe.
The U-shaped Office
The U-shaped layout is an innovative idea that Herman Miller popularized in the 1960s. This design centers around a communal area with a “waterfall” of desks leading off into conference spaces and work areas. This design can increase worker interaction while allowing private meetings to occur once employees have retreated to their individual areas to complete assignments.
The Cubicle Office Design
With cubicles being around since the 1960s, they have become extremely cost-effective and space-saving. For decades, they have been used in office environments, such as hospitality and retail stores. The cubicle design is known for its privacy, with offices still functioning efficiently despite having open views of their coworkers.
The Pyramid Office Design
The pyramid office design is a small variation on the cubicle office style that features an open floor plan that can encourage more collaboration amongst employees. Rather than having several rows of desks, the pyramid variant works off four to six sides of workstations that are placed around a central focal point or “hub.” This design does not include enclosed private meeting spaces and is therefore ideal for offices that focus on face-to-face communication.
The Activity-Based Office Design
This hodgepodge of office designs has been used in work environments and college campuses. Typically, desks are placed in clusters with fewer cubicles or traditional offices. Seating areas often include couches, exercise balls, and even standing desks to keep employees active throughout the day.
Office designs are essential aspects of a person’s workspace. They help keep it functional and visually stimulating to promote productivity and creativity. You can implement many designs in your office, but some designers have created specific layouts ideal for particular businesses.