5 Office Design Trends In A Post-Covid-19 World
Certainly Covid-19 has overturned many angles of our lives, and work life is one of the most impacted aspects for a large number of people around the world. This pandemic is testing how each of our businesses can adapt to flexible work, social distancing and the unavoidable work-from-home set up, which challenges many businesses’ practices, productivity and culture.
We can’t deny, work-from-home is here to stay, but office spaces are not going away either, so getting ready for a Post-Covid-19 work environment is a necessity and an opportunity to make our offices even better than they were before the crisis.
At Memo Design Studio, we couldn’t stay behind and as a commercial and workplace design firm, we have been on top of the game finding Post-Covid-19 design solutions for our clients that are easy and affordable to adopt.
Now, more than ever, we are equipped with the latest design trends in innovation, practicality and safety around a post pandemic workplace world, so we have decided to summarise the most valuable information in 5 Office Design Trends in a Post-Covid-19 World, which are fundamental to any business, find them below.
Contact us for additional information, questions, or further details on our Post-Covid-19 Workplace approach or our Commercial Design Services. We are here to design, inspire and support businesses during this time.
1. Workstations Physical Distancing: Layouts & Smart Furniture Choices
Applying social distancing in existing offices is not an easy task, as a business you can either leave it with a professional commercial Interior Designer, like us contact us here, or consider the following options, which will assist you depending on your business needs and preferences.
In an open plan office, re planning the office and relocating existing single desks to create a safe distance between employees, is the smartest choice if the space is available. As an alternative, you can invest in new desks with returns, perpendicular low height storage or on new safety barriers, such us floor plants, low height or semi enclosed acoustic panels, perforated screens or vertical green screens.
Another tip is to remove enclose rooms that don’t require the privacy, and increase the open plan area, allowing more staff to occupy the same footprint in a Post-Covid-19 manner.
Let’s not forget, achieving safety is equally as important as retaining the features of an open plan concept, such us permitting sunlight to reach all areas, ensuring work-flow productivity and efficiency and retaining the office design intent; these considerations will help to maintain a feeling of normality, motivation and a sense of belonging.
2. Open Floor Plans: They Aren’t Going Anywhere
Workplace design forecasting states that the trend for open plan and greener interior spaces will continue as their benefits and contributions to healthier environments keep being proven. Greenery constantly cleans the air and brings nature indoors, creating a feeling of calmness, focus and positivity. In addition, open floor plans are much easier to clean and limit the amount of surface areas employees will touch. Limiting enclosed rooms helps to avoid the most touched objects in offices, such us door handles, shared desks and chairs arms. Rooms can make offices safe from an isolation point of view but perhaps relatively unsafe from a germ spreading perspective.
We know proper ventilation is key to preventing the spread of Covid-19 and other pathogens, by having an open floor plan with windows that can open, ventilation would quickly improve in the office. If you can’t open your windows or doing so won’t ventilate the entire area, it may be time to invest in an office climate control system.
Definitely, having an open floor plan makes the transition to a Post-Covid-19 workplace, much easier; however, it is crucial they are updated to accommodate personal space while still encouraging collaboration and retaining a sense of transparency.
Some exisiting open floor plans will need to be modified to suit a Post-Covid-19 world, and so far we have mentioned some key tips to consider, contact us for our professional design services or further information.
3. Smart Design: Fittings, Finishes & Furniture
Careful selection of finishes easy to sanitise and 21st-century appliances and technology that limit touching are some examples that make our office spaces more efficient from a Covid-19 spread perspective.
Fittings: Handles and buttons are becoming part of the past and it will rapidly disappear in a Post-Covid-19 world. The use of automatic and sensor operated fixtures, fittings and appliances will become essential in public spaces and highly recommended in workplace environments. Some key fixtures to consider are automatic doors and sensor operated tapware, toilets, lights, heating/cooling systems and audio/visual equipment.
Finishes: Smooth, self-cleaning surfaces and finishes with antibacterial properties are key Post-Covid-19 design parameters. For instance, NanoSeptic surfaces and Mats, which turn dirty high traffic, public touchpoints into continuously self-cleaning surfaces. Powered by light, NanoSeptic surfaces utilise mineral nano-crystals, which create a powerful oxidation reaction. Unlike traditional disinfectants and cleaners, the NanoSeptic surface uses no poisons, heavy metals or chemicals, and nothing is released from the surface since the nano-crystals are molecularly bonded to the material.
Furniture: Modulatory and easy maintenance/cleaning considerations are crucial in a Post-Covid-19 World. For example, kinetic furniture makes the cleaning process easier, providing a highly sanitary, safe and reliable environment. Green Furniture Concept is a great example.
Modularity gives you the flexibility and freedom of design with the ability to re-configure layouts into new shapes, quickly to adapt to new distancing requirements of these days.
Furniture with leather and upholstery has a high chance to collect germs in the seams, cracks, and creases. However, this can easily be avoided by using natural materials like wood, sealed properly. There are natural antibacterial and antimicrobial properties in wood which eliminate potential contaminants. As an alternative, plastic and smooth vinyls are great choices, that combined with well sealed natural materials achieve outstanding results. Independently of the material choice, the cleaning and sanitising procedures require to be adapted for a Post-Covid-19 world, frequency and quality are the first aspects to elevate and improve.
We are experts at selecting, planning and maximising furniture resources in any type of workplace environment, contact us to discuss your needs, we are here to help.
4. Smaller Conference Rooms
Telecommunication technology has been changing workplace environments in the last decade, empowering interstate and international businesses, as well as, boosting businesses development and staff education. In a Post-Covid-19 World, this technology will be essential in any office, independently of the size or practice. Meeting rooms can be physically occupied by less people and virtually connected with unlimited participants, which will achieve not only Covid-19 safety, but also can minimise traveling and others costs in a business. It may be time to upgrade your office AV equipment or maximise its used in an innovative and productive way.
5. Office Education: Covid-19 Guidelines
Social distancing, personal health and hygiene are actions required to be clear to all people inhabiting or visiting your offices. Rules in place help staff to understand and follow new procedures in a Post-Covid-19 Workplace.
Emblems, decals, floor stickers, already adapted into our retail environments, also work in our office spaces to ensure employees are keeping the proper social distance and reducing density while waiting to use the lift, toilet, printer, photocopy machine, etc. However, they should be designed and positioned in a way that preserves the office culture, brand, style and aesthetics. Our graphic designers at Memo Design Studio are experts at designing custom graphics and signage for workplace settings and they know well how to integrate Covid-19 informative signs and creative graphics that achieve Covid-19 safety, as well as, a contemporary and innovative look.
During a Post-Covid-19 World, communication is more important than ever, businesses need to re-evaluate work schedules, assign routing in circulation areas, unassigned seating and establish cleaning and de-densifying protocols.
At Memo Design Studio, as holistic commercial interior designers, we know well the importance of every small detail and thoughtful choices around workplace design. Starting with your business goals, vision and requirements, we transform initial obstacles into opportunities and design solutions that involved smart planning, joinery design, finishes/fittings specifications and furniture selections, for optimum productivity, efficiency and hygiene.