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Your Office Remodeling Checklist

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The time has finally come for that major office remodel you’ve been considering for ages. As the time comes to get down to the actual work of redesigning your workspace, you may find yourself a little daunted by the process that’s ahead of you. Where do you start? In what order should everything be done? What do I do with my old furniture? Here is our handy office remodeling procedure checklist to help you organize everything into manageable steps and get the job done as quickly and efficiently possible: Establish your objectives and make sure the entire team is clear and agreed on them. Why are you remodelling? Chances are it’s about more than just wanting a change. Do you need more space? Do you want to harness new office designs to make your team more comfortable and efficient? Are you unhappy with your current available meeting space? Does your office space reflect poorly on your company and your company culture? It could be one or all of these and more. Whatever i...

Your Checklist for Finding the Right Office Design and Fit-Out Partner

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Before you can even think about investing in cubicle desk systems, modern office chairs or ergonomic desks, you will need to find the right office design and fit-out partner. This partner will be equipped to advise you in terms of what kind of office set-up will be best for your business and your company culture, from modern office cubicles, stunning conference and collaborative areas, to open-plan workplaces. Here are our top tips for choosing the right office design company to assist you in this all-important journey: Vision and Cultural Integration Anybody can pick out ten cubicles for ten people and put them in a layout. But a serious office design partner won’t even start talking about furniture until they know the soul of your company, and what kind of culture you are trying to achieve. The discussion of company culture and values is the soul of good office design. Experience Most companies have good experience but what kind of experience is a better quest...

Co-Creation – The Future of Collaborative Working Spaces

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For a while now, there has been a big shift from segregated, cubicle type offices to open-plan,  collaborative workspaces . This change has shown positive results, often leading to improved workplace culture, improved teamwork and, in many cases, increased productivity as a result of a free flow of ideas and the increased likelihood of communicating better and more frequently with one’s co-workers.    However, most open-plan office set-ups and modern office design principles are still based on old ideas of sorting staff into departmental boxes, keeping certain departments within a business together, and separating ‘unrelated’ departments away from one another. The persistence of this method prevents a true culture of co-creation, which we believe will be the future of work and office design.  What Is Co-creation and Why Is it So Important?   Co-creation is a way in which to foster unity within an organization. It is a way of bringing ...

An Agile Working Checklist for Your Office

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Agile working spaces are becoming a common feature in the corporate world. No longer are workers content to stay tied to a single desk for eight hours a day. They demand working environments with greater flow and adaptability. What’s more, they tend to respond to these with increased productivity and decreased absenteeism. So, what do you need to create an agile workspace? Here’s a checklist to help you answer that question. Get Rid of Unnecessary Office Furniture Start by moving out your unnecessary, traditional  office furniture . You’ll find that a good portion of it can go. You may even be able to downsize your floor space and save on rent. Cloud Services and Completely Mobile IT:  Forget about desktops, base everything in the Cloud and issue laptops, tablets, and handsets to your staff. Since staff will be constantly on the move, fixed workstations will be redundant. Video Communication Provisions:  Nothing makes your team less ag...

Open Ceilings Vs. Drop Ceilings in the Workplace

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Open ceilings have become increasingly popular in  office design  over the past decade or so. The taste for deconstructed, industrial spaces doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, and open ceilings are an integral part of that aesthetic. However, before you decide on an open ceiling look for your office, you should consider its pros and cons versus those of drop ceilings. Take a look at these points as you weigh your options: Cost The general perception is that open ceilings must be cheaper, since they eliminate the need for any additional materials such as ceiling boards and joists, and the labor required to install them. This is only partially true. While it may be true that the initial cost of an open ceiling is somewhat cheaper – about 25 % – you may often find that, once you strip away the old ceiling boards or tiles, there is far more work and hidden problems underneath than you initially anticipated. One of the main features of open ceilings is the exposed ducts a...

Office Redesigns and How They Can Increase Staff Loyalty and Attract New Hires

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What would you think are the main factors that decide whether an employee stays at a particular job or leaves it? The obvious ones are work enjoyment and satisfaction, remuneration, and relationships with bosses and colleagues. However, there is another very important, though often unconscious factor – the work environment itself. Neither employers nor employees give it enough thought, but a worker’s level of satisfaction with his/her working environment has a powerful influence over whether he or she will stay or leave. It also affects the attractiveness of the company to prospective employees. We are often so accustomed to thinking of our offices as purely functional spaces. We just have to go in, do our day’s work and then leave. This is hardly an attitude that is conducive to good work, however, and a drab or uncomfortable environment is not only going to make workers do the bare minimum, it will also encourage them to jump ship as soon as a nicer space becomes available....

These Sustainable Design Features Improve Health, Productivity, and User Experience

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Until about the last two decades, employers were not aware of how their businesses’ working environments affected workers’ health, comfort, productivity, and diligence. It’s now well-known that both office health and safety, as well as the overall attractiveness of the working area, are key factors in employee satisfaction and output. As an employer or a building owner, you may be wondering how you can create an office that is optimum for health, productivity and user experience. Here, gathered from our expert office designers are the main features you need to consider. Natural Light and Views  There are few things more likely to depress and demotivate office workers than an office environment that is lit only by artificial light sources and that has no windows or that has only limited views. It often doesn’t matter what the view is: nature is best, but even a cityscape or a carefully nurtured garden would be enough to keep people happy. Windows and skylights sh...