The Workspace Shift

Experts weigh in on current trends in office interiors as Commercial Design explores factors influencing and affecting workplace design

 

With the present concept of designing not just the workplace but also to influence employees, wellbeing has now emerged as a new benchmark to be met within design schemes. Examining the complexities of today’s work, businesses too are starting to understand that the main value lies with their people.

The key to success today is providing employees with a number of diverse choices. Experts also point out that, when designing a workplace, it is crucial to understand exactly how occupants will interact within the space; and that one size does not fit all. This is the cornerstone of what the design fraternity refers to as “insight-based” design. “Technology has changed the way we work, no longer restricted to a desk or a cubicle. It’s no longer a place you go to but an activity you do. Workspace design needs to factor in this change.

Offices are no longer looked at as just a place of work, rather a strategic tool for growth, collaboration and learning. This calls for layering of space to allow and provide for different kinds of spaces responding to different activities. The challenge is striking the right balance in doing so,” states Mehul Shah, director, DSP Design Associates.

Creating value within the given space

“Space management is the keystone on which all successful office interiors are built. In today’s real estate prices, space utilisation and management are the order of the day. Though, largely, space per person or area per person on the overall usable space has not changed in corporate infra standards over time, what keeps reinventing itself is the individual workspace and the collaborative areas with supporting spaces. Currently, trends are not purely about density,” explains Kartik Punjabi, principal architect, VPCPL.