What are the current trends in office design? If you are thinking about renovating your office, here is some inspiration for you, from sustainable designs to flexible workspace.
These past few years have presented a whole new range of challenges for interior designers and office fit-out specialists, as well as new unique trends in office design. The biggest factor in these changes naturally was the lockdown, which affected virtually every aspect of working life in one way or another.
As offices increasingly change we as designers and fit-out suppliers need to be dynamic and aware of the ever-changing environment. Here are some of the biggest factors affecting current trends in office design.
Attitude towards office design
A key way that the changes in the industry have been felt in offices has been in the behaviour of the workers, and as office designers, we need to be aware and accommodate these changes. Here are some of the key areas that are creating change in the world of workspace design.
Sustainable design
On an individual level, people are acting more environmentally consciously and recycling more and expecting offices to do the same. This can be seen in little things like more recycling bins and encouraging staff to cycle to work that can on an individual basis seems small but is highly effective when done by a whole company.
Offices can be built in a more environmentally friendly way too. We have a separate article on this very topic if you want to know more about what the practical implementations of sustainable design would look like in your office.
Flexibility in workspace
One of the key ways that offices are experiencing change as a direct result of the pandemic is that more and more workers are expecting a flexible work environment. This can mean a very open office, where some of the team will be coming in on some days and others only one day a week.
Because many employees still prefer to work from home for at least part of the week, only a small portion of your team will need to come into the office on any given day, which can mean much smaller and open floor offices in the future. Instead of assigning everyone a personal desk, open plan offices with a flexible structure are increasingly becoming the norm.
Design and technology
Another ever-changing factor in the creation of a good office is advancements in technology and its implications. Since offices have existed each new decade has changed their design and look drastically, and this is the same as ever.
The idea of smart infrastructure is becoming more and more important for office buildings, with technologies being implemented into every facet of modern offices. This can be anything from automatic lights to desk booking apps and mobile integration.
Along with this, there is an increasing need for good video conferencing technology in offices. If your workforce is going to be out of the office 2-3 days a week then you will need to have video conferencing adapted into your office. More offices will need to have additional pieces of technology implemented to meet the needs of long-distance communication in the years ahead.
Size optimisation
Connected to the previous points is the idea of optimising as much of the space as possible in the office. Due to many of the reasons already mentioned, offices need to provide their workers with a reason to keep coming into the office while allowing for the downsizing that is becoming necessary after the global pandemic.
Larger regions of natural light and improved air ventilation are also becoming more and more essential to office fit-outs, as well as ergonomic furniture that fits into the aesthetic of the space. Offices are also increasingly including other advantages to coming to work, such as stocked fridges and relaxation and entertainment areas.
Interpersonal communication
New office design has had an increased emphasis on communication and a lack of a hierarchical layout. This has led to the phenomenon of the open-plan office, where everyone works in well-lit offices with large open spaces and no cubicles, but often individual spaces nestled in around the central meeting point.
It is yet to be seen if this trend will continue after the pandemic, and if safety will take precedence over specific design choices.
We at HE Interiors have a wealth of experience and an understanding of the adaptability needed to fit out and design a modern office. We have fitted out a wide range of interiors from medical practices to corporate offices.
You can learn more about our work in our case studies here, and if you would like to get in touch with us for more information, follow the link here.
