FACTORS TO CONSIDER WHEN DESIGNING A WORKSPACE

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DateWorkspace Design: Factors to Consider

When designing a contemporary workspace, one of the most important factors to consider is the specific purpose and requirements that the workspace should achieve. This functional factor involves defining the goals, objectives, and reasons for designing such a workspace, and the operations to be accomplished within that cubicle (Hassanain, 2010). Defining these aspects, which reflect the aim and prerequisites of the workspace, is essential in guiding the entire design process. Understanding the purpose and requirements of the workspace is imperative in discovering proper design trends, best practices in space designs, and insights into obtaining skillful and professional interior design firms that can bring the best out of the workspace (Çağlar, 2018).

The second factor is the number and quantity of office equipment, technological implements, and furniture to be fitted in the workspace (Hassanain, 2010; Richards, 2017). The workspace design layout selected must factor in the equipment needs such as fax machines, digital microfilm readers, photocopiers and printers, self-check machines, mobile device charging stations, and scanners, among other equipment. The design should also take into account the technology needs that include implements such as servers, computers, cabling and wiring, communication tools, standing desks, and mapping tools, among other gadgets (Richards, 2017). Furthermore, the design should consider furniture needs, including desks, tables, chairs, filing cabinets, and file drawers, among others. Taking into account these equipment, furniture, and technological needs assist in preventing incidents of redoing the overall workspace design plan, which can be costly.

The third factor is the aesthetic appeal. The aesthetic appeal of the workspace design entails integrating elements that influence how people using that workspace feel, think, and behave (Shrivastava et al., 2017; Vilnai-Yavetz, Rafaeli, and Yaacov, 2005). The concept of aesthetic appeal in workspace design also involves influencing the amount of pleasure derived from it (Kirillova, Fu, and Kucukusta, 2020). This factor is imperative because aesthetic design affects people’s long-standing attitudes about the workspace and the people working in it. Also, it influences the first impression of the workspace while strengthening the connection with its users. Furthermore, the aesthetic appeal should be a top priority in the workspace design because it assists in inspiring people’s creativity and innovation, which augments productivity (Schwarting and Bailey, 2018). Such creativity and resourcefulness can also be enhanced by creating physical environments with the workspace, which are aesthetically engineered to ensure cognitive and perceptual stimulation (Meinel et al., 2017). Aesthetic design is also vital as it reinforces the workspace legacy, mission, values, and other critical aspects that drive the business conducted in this workspace cohesively and pleasingly (Brophy and Filip, 2019). Lastly, aesthetic appeal is worth considering because it sparks positive collisions that arose innovative collaboration and interactions that foster the improvement of workspace functions while encouraging openness and transparency (Bacevice, Burow, and Triebner, 2016; Waber, Magnolfi, and Lindsay, 2014).

The fourth factor to consider is the sufficiency of lighting and air conditioning. Adequate lighting is an important aspect of the entire workspace design process because it boosts work satisfaction and productivity while ensuring users’ good mood and well-being (by preventing darkness related injuries and accidents). From an interior designer’s viewpoint, proper workspace design leverages sufficient natural light to minimize energy consumption, lowering electricity bills. Adequate air conditioning ensures the health of workspace users by eliminating stickiness, allergens, dust, and bad odor while removing moist air that can encourage the breeding of cold- and cough-causing flu germs and bacteria. Both lighting and air conditioning systems and their switching fittings should be included in the design plan. This is imperative in facilitating the provision of adequate and uniform lighting levels and regulated air conditions that protect the workspace against heat loss and gain (Hassanain, 2010).

Other intangible elements relating to lighting and air conditioning that are worth considering comprise office color, indoor climate (encompassing air composition, humidity, and velocity), temperature control, emergency lighting, and window view (Çağlar, 2018; Meinel et al., 2017; Schwarting and Bailey, 2018). Additional factors that need considerations when designing a workspace include sound insulation, the smell of indoor plants, architectural geometry of the workstation’s shape and form, and the spatial arrangement of equipment within the workspace (Kirillova, Fu, and Kucukusta, 2020. Others include safety fittings, which include fire extinguishers’ placement locations and overhead fire sprinklers, flame-resistant fixtures, ample and unblocked fire exits with sufficient passage width, and fire alarm systems (Hassanain, 2010).

Recommendations for Designing an Ideal Space

When designing an ideal space for a specific purpose, say a boardroom for relaxed meetings, team-building training, and corporate breakthrough sessions, three recommendations would be valuable. The first is the integration of ergonomic needs of that space’s users into the aesthetic design. Ergonomics emphasizes designing for the people by fitting human dimensions in the space to meet specific user needs while responding to their functional requirements (Hassanain, 2010). Ergonomics entail rethinking heights and postures of desks and chairs, angles of desktop monitors, the availability of adequate equipment spacing, and other elements that augment user comfort. The rationale for this recommendation is that meeting users’ ergonomic needs culminates in increased productivity, efficiency, and engagement while lessening costs (Çağlar, 2018).

The second recommendation entails balancing the current needs and future growth plans. While leaving large idle space is unadvisable, the design must reflect projections for future growth and the capacity to accommodate them, as Richards (2017) suggests. The third recommendation is to embrace the value of behavior anticipation. Understanding behaviors and accurately anticipating them guides the design of space components in a way that accounts for users’ thinking abilities, intuitive self-examination, emotional responses, and sense of environmental interpretations (Ma-Kellams and Lerner, 2016). This way, an aesthetic design that considers how they feel, think, and examine their intuitive belief systems can be attained, improving their trust while accentuating their sensory experiences.

Reference ListBacevice, P, Burow, L, and Triebner, M 2016, ‘7 factors of great office design’, Harvard Business Review, pp.2-8.

Brophy, L, and Filip, A 2019, ‘Inspiration from the top down: The importance of culture on your workplace design’, The Design Magazine, DBA Work Design Magazine, LLC, viewed June 13, 2020 <https://www.workdesign.com/2019/08/inspiration-from-the-top-down-the-importance-of-culture-on-your-workplace-design/>.

Çağlar, PŞ 2018, ‘Designing for the new generation workspaces: Considerations of designers’, Doctoral Dissertation, Middle East Technical University.

Hassanain, MA 2010, ‘Analysis of factors influencing office workplace planning and design in corporate facilities’, Journal of Building Appraisal, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 183-197.

Kirillova, K, Fu, X, and Kucukusta, D 2020, ‘Workplace design and well-being: aesthetic perceptions of hotel employees’, The Service Industries Journal, vol. 40, no, 1-2, pp. 27-49, doi: 10.1080/02642069.2018.1543411.

Ma-Kellams, C, and Lerner, J 2016, ‘Trust your gut or think carefully? Examining whether an intuitive, versus a systematic, mode of thought produces greater empathic accuracy’, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, vol. 111, no. 5, pp.674-774.

Meinel, M, Maier, L, Wagner, T, and Voigt, KI 2017, ‘Designing creativity-enhancing workspaces: A critical look at empirical evidence’, Journal of Technology and Innovation Management, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1-11.

Richards, A July 18, 2017, ‘Things to consider when designing your office space’, Bangor Daily News, viewed June 13, 2020 <http://arichards.bangordailynews.com/2017/07/18/home/things-to-consider-when-designing-your-office-space/>.

Schwarting, T, and Bailey, M 2018, ‘What to consider when designing a workplace that inspires’, Forbes, Forbes Media, LLC, viewed June 13, 2020 <https://www.forbes.com/sites/ellevate/2018/11/30/what-to-consider-when-designing-a-workplace-that-inspires/#ea4c3627645e>.

Shrivastava, P, Schumacher, G, Wasieleski, DM, and Tasic, M 2017, ‘Aesthetic rationality in organizations: Toward developing a sensitivity for sustainability’, The Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, vol. 53, no. 3, pp. 369-411, doi: 10.1177/0021886317697971.

Vilnai-Yavetz, I, Rafaeli, A, and Yaacov, CS 2005, ‘Instrumentality, aesthetics, and symbolism of office design,’ Environment and Behavior, vol. 37, no. 4, pp. 533-551, doi: 10.1177/0013916504270695.

Waber, B, Magnolfi, J, and Lindsay, G 2014, ‘Workspaces that move people’, Harvard Business Review, vol. 92, no. 10, pp. 68-77.