Enhancing Workplace Collaboration Through Strategic Office Design

Studies show that almost half of workers today identify themselves as collaborators, spending 61% of their overall time in the office collaborating with others. The design of an office should thus work to generate opportunities for interaction and socialization, anytime, anywhere.

1. Not Your Average Conference Room

Some examples of our conference spaces. Image © Visnick & Caulfield

Image © Visnick & Caulfield

Conference rooms are the most formal meeting space in an office. However, while it is easy to attract team members to these spots, innovative group thinking can be further prompted with the help of smart design. Conference settings should reflect office culture, brand, and business practices as well as support conversation, innovation, and teamwork. Adding glass to brighten and open the space, finding comfortable yet stylish chairs, and letting corporate character shine through in the motif are great tools for fostering company engagement and better business driven collaboration.

2. Defined Spots for Brainstorming, Teamwork, and Engagement

alternative areas

Image © Visnick & Caulfield

“Me-spaces” are slowly diminishing from office environments. More and more, interaction and socialization are key drivers for company performance and success. Along with conference areas, every office should have localized spots for employees to gather, participate, and work together. In addition to structured spaces, adding a variety of engaging community spots such as alcove lounges, high tops and stools, community dining areas or a ping-pong table will draw team members into common spaces fostering interaction, team building, and overall generate collaboration. Having these defined spots encourage interaction to occur organically.

3. Guiding Interaction Where You Least Expect It

Image © Visnick & Caulfield

Image © Visnick & Caulfield

Smart design allows collaboration to occur anywhere, at any time. Almost half of office collaboration is informal and unstructured. Hallways, bathrooms, kitchens, or lobby spaces are just as important as the formal workspace. Strategically place white boards in chance areas. Place break rooms, lounges and community spaces in high traffic spots. Use striated carpet or curving soffits to guide office travel, encouraging interaction and communication.

Let design foster every type of collaboration; you never know where a company’s next brilliant breakthrough idea will arise.

Written by Isobelle Hemmers
Edited by Burt Visnick, Senior Principal at Visnick & Caulfield, AIA, IIDA, NCARB
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