If your workplace is more retro than modern or resembles the dreary cubicle hell in the 1999 movie "Office Space," then it may be time for an extreme makeover of corporate proportions.
With laptops and mobile devices providing office workers more freedom to work from the road or home, a cubicle-free environment, or at least far fewer of them in the office, has actually become the new normal, says Tom Samyn, a partner in Samyn-D'Elia Architects in Ashland. "The individual corner offices still matter, but people never enjoyed living in a cubicle," Samyn says.
Collaborative Space
Gone are the days of compartmentalized workspaces, says Lee Berard of Berard Martel Architecture in Bedford. Instead, office interiors may feature work pods or stations with dividing walls low enough to see over while seated. Large spaces formerly reserved for top executives who tend to be in and out anyway are being reconfigured to provide more usable workspace. "There's no more eating Cheez-Its in the privacy of your cloistered cubicle," said Berard. "It's a trend that's all about making more collaboration happen."
Lilliana Alvarado, IIDA LEED AP with Lavallee Brensinger Architects in Manchester, agrees companies want spaces that allow for more collaboration. "The collaborative work environment is also something that, like open design, has moved past the trend phase and has become just the way it's done,'" she says.
And with companies still crawling out from the debris of the recession, they are looking to efficiently use their space. Workbenches long enough to accommodate up to a dozen laptop computers-six on each side-can provide ample workspace for a team working through a project, Alvarado says. Convertible furniture, like a filing cabinet on castors with a padded top, can double as storage space or guest seating.
"Offices feature more collection spaces' now. You might call it the water cooler corner. They are the spaces that, in the old days, companies tried to eliminate. Now, the attempt is to create more gathering spaces, which is more conducive to working together," Berard says.
Touch Down
Teleconferencing is also changing the space needs of companies, as some employees may start the workday at home and only come in for an afternoon meeting (if they aren't attending virtually through Skype), Alvarado says. "Touch-down stations," which are interchangeable from employee to employee, are a minimalist solution to fixed, clunky desks.Think small five-foot counter tops that can go anywhere needed, with a phone, a task light and a place to plug in a laptop with connectivity, according to Alvarado.
"Suppose you're on a business trip from Chicago and you have to meet with a client in a Manchester office. You just need a place with a phone and some space to work, whether it's for an hour or a day. Touch-down stations provide that," Alvarado says.
Lighting the Way
Office furniture manufacturers like Iowa-based AllSteel offer cubicle configurations featuring clean, linear construction with low panels to allow the flow of natural lighting from above and below, says Alvarado. Also, energy-efficient LED overhead lighting is replacing fluorescent tube lighting.
There are other lighting innovations as well, such as a solar "daylighting tube," made by companies including Sunoptics and Solatube. This is the reincarnation of the old bubble ceiling light, Berard says. A tube lined with reflective material leads the light rays through a building from a rooftop opening, spreading natural lighting throughout the building. That kind of innovation not only reduces electricity, but also helps with people's well-being because of the full-spectrum light that radiates through a space, Berard says.
Open Design
While many businesses have climbed aboard the open-design concept bandwagon, New England is somewhat conservative in adapting to new trends, says Mark White, a principal with Space Planning and Commercial Environments Inc. in Nashua.
"If you go to the West Coast or larger metro areas, you'll find the open-office concept is still more distinctive than it is here. New England lags behind in that way-much in the same way that we lag behind European countries, who have always been about 10 or 15 years ahead of the U.S. in terms of design and planning," White says.
Open-design settings are more prevalent here within tech-related industries, while other, more traditional industries tend to be slower to update interior space, says Laura Malloy of Barrington-based Malloy Interiors. "Right now everything I'm seeing, whether it's Boston or Portsmouth or Connecticut, is a neutral palette. You can add a dollop of color that you can trade out when you're tired of it and still keep things streamlined and clean," Malloy says.
Refreshing Retrofits
Instead of choosing new construction, some businesses are retrofitting existing buildings, which requires new architectural solutions for old structures. It's what architect Hunter Ulf, of UK Architects in Hanover, sees as part of the larger trend of building better through smart, sustainable design.
"Recycling old buildings is catching on for a couple of reasons. For one thing, people are recognizing that as a green solution, you can reuse something that's already there and reduce the energy costs of manufacturing materials and getting them to the site, lessening your overall environmental impact," Ulf says.
Going Green
In addition to retrofits, many companies are turning to sustainable, eco-friendly designs to save money. Berard points to one project, the Sullivan Construction Company space in Bedford, as a showcase for sustainable office design trends. "The inside lighting is on automatic controls, the interior finishes have no toxic off-gassing, the millwork for the reception desk and other back-up desks is all made out of bamboo-a fast growing renewable grass," Berard says. "Bamboo is a popular new application in interior space because it's about conservation, and getting materials from a very sustainable source."
Another trend showcased in the building is leased carpeting made from a high percentage of recycled carpet. Instead of ripping out and throwing away old carpeting after 10 years, "carpet makers are leasing carpets to businesses with the provision that when it's time to redo the interior, they come back and take out the old carpet for recycling material and put in new carpets," Berard says. "It's part of a long-term lease program that's a financial model supporting recycling of material that, otherwise, would end up in a landfill."
"There are so many exciting things happening-photovoltaics baked into the enamel on a painted roof, so that the whole roof becomes a photovoltaic conductor. It's a simple and cheap evolution of a solar concept that, at one time, was prohibitive. That's how technology is changing the game," Berard says.
He points out one incentive for businesses to go green is pressure from customers, who increasingly want to do business with companies that can prove they are truly green.
Ulf agrees that as the technologies continue to advance and become more affordable, building materials and sustainable designs once thought to be a luxury are no longer taboo. Bamboo, composites, plastics and polycarbonates are replacing steel and wood. Even material manufactured using wind power is considered sustainable.
"All things relating to green design and energy efficiency have always cost a premium. For years I'd try to expose people to options for green, energy-efficient design, but the payback period for those investments [was] anywhere from 10 to 20 years out," Ulf says, adding that high oil prices have clients insisting on green building practices, no sales pitch required.
Creating a Productive Office
Based on the premise that happy employees are productive employees, Malloy says many corporate clients are paying closer attention to space designs promoting productivity.
Among those aspects are: Making use of natural lighting through revised window treatments that maximize solar rays coming in, incorporating plants and recycled materials, and adding more private bathrooms rather than open stalls for comfort.
Companies also want buildings to be more productive. That means upgrading fixtures to those with high Energy Star ratings, such as commercial high-efficiency toilets and faucets that regulate water flow. "Daylighting, green energy, plenty of bathrooms-creating an environment that's wonderful for people to work in for long periods of time, where everything they need is right there is the trend," Malloy says. "Just uplifting people changes attitudes and behaviors within a work environment in a good way."
And the economy is helping. After a few slow years with more work on the drawing board than in process, Berard says things are starting to flow. "We think there's a pent-up demand for building projects out there because of the economics of the last three years. We're seeing financing open up for our biggest customers. Right now industrial and manufacturing design is a significant uptick in our business, and they're all looking at built-in efficiencies," Berard says.
Current Issue - April 2024