It is no wonder that one of the highly recommendable office layouts today is the open spaces because it naturally provides a more flexible workplace – especially for a hustling environment, and sustainability in making an effective office area to the different work structure.
However, its potential would probably cause others a dilemma due to the very honest and transparent view which oftentimes leads them to either overdo the office furniture or too bland and empty to fully utilize the purpose of an open office layout.
Now, to set things right and to work smartly, here are the must office furniture pieces to have in an open space that shall observe the efficiency of the workplace:
The workstations
One of the common reasons for adopting an open layout is to maximize the floor efficiency and it wouldn’t be possible if continuing to use a regular office table which eats too much floor space. To make the maximization mission happen is through the combination of two kinds of workstations: modular workstations and adjustable height desks which are highly conducive for all types of working environments.
The modular workstations provide partitions without getting a solid wall fixed, instead low to mid-level dividers are placed – similar to a cubicle – to adhere to the need for privacy and concentration in accomplishing multiple tasks and best when paired with an ergonomic office chair. These usages are in common demand to companies with team-based jobs.
On the other hand, is the adjustable height tables, these are ergonomically configured that originally address the body pains felt by workers and disrupts productivity. A sedentary workstyle or the prolonged seating hours accumulates all sorts of health issues like heart diseases, diabetes, and such disorders. But having this on-board allows them to stretch conveniently by the sit-and-stand operation without leaving or delaying their tasks.
These two options create a dynamic duo that clearly gives a balance of work efficiency and care for the overall well-being despite the hasty deadlines.
Glass partitions
One of the few concerns in an open space is the too much visibility of everything, it’s like all eyes stare at you. Pretty much to develop anxiety, right? And a solution for this would be a glass partition in a frosted finish.
A frosted glass partition has a shady view on both sides to have exclusive attention on the tasks or agendas. The frosted finish can be done in a variety of options, it can be sandblasted which involves an abrasive material, or the affordable use of glass films; nonetheless, it provides an equal glare of natural lighting to the whole workspace which is essential in having a lighter work mood. At the same time, its installation eliminates the 23-minute long reboot of concentration from other visible business matters.
Storage system
While most people think that in an open layout, office cabinets must be gradually removed to have a spacious workplace and just adapt a cloud system and get paperless – to which, definitely, will not happen. Why? Because in an open office, it will demand more systematized documents and whatever you do, there’s always a need for a hard file copy!
The storage system in an open space is a good opportunity to have efficient filing through the proper investment of office cabinets to hold up such documents. This time all files are in the lateral or vertical filing cabinets which have an exclusive area in the office versus the wall-dominated workplace where cabinets rule everywhere and cause confusion to the staff.
Soundproofing features
Noise distraction does exist apart from what the bare eyes can see, and some have tended to overlook in this matter! Installation of good acoustics enhances the professionalism of the business as it blends seamlessly with every office culture. A great investment in this is an operable partition wall because while the soundproofing is done, it can turn into a multi-functional office space.
There are different types of operable walls that can take control of a certain level of loudness, but in offices, it is recommended to have the 65 operable wall partition which can insulate noise up to 45-decibels. Moreover, this has two tracking options that can go either an Omni-directional panel, a single, or a suspended paired panel.
Read more about the functions and mechanisms of an operable wall partition.
