The keys to designing a productive working office

Whether your office has the best view of Pikes Peak or faces a brick wall, many options can make work easier.

A Microsoft Hardware Poll found that 90 percent of employees said their office space design had a direct effect on productivity.

But designing office space that will boost productivity depends mainly on how the business is going to use the space, said Christy Riggs, project manager for Janitell Childs Design Group.

An office that conducts business mainly over the telephone will need more private spaces, whereas a marketing firm will need open spaces to collaborate, she said.

It's the interior designer's job to take a certain square footage and a certain number of people and decide what will be the most productive use of the space.

Windows and natural daylight also can help productivity.

"Natural daylight can help people be more productive," Riggs said. "Studies have been done showing that people have more positive brainpower with the help of natural daylight versus staring at a computer screen all day."

It also is important to allow for flexibility in a work space, she said, so people can change their space without affecting its function.

Noise reduction is another factor to consider in office design, Riggs said, and a lot of noise reduction can be solved through a furniture system.

The trend in offices is to use movable translucent panels, which allows employees to adjust privacy levels while helping people coordinate with each other.

One reason to hire a professional to help in space planning is code issues.

"It's something most people don't realize," Riggs said. "For example, you can't put a file cabinet next to a door because you need 18 inches (of clearance) for the handicapped."

Interior designers don't make snap decisions -- they get to know an office, and the people in it.

"With office furniture, one of the most important things is to identify space requirements," said. Amy Blevins, an interior designer for OfficeScapes. "See how a person works, is it individual, collaborative or on a teaming atmosphere and that drives the layout for furniture in an office."

A new concept in the industry is called hoteling, or a touch down space. It is a small area designed with an electrical outlet for a laptop and a phone for a worker who has multiple offices and is "on the go."

"Also nowadays there is an area for more informal meeting areas," Blevins said. "A small area with lounge furniture instead of big conference rooms."

Furniture that is "green" also is a trend in the industry -- with some people even using recycled office furniture. And panels that used to be wood are now made out of recyclable soda bottles.

"The architects need certain qualifications to get different levels of certification," Blevins said. "Even the chairs are made out of recyclable products."

Some office designs, however, focus as much on clients as on employees. Memorial North is one example.

"Our main focus whether office or clinical is for patient safety and patient outcome. That is our priority," said Greg Gauna, director of planning design and construction for Memorial Health System's central and north hospitals.

Ergonomic, heating and cooling, privacy and lighting all play a part in making the workflow efficient for staff and patients, he said.

Pod designs -- round areas instead of long, straight hallways -- minimize ergonomics such as wear and tear of clinical staff traveling from one room to the next, he said, and natural lighting benefits the therapeutic process.

"The flow is conducive to an environment that benefits both patient and staff," Gauna said. "It sets a tone for the healing process."

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