The whole design.

The office space as a whole is 25m square. As there will be a lot going on in the room I want to keep the rest of the room fairly simple so as not to over power the employees. The floor will be entirely white vinyl, so it will be easy to clean and will keep costs down. The only other design on the floor will be the yellow brick road which will be large sheets of vinyl with the pattern on, set into the plain white.

The ceilings will be 4.5 metres high, as from my research I found that when the ceiling is higher the employees feel as though 'a weight is lifted off their shoulders'. From my research in 'The secret life of buildings' I found that this creates a calmer and more spacious atmosphere. The ceiling will also be curved, creating a huge wave like shape, and adding to the flow of the room, as well as keeping the space different so as not to conform with the mundane usual office space.

In the centre of the room is the coffee station which will be made using perspex and white materials. This is so although it is in the middle of the room, it is not the main focus, as after all the employees are there to work. The office spaces in the top left corner of the room will have glass fronts so although they are quiet inside they still feel like they are part of the space and still feel accessible.

The relaxing sofa work area, which will sit behind the curtain of ribbons going from floor to ceiling, will have a floral theme. To make them feel more homely a country cottage feel will be adopted, using products from appropriate companies such as Laura Ashley.

The old red phone booths are mostly to add a bit of colour and fun to the room, but will also serve a purpose.

All together I feel I have designed a space relevant to my research, and developed ideas from others, merging them with my own. I feel like this would be a fun space to work in, but would also increase productivity much like the Interpolis building in Holland. I have also tried to keep costs down where I can to reduce the original construction costs, and make the office space into an investment, where people can work and be happy at the same time.

The closed group offices.

Colour Psychology

In the top right corner of my design are three closed off offices for group work. Two are approximately twelve metres by six, and the middle one approximately eight metres by six. Each one will be themed in a different colour, so that depending on the mood of the employee they can work to their best potential.

Inside each office will be a large table in the middle of the room, with a selection of chairs around it and any other equipment the company would specify, such as a projector screen etc.

The first office on the left will be white, with a few hints of pastel colours, with shiny surfaces and a futuristic feel. This is because white is plain, and for those with a headache can be calming and soothing. However another trait of white is to make a space feel even more spacious, unfriendly and sterile. This is why I have included hints of pastel colours to divide this up, and still make the space feel welcoming and desirable.

The chairs in this room will all be a different alternate pastel colour, to break up the brightness and plainness of the room. They will be comfy chairs but not too deep, and will be kept upright, so as not to make the employee too relaxed or tired.

This chair comes in a range of pastel colours, and is designed by Luca Nichetto.

The second office space will be themed around the colour purple. After looking at the colour psychology for this I have found that it is associated with wealth and royalty. I felt this would make the employees feel good about themselves, keeping their spirits high, and increasing their productivity. It can also be associated with spirituality and creativity, so dependant on what the employees need to do that day, if it is creative this would be the perfect place. For example making a presentation, or something graphic design based. Although this will be the theme of the room I do not want to make it too overpowering, and so the paler shades of purple will be used for the walls, keeping the ceilings and floor white. The table in the middle will be glass to add reflections and bounce the light and colours around the room, and the chairs around it will be all different shades of purple including lilacs, mauve and deep purples. The chairs in this office space will be wooden almost child like chairs to add to the creative atmosphere in the room, and as they are hard, the employees cannot get too comfy and will stay alert!

The third and final office spaces will be themed around the colour blue. I have discovered that blue represents communication, intelligence, trust and efficiency. I felt this would be appropriate for an office space for when the employees really need to focus as a group. 

For this office I still want to use a pastel blue for the walls, but this time will use a mid brighter blue for the ceiling to add a different effect. For this room I feel like as it is centred around focusing on work office chairs would be appropriate. 

         

Bibliography:
Cherry, K. (2010). Colour Psychology. Available: http://psychology.about.com/od/sensationandperception/a/color_white.htm. Last accessed 15th November 2011.

Wright, A. (2008). Colour Psychology. Available: http://www.colour-affects.co.uk/psychological-properties-of-colours. Last accessed 15th November 2011.

Anon. (2007). Beautiful and Unique chairs. Available: http://www.fitinhouse.com/beautiful-and-unique-chairs-exotica-decorate-your-house-casamania/. Last accessed 15th November 2011.

Anon. (2011). Pastel wooden chairs. Available: http://home-and-garden.become.com/kids-chairs-kids-pastel-colored-wooden-parker-play-chairs-pink-parker-play-chairfloor-to-seat-14-h--compare-prices--sc1141566997. Last accessed 15th November 2011.

Anon. (2011). New York high back chair. Available: http://www.chairsupermarket.co.uk/p/New_York_High_Back_Chair.htm. Last accessed 15th November 2011.

Final floor plan

For my final design I chose my initial idea number four. I felt like my ideas progressed as I drew them, and so my final one was the most developed. I tried to include all the previous ideas that I thought worked well, and combined them into one space. 

The next step is to focus on each part individually and look at sourcing, pricing and the designs and materials I want to use for each. 

Initial ideas 3 & 4

After looking at my first two ideas I want to really utilise the space, not only fitting in more employees and zones but creating more of a flow. I like the way that idea three incorporates relaxing areas, as not everybody works to their highest productivity at a desk. I feel like it includes something for everyone, except individual working. I think with all these group areas it could be a little noisy, and maybe productivity would not be as high as if individual working areas were included. This is what I did for my final idea. In the bottom left corner is an individual working station. One large circular desk, approximately two metres diameter, has been split into four with dividing walls, made from cork board, allowing the employee to display their notes and any other necessities. After wanting more flow, for these two ideas I included pathways. They will only be painted on the ground, or made from lino set in the floor, so they are not rigid guidelines. They can obviously be strayed from but it gives a little more excitement to the journey the employee takes to their desired area. These pathways will be painted as yellow brick roads, to bring something so well known into the office space, and again take away some of the importance and significance of the job. 

Initial ideas 1 & 2

Although I do like these two floor plans, they seem a bit basic, and a little empty. I feel like the office should have a little more hustle and bustle. I like some of the individual ideas used, but it looks a little like they are set in the four corners of the room and I want it to flow more than this. For my next two I will try to mix things up a little bit, still using zoning, but trying not to be so rigid. 

Target Market

Although I have found in my research the office space does not generally reflect the company that uses it. The Interpolis building in Holland is actually a regular insurance company, although it is one of the most interesting office spaces I have seen.

After considering this I have chosen to design for a Telecom company such as BT, to prove this. Although the spaces could be slightly themed towards this idea, it does not have to revolve around it. 

The space I will design will be 25m by 25m square,and will aim to include different zones to split the space up.

Hot desking

Hot Desking is one of several new terms which were brought into common use in the 1990's to describe a new set of working practices. It is believed that this term originated from old naval practices called "hot bunking" where shifts of sailors would share limited bunk space

Hot Desking is also known as location independent working, where workers do not have their own desks, but are allocated work space according to their needs. It can be refined to mean the sharing of a desk/seat/workstation arrangement by more than one member of staff.

This type of arrangement enables employers with workers who do not have overlapping shifts or staff who are frequently out of the office to make better use of the available resources. This system of working is also well suited to firms who have staff who are frequently out of the office, for example sales people who are mostly on the road, so that space within the office does not have to be allocated for them permanently.

Bibliography:

Gordano. (2008). Hot desking. Available: http://www.gordano.com/kb.htm?q=1598. Last accessed 12th November 2011

Norman Foster

Norman Foster is another architect focused on in the series 'The secret life of buildings'. One of his most renowned projects is the Willis building, (originally the Willis Faber and Dumas Headquarters). 

The building was thought to have been the first real open plan office space built in the UK. The sturdy steel and concrete frame allowed Norman Foster to cover one side of the building entirely in glass, giving the outside façade an amazing effect. 

At the time it was built in the 70's it was one of the most revolutionary buildings, creating social spaces within work. The building included a staff restaurant right at the top of the building for everyone to enjoy, and even included a swimming pool for the staff to use on their lunch breaks etc. Along with this increase of social interaction at work came a rise in productivity. The employees were happier in their 'offices' and so were turning out more work. The design also included new innovative ideas such as the reflective ceilings, bouncing light around the room, making the area seem larger and more open. 

In the 70's the inclusion of a swimming pool was radical. It was something new that no other company had done before, and was something that was not even accessible in the local area. This was something unique, and increased the companies reputation, creating more demand for jobs there. When the company was seen as looking after their employees, receiving perks that other companies could not give, more people wanted to work in the building. 

Image of the pool area, set in the very centre of the building,taken from the programme. As the building in the 90's was the youngest building to be granted grade one listing, the pool area was not allowed to be removed, but was covered up with a false flooring to create more room for office spaces. Although the swimming pool can still be seen today underneath!

Bibliography:
'The secret life of buildings' - Channel 4

Grey Matter: Erik Veldhoen

Interpolis, Tilsburg, Holland

The most interesting part of the episode focuses on an office space designed by Erik Veldhoen. 

His ingenious designs create clubhouses and smaller working spaces dependant on the mood of the worker. He explains how one office area is made for group one, using long desks, bright colours and lots of different lightshades, creating a bright happy atmosphere. He then says however if you have a headache that day you may want to work in another space which is completely white, still using interesting furniture, such as chairs and benches in the shape of people as if you are sat in their lap. He has created different 'pods' each with a different purpose. He said the employee should arrive in the morning, decide what they want to achieve that day and then they can decide where is best to do so. 

Devices such as this wall of ropes, still creates the feeling of zones, but without being shut off from the rest of the space. It allows the employees easy access without solid angular walls and doors. I would really like to use this idea as inspiration in my final designs.

Although from the programme it looks as though money has been thrown into this project creating huge costs, however because of all the different spaces and the 20% increase in productivity, the space used has been reduced by 40% saving them almost half of their original construction costs!

Tom Dychoff decides to experiment with these employees and for one day puts them in an environment similar to those of a British office space. They had plain walls, ceiling, and a simple table in the middle of the room with their computers to work on. They weren't allowed to change the temperature or open the windows. It is only until you put it into such simplistic terms that you realise how bad our office conditions can sometimes be. 

The result of this was the employees complaining of feeling tired, bored and had much less productivity. They explained that in their normal office they felt happier and so more proud of the company and the work that they were achieving. 

Full episode

Episode 2: Grey matter

This is the full episode of The secret life of buildings, looking at how our office space affects our state of mind

The affect architecture has on our state of mind

After watching the secret life of buildings, which investigates how office spaces can affect our state of mind, looking at issues such as ceiling height, it makes you realise that there are so many contributing factors, and that some ones state of mind will directly affect their work ethic and their overall productivity. 

The secret life of buildings

Bibliography:
Chen, S. (2011). The secret life of buildings. Available http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTVv8Vv9yx0. Last accessed 2nd November 2011.

The old and the new.

The design of an office space has not often been closely related to the needs of that space. For example the main focus of a company building can often be seen only in the reception area and the façade, there only to enhance the corporate image, and to 'look good'. Also the space is designed purely to maximise the amount of work available, cramming in as many people as possible. Thirdly the space is often restricted by planning permission, usually resulting in high rise sky scraper buildings, restricted by their box shapes and plain façades. 

This is the Larking administration building, the photo taken in 1907. As you can see from this although the design industry is almost trying to convince the public that office design has taken such a huge leap forward, it can be proved that the design principles still remain the same. Office spaces were then, and still are used to maximum efficiency with uninteresting layouts and warehouse imitation like designs. The core ideas remain the same, it is just the technology and the materials used that has evolved, giving us a sense of moving on. 

Although our work ethic has changed over the years, now including working within a team, using the space as a group, different timings and work patterns, and home from home etc, this has not changed how we design our work spaces. 

The picture to the left is the floor plan of the Larkin building, from 1904, and below a modern office space floor plan from 1990. As you can see when the photographs are taken away and only the simple layout is shown, the similarities are great. 

It seems to me that the next step is to investigate the modern ways in which our workers now carry out their practices, and design a space that tailors to each one of these needs. 

Bibliography: 
Worthington, J (1997). Reinventing the Workplace. 2nd ed. London: Architectural Press.

Inspirations

Weil am Rhein, Germany
Sevil Peach Gence Associates


Bibliography:


Myerson, J (2003). the 21st century office. London: Laurence King

DZ Bank, Berlin, Germany, Gehry Partners

Question 4. from the design brief

How does the workplace contribute to the meaning of work?

"The office was once designed as workhouses, reflecting the idea that work was something to be endured rather than enjoyed.Some employees were not even allowed to converse, let alone to flirt or gossip. But, in the people-centred economy of the 21st century, imaginative new offices are emerging in which social interaction is encouraged rather than frowned on. The neighbourly office is designed as a social landscape to bring people together in a community of purpose. It is a complete corporate society and its repertoire of town squares, garden fences, entertainment zones, quiet spaces and lively bars increasingly mirrors the dynamic of the modern city, with its chance encounters its colour and bustle."

-The 21st century office, by Jeremy Myerson and Philip Ross, published by Laurence King publishing in 2003

The workplace should contribute to work in two ways, to make it fun, and to keep it serious and focused. This is a very hard line to divide by.

Maslow's pyramid of needs is a good example of how one need affects the next.

Bibliography:

Noon, M (1997). The realities of work. London: Palgrave McMillan.


Tay, L. (2011). Maslow's pyramid of needs. Available: http://changingminds.org/explanations/needs/maslow.htm. Last accessed 12th November 2011.

Question 3. from the design brief

What effect does work have on peoples lives and aspirations?

As with all debate questions the answer can be argued in two ways. 

The first is that work has a positive effect on peoples aspirations encouraging them to move up the work ladder and work towards their ideal job (and their ideal pay). Companies are usually seen to give their employees perks and support plans such as medical care, dental, company cars and such like, encouraging their employees to work towards the next level. In a lot of companies this does work, however the employee must already be passionate or good at what they do. If there is no passion then there will be no motivation. 

The other side of the argument would be that if someone gets into a job that they didn't really want as their career or something that was intended to be temporary, then it can be hard to be motivated to move up in the company. Similarly if someone leaves it too long after getting a degree, or is out of employment too long, they are seen to have lost their skills.

For example if after completing a degree the student then goes home and back to their part time pub job, and ends up there for too long, it can be hard to then make their way into their desired employment.

Another example is students going travelling. People often get carried away, staying too long, and then either lose motivation for getting into employment or find it very hard to justify where they have been and what they have been doing for the past so many years. 

Bibliography:
Noon, M (1997). The realities of work. London: Palgrave McMillan.

Question 2. from the design brief

What do employees want from their work?

One of the key features of keeping an employee happy in their work is a good work-life balance. What constitutes a happy work-life balance will vary from person to person, dependant on a wide range of different circumstances and preferences. 

This structure can work both ways, for example much attention has recently been given to people working too much and therefore not spending enough time with themselves, at home or with their children. However to reverse this thought process, the unemployed and people working only part time, can be seen to have too much time on their hands and too little structure to their day. 

For those not earning as much as they'd need to, their work-life balance can also be thrown off. For example they may need to have more than one job or work extra hours to earn more money just to make ends meet, however their private life is also effected as they do not have enough funds to enjoy their leisure time. 

The work-life balance can largely vary between different groups in our society, for example parents managing child rearing and paid work, managers and those high up in their companies working long hours simply to get through their large work loads, carers trying to fit paid work around their caring responsibilities, and so on. 

The phrase itself can be somewhat conflicting. When talking about work it is thought of as part of our daily routine, as part of our life, whereas this phrase is trying to differentiate the two. 

Greenhaus and Beutell (1985) identified three main causes for conflict of the work sphere and the negative effect it has on the non-work sphere:

1. time based conflict: time spent on one sphere resulting in less time than needed being available for other spheres.

2. strain based conflict: strain experienced in one sphere making it difficult to fulfil obligations in other spheres

3. behaviour based conflict: role behaviours required in one sphere being inappropriate for role behaviours needed in other spheres. 

One example of time based conflict is someone in a job whereby they can be on call or on standby whilst in their non-work sphere.

Similarly another example is someone who works in a job where the work load cannot be finished in the scheduled work day and must be taken home for completion.  

An example of strain based conflict could be that the pressures from home such as illness or family issues create difficulties in concentrating on the work sphere. This can also be reversed in the sense that a stressful bad day at work can spill into the non work sphere making the person tired or grumpy when they arrive home. 

And finally an example of behaviour based conflict may arise when people use behavioural devices from the work day (such as a teacher giving instructions or talking down to a pupil) and unconsciously bring those behaviours home with them. This would therefore cause conflict between the members in the household. 

Work-life balance can be achieved when the persons ability to sucessfully pursue their work and non work lives happens without making excess demands on one or the other. What constitutes 'balance' will vary depending on the individual and their preferences and their circumstances. 

Bibliography: Noon, M (1997). The realities of work. London: Palgrave McMillan.

Question 1. from the design brief

Why do people work?

People work as a necessity to earn money to live. It it through money that we can provide food, housing, clothes and so on, and so from this satisfaction comes job satisfaction. 

However with most societies they (supposedly) provide a welfare system to ensure that citizens welfare does not fall below the basic level of survival. So in some cases is there really a demand to work? 

Unemployment benefit, housing allowances, and free medical care were specifically designed as a safety net preventing people from becoming poor and needy.

This is the main example of the government stepping in so as not to let the public solely rely on market forces. 

Politicians have previously argued that these implemented systems could be a deterrent for people to work, as it provides a supposedly satisfactory standard of living. It has also been proven that someone could undertake a weeks worth of low paid work, in employment and still receive less than some people would by claiming benefits. 

As you can see it is not technically necessary to work in todays society. Therefore you could say that people work to generate money, to gain consumer power. The main difference between the employed and the unemployed is that the employed have more consumer power and so more control over their choice of lifestyle. 

And so given the important link between work and spending power, it is hardly surprising that when asked, most people will say that earning money is the prime reason they work (or want to work in the case of the unemployed.)  

Bibliography:

Noon, M (1997). The realities of work. London: Palgrave McMillan.

Research

After choosing the brief to create an office area for the future, the first thing I wanted to do was properly research. After going to the library I found books such as 'Tomorrow's Office' and 'Reinventing the Workplace'

Another source of research I looked into was the programme, 'The secret life of buildings'. This was a programme where architecture critic, Tom Dyckhoff, explores the impact the design of buildings can have on us - on our identity and self-esteem, and on relationships, our chances at school, and even our weight and immune system. There was one particular episode which focused on our office spaces.  

The programme synopsis:

"Tom Dyckhoff makes some revelatory and shocking discoveries about how the buildings in which we spend our working life can physically change our brain, and shows why open-plan offices are bad spaces to work in.

Armed with this new knowledge, Dyckhoff meets and challenges pre-eminent architects including Norman Foster and Zaha Hadid to re-evaluate their creations.

He brings them face-to-face with the people who use their buildings every day. He even tries working in their buildings himself while taking part in an experiment to measure the impact on his brain.

What do the results show about working in these spaces? Have we become so obsessed with iconic exteriors that we've stopped thinking about the people inside them?

And is it possible to design a building that makes us feel happy while making us more productive too?"

Bibliography:

Worthington, J (1997). Reinventing the Workplace. 2nd ed. London: Architectural Press.
Raymond, S (1997). Tomorrow's Office. Hong Kong: Taylor and Francis

Project Brief

Tomorrow's Workplace

Choose a working environment and re-design it or an aspect of it that makes flexible working easier or reduces 

the energy consumption of working environments. Ideally, your solution will do both.

Process and presentation

You have four A3 presentation boards and a written summary not exceeding 250 words in which to describe your solution. In addition to presenting the finished solution, describe your process:

– what were your observations? Show how your analysis of these observations gave you insights into the design opportunity

– your insights might be research-based or intuitive, or a combination of both: relate the concept clearly to these insights

– make sure the judges know what specific issue or issues you have had to resolve in the process of designing your solution

– tell the story so that we understand the context for your solution and the benefits it delivers

Background

New design solutions are needed to address issues of environmental, social and economic sustainability in the workplace. Increased demands for flexible working and greater pressures on environmental performance are key challenges for the workplace of the future and present a unique opportunity for designers. Flexible working is increasingly in demand as workers balance more active and diverse personal and professional lives, as well as working until later in life.  In addition, the traditionally high energy consumption of working environments necessitates change for imperative environmental and economic reasons. Flexible working is aimed at moving employees away from the traditional office-based, nine-to-five, full-time job on a permanent contract. The previous ‘one size fits all’ approach is a thing of the past replaced by a variable proposition that can relate more to the employees, or the employer, or both. For an employee, flexible working may allow them to organise their employment to fit in better with other aspects of their life. For the employer, flexibility might enable them to organise resources in line with the needs of customers or with workplace capacity constraints. The benefits of flexibility include an improved work-life balance for the employees and maximised efficiency and resourcefulness for employers. The result is improved employee retention and improved services for customers, which in turn means increased competitiveness and greater profitability for businesses.

Significant developments in technology and communications in recent years have facilitated not just flexible working from home but, increasingly, working whilst on the move. A range of public environments such as airports, train stations, restaurants, cafes, hotel lobbies, parks and urban public spaces now constitute regular 

settings for many working people’s daily business activities. These places are used not only for lone working, but for meetings and collaborative workshops as they often offer mutual convenience for people with differing travel and time requirements.Thus as the demands for flexible working increase, areas and spaces that were 

previously designed for only infrequent or casual work use are not always suitable for business meetings as they often lack the appropriate seating, table space, spaces and plugs for technology and gadgets, papers, etc. Issues of ergonomics and the need for easy access to wireless connections are becoming increasingly important as well.