Office Refurbishment

The Fundamentals of a Green Office

The variety of living creatures that exists on the surface of this Earth and the atmosphere encompassing those, are jointly referred to as the environment. Environment consists of millions of species of flora and fauna, human beings and numerous other natural resources such as minerals and sources of energy.

Environment plays a crucial role in maintaining a balance between its interdependent constituents. Hence, damage to the environment directly means disturbing the natural equilibrium among its elements.

In the modern world, there are several factors responsible for harming the environment; energy wastage, toxic pollutants from industries, vehicular traffic, air traffic, massive waste generation and disposal, and even household usage of appliances, to name a few. Among these, wastage of energy is the most significant factor that might lead to dark prospects for our future generations.

What is a Green Office?

Developmental science suggests several solutions to overcome such issues. One of the most decisive ones is designing and developing green offices globally. A green office or a green mode of working refers to the one aimed at curbing energy consumption and using products conducive to the environment, usually referred to as eco-friendly products.

Eminent researchers and scientists came up with the idea of green offices to reduce the amount harmful emissions, such as CO₂, into the atmosphere and hence reduce the collective carbon footprint of businesses across the globe. Various types of energy saving techniques are employed in a Green office. Such eco-friendly techniques can be applied not only to particular kinds of offices, but to offices across sectors.

How to Develop a Green Office?

The chief rationale behind creating green offices is to reduce environmental hazards from energy consumption. Some major ways to achieve this are as follows:

Revolutionize Office Equipment and Processes

As a first step towards creating a greener workplace, replace the typically used office equipment like ink and paper with greener options like soybean ink and recycled paper. Modify conventional processes such as printing, and print only when absolutely necessary, and on both sides of paper for internal usage in office. Such measures will result in reduction in usage of energy and natural resources, and hence favour the environment.

As a green office, you must aim at reducing organic emissions into the environment from your workplace. In order to accomplish this, you must opt for electrical and electronic equipment with higher energy ratings. Such equipments minimise energy usage, help you save on energy bills and aid reducing your carbon footprint.

Reuse and Recycle

Instead of discarding your office stationery, consider reusing it to save on costs and to reduce consumption of resources. You must opt for recycled paper and other office supplies, as far as possible, to minimise the impact on the environment. Follow a practice of segregating waste into general and recyclable to foster the process recycling.

Benefits of a Green Office

All in all, a green office curbs wastage and minimises usage of renewable sources of energy such as conventional electricity. It minimises business expenses on energy consumption and is hence conducive for both, the environment and your business.

Innovative Office Designs to Inspire Your Staff

Do you agree that your surroundings have a huge impact in shaping your thinking and personality? We are sure you will. Talking on similar lines, a drab workplace instils lack of enthusiasm in the psyche of your employees, causing the overall productivity of your company to decline. Incorporating creativity in your office design will not only inspire your staff considerably, but also foster an effervescent work environment.

Let’s talk about some creative ideas to enthuse both, your staff and your clients.

Using Colours and Graphics

White is too mundane to be the wall colour of an innovatively designed modern office space. Using motley of colours and modern graphic designs to adorn your office walls is an inexpensive and a sure-shot way to go creative. Make your office space visually appealing by including artwork or theme-based motifs. You can also include models representing your key projects so that your clients and staff can connect better to your business.

More often than not, companies commit the mistake of selecting office furniture components completely matching each other. Uniformity in design is the easiest way to smother individuality. Consider using contrasting yet complementary furnishings, or even different themes for separate rooms or departments.

These are some affordable ways in which even small and medium-sized companies on a tight budget can design their office space uniquely.

Open’ness Promotes Better Communication 

Reduce the height of cubicles or do away with them entirely to create a distinctive look, and to promote transparency and better communication among staff members. As a word of caution though, a completely open work place could turn out to be distracting for employees. Hence, creating dividers between various teams is advisable.

Here are some more tips that you could use to turn your regular workplace into an interesting one:

• Provide social areas for staff interaction.

• Writable walls and dry-erase markers make a great combination, and are an excellent way for your employees to brainstorm, take notes and even generally squiggle.
• Games could be included in social areas to promote bonding. While pool tables and table tennis are common occurrences in the corporate world, more savvy companies are already opting for PlayStation or the like.
• Personal desk lights for staff can save on electricity, while providing individual control to employees. Also, fluorescent lights must be avoided, while opting for pendant or track lightings.
• An open space for coffee can encourage staff to interact and boost social bonding.
• Staff can be given the liberty to deck up their workspace in the manner they like.

The Benefits

The advantages of such distinct office design are several; including:

• Makes work enjoyable for employees, in contrast to the plain drudgery of a lacklustre workplace.
• Attracts creative people to join your company.
• Cultivates the spirit of innovation among employees.
• Assures the staff that you value their presence and contribution to your business.
• Boosts employee job satisfaction indices.
• Curbs staff attrition rate.
• Makes your company come across as the one with an advanced belief system.

Building the Right Image

Creative office design will mean satisfied employees, and in turn enhanced productivity. It is a great way to build a progressive image of your business and attract prospective clients. Most importantly, infusing imagination into office design makes you stand out among competition as a more dynamic and cutting edge organisation.

Why opt for the ordinary when extraordinary is very well within your reach? So call an office interior designer right now to wipe off the humdrum, and ring in the exciting.

The Real Cost of a Bad Office Fit Out

An office fit out can either be an exciting new venture or a stressful burden. As well as requiring weeks of meticulous planning to make sure the design, budgetary constraints and time constraints are perfectly mapped out, a fit out needs a talented set of project managers and fitters to ensure the whole project is delivered not just smoothly, but safely.

 

Regardless, and often because of the need to save money in a tough economic climate, many businesses try to save on the cost of a fit out by cutting corners, doing a spot of DIY or enlisting the help of a cheap contractor.

 

So what happens when you do try to save money in the wrong places, and what are the real costs of a bad office fit out?

An unsafe office

Your office must be designed in such a way that it takes into account every possible health and safety concern. Naturally, something this important requires a detailed site survey to be carried out by a professional who can identify any problem areas and who, unavoidably, can incur an additional cost. While this puts many business owners off this essential service and leads many more to search for a cheaper, less experienced alternative, it shouldn’t be something that’s scrimped on.

 

Right from the first planning stages of your fit out, your current office should be appraised and your new one designed around what would be safest for your staff, clients and visitors. As well as structural soundness to consider, your office must be designed in such a way that falls are prevented, furniture and fittings don’t risk injury, lights aren’t too glaring, floors are slip resistant and electrical wires, sockets and switches are correctly installed.

Additional costs

 

Image credit: Rana Banerjee Photography

 

While some things in life can be bought on the cheap with no issues, an office fit out isn’t exactly a Tesco Value broccoli. In this case you really do get what you pay for, and scrimping on the very best contractors and products to do the job could end up costing you a whole lot more when the less than satisfactory work needs rectifying.

 

Where office design, refurbishments and fit outs are concerned, even a badly fitted light and uncomfortable, poor quality furniture can cost you a considerable amount to replace. Then there’s the downtime it can all cause, costing you just as much in time, productivity and output as in money.

 

While a seasoned professional might come at a price, it isn’t likely to be quite as high as the cost of fixing mistakes.

Unproductive staff

Image credit: Open Forum

 

When planning a new office fit out, your members of staff should be at the forefront of your mind. After all, the look, feel and setup of an office is integral to helping boost their enjoyment and, therefore, their productivity. Even an office decorated in the wrong colours can have a huge impact on their state of mind, with more intense shades like red, yellow and orange evoking feelings of unrest if used too heavily.

 

That isn’t everything either. End up with a poorly designed office that’s small and cluttered and they’ll begin to feel claustrophobic. End up with one that’s too large, however, and they’ll feel disconnected and isolated. Even cheap office furniture can wreak havoc on employee comfort and concentration if it’s poorly made and uncomfortable, and just imagine if it isn’t delivered on time! How will they settle down to get started on their work?

Disillusioned clients

Image credit: How to Freelance

 

A bad office fit out doesn’t just come at the expense of staff, but of clients too. If they walk into your workspace to find a cluttered layout and unsightly décor, their perception of your business is going to suffer instantly. And it isn’t just aesthetics that will have this impact; things like faulty phone lines and internet connections will interrupt communication with clients, cause frustration at both ends and, as a result, could make them go elsewhere.

 

Spending less on things like these might be more convenient for you, but it can potentially harm the client relationships you worked so hard to build and, as an extension, your business.

 

While it can be tempting to try and cut business costs wherever possible, one area that certainly shouldn’t suffer is the quality of an office fit out. As you can see from the points above, the real costs of a bad office fit out can put a lot of unnecessary extra strain on your business and, in extreme cases, jeopardise your bottom line.

 

Have you had an experience with a bad office fit out or even bounced back from one? Tell me all about it in the comments section.

 

Victoria Crawcour graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in Interior Design. She can be found putting her degree to good use at Desk Centre; designing office interiors for commercial and corporate fit out projects.

Red Bull HQ Stunning Design

Central London is full of companies who use their office space to impressive effect, including Google and their vibrant campus in the technology quarter. One of the most famous brands to put down office roots in London, however, is Red Bull.

When they acquired their 1,860 square metre co-working office in central London, Red Bull enlisted the help of architects Jump Studios to create an office design that stood out from the crowd.

Situated in trendy Soho and spanning three floors of a renovated 19^th century office, the resulting space stimulates the body and mind of employees and visitors alike. Clean, crisp design elements, an eye catching colour palette and exciting materials like carbon fibre and metal create a sense of adrenalin that’s synonymous with the brand and, most importantly, creatse a fun place for employees to work.

 “This [carbon fibre] element is evocative of the trace patterns left by skaters, snowboarders, stunt planes, race cars and bikes,” says Jump Studios director Simon Jordan. “It symbolises Red Bull’s commitment to placing adrenalin sport at the heart of its business.”

Each of Red Bull’s headquarters are designed to a different theme – the Toronto headquarters is made from reclaimed materials, the Santa Monica office is set around a skate ramp, their Cape Town premises is a space designed to represent the people who make up the brand and their Netherlands office is all about geometry and wood that draws on the buildings industrial roots. In London however, Jump Studios went above and beyond to create a working environment that was built around not just Red Bull’s sporting background, but its ethos of making impossible things possible.

Rather than entering conventionally onto the ground floor visitors’ first experience of this unique building is the sleek social zone, a floor that incorporates a rounded bar, set of three collaborative office spaces that actually appear to be floating, and a spacious terrace with stunning views over London’s West End.

 

 

“For us, this represented an ideal starting point for both employees and visitors alike, as a way for them to experience the building,” says Simon. “The benefit is an open, efficient, dynamic and connected workspace.”

From there they take the lift through an open ‘void’ punctuated by a TV wall, floating staircase and huge carbon slide.

But for all of its edginess and fun, the Red Bull office doesn’t forget why it’s there. Spacious meeting rooms decorated with accents of the brand’s signature red, and collaborative working areas of comfy chairs and desks provide plenty of scope for employees to spread out and really get stuck into their creative work; the lifeblood of an effective co-working space.

Image credits: Jump Studios

Victoria Crawcour graduated from Liverpool John Moores University with a degree in Interior Design. She can be found putting her degree to good use at www.deskcentre.co.uk; designing office interiors for commercial and corporate fit out projects.