Work Place Advice

One of the great benefits of the amazing advances in technology over the last couple of decades has been the ability for many of us to work from anywhere. This has led not only to traditional office personnel working from home, but has fueled the rise of the “gig economy” and entrepreneurs able to conduct business anywhere with a Wi-Fi connection (which is why you can’t get a seat at Starbucks, but that’s a different topic).

The downside of that newfound freedom has been the loss of some degree of human interaction and engagement. It’s great that we can connect from anywhere, but on some level we have to connect with other human beings as well.

Enter the shared workspace or, more commonly, the coworking space. Coworking spaces are typically suites, and sometimes entire buildings, that feature individual offices for lease by unrelated businesses. Usually the individual offices are accompanied by open-plan, shared work areas, and often there are conference rooms available for tenants as well. Some arrangements even feature a common receptionist/admin person to greet visitors, schedule appointments for tenants and so on.

There are solid reasons for this blossoming trend: a Harvard Business Review article notes that people who belong to shared work environments thrive at a higher level than those in traditional offices, and find their work more meaningful as well.

While shared workspaces can give the solo entrepreneur an air of credibility in the form of a physical space and a mailing address (besides that Starbucks location), they’re often used by employees of traditional firms who need a remote location, maybe on the other side of town from the home office. And one of the reasons people thrive is because of an environment where they can interact with others who aren’t competing for the same clients or the next promotion. Collaboration and sharing of ideas happen organically, especially if the design is conducive to that.

For that reason, the design of a successful coworking space should put a great deal of emphasis on the common areas to make them inviting and engaging. After all, collaboration is much more likely if tenants can flop down for a few minutes and compare notes. It’s not unusual to see everything from beanbags to sofas to stand-up tables and desks in well-designed coworking environments. The resimercial furniture trend is tailor-made to work well in shared spaces.

Interested in design ideas for a shared or coworking space? Contact the design experts at Douron.

You may or may not have heard the term, “biophilic design,” but you’ve probably seen it without knowing its name. And you’re likely to see more biophilic spaces in the future.

So what is biophilic design? Wikipedia defines it this way:

Biophilic design is a concept used within the building industry to increase occupant connectivity to the natural environment through the use of direct nature, indirect nature, and space and place conditions.

To that we would add, “Not just the building industry but interior design as well.”

The theory behind biophilic design is that as the world becomes more urbanized it’s more and more important that we stay connected to the outdoors, and proponents of the trend point out some very real benefits. The term itself is several decades old and translates to “love of life or living systems,” the idea being that we all subconsciously need to connect with other living things.

In real terms as it applies to commercial design, that means any number of things, but think lots of wood, plants as an architectural feature, indoor waterfalls and so forth. Definitions vary as to exactly what does and does not constitute biophilic design, but consider this: an atrium with full-size trees and waterfalls, simulating an exterior setting, is definitely biophilic. A ficus tree in your cubicle, not so much.

And there’s a huge middle ground, of course, but however you define it, there’s a marked trend towards bringing the outdoors to indoor spaces.

Why? Well, if you’ve ever gone for a hike in the woods to clear your mind, or if you’re a camping enthusiast, you understand the positive effects being in the outdoors can have on your psyche. In a commercial setting, proper use of biophilic elements translates to reduced stress, improved cognitive function, better moods and greater creativity. And any business could use some of that, right?

Does that mean you have to tear up your whole building and plant a forest in the lobby? No (although that would be pretty cool!). There are many ways, large and small, to incorporate biophilic design elements into the workplace.

Want to know more? Contact our design professionals.