Sustainable Design for Contemporary Workplaces

Posted by Andree Iffrig Jun 29, 2009

Remember a time when office floors resembled warrens of cubicles, with private office spaces along the window walls? Wealthy law offices and energy firms may be able to perpetuate this design template, but for most workplaces it is a memory at best, and not always a fond one.

Cubicles have served a purpose, providing a measure of privacy for employees in open office areas and delivering work space for less money. But the high-walled and dark warren is giving way to a unit with lower or non-existent walls and a smaller footprint. Economics, demographics and LEED-inspired design factors are driving this transition.

At the forefront of this drive to eliminate office warrens and better accommodate sustainably-designed workplaces is Teknion, a Canadian firm with offices worldwide.

New realities in the workplace include a need for agile programming: office layouts that respond to shared desks for employees who work only occasionally at the office. Workspace furniture designed by Teknion for flexible workplace schedules is rarely contained in high-walled workstations; openness and transparency are becoming the norm.

Generation Y employees are attracted to flexible, open workspaces. They expect to work in a wireless environment, are less distracted by noise and choose to meet in informal spaces rather than formal meeting rooms.

The rise in real estate costs for commercial buildings is resulting in the design of ever-smaller and more functional spaces. Built-in seating, clever use of under-desk space and specially designed accessories allow occupants to customize their space and make the best possible use of it.

Sustainable design of office spaces is most easily achieved in open offices with access to natural light and views out for everyone. Workspaces in this type of configuration have low or transparent walls to ensure this accessibility. Individual workstations are increasingly being designed with personal controls for adjusting ventilation, lighting and temperature.

The lowly cubicle is not completely dead but it has morphed. New workspace design is abetting the creation of healthy, attractive workplaces.