Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription Future of work newsletter free subscription
  • Marketplace
  • Resources
  • Business Directory
  • Events
  • Advertise
  • Brand Pulse
  • Publish a Press Release
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About Us
The FUTURE OF WORK® since 2003
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Columnists
      • Dr. Gleb Tsipursky – The Office Whisperer
      • Nirit Cohen – WorkFutures
      • Angela Howard – Culture Expert
      • Drew Jones – Design & Innovation
      • Jonathan Price – CRE & Flex Expert
    • Get the Newsletter
    • Events
    • Advertise With Us
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand PulseNew
    • Partner Portal
  • Latest News
  • Business
  • Leadership
  • Work-life
  • Career Growth
  • Tech
  • Design
  • Workforce
  • Coworking
  • CRE
  • Podcast
No Result
View All Result
Subscribe
Allwork.Space
No Result
View All Result
Home Design

Bring The Outside In To Optimize Office Utilization

Guest ContributorbyGuest Contributor
July 1, 2021
in Design
Reading Time: 6 mins read
A A
Bring The Outside In To Optimize Office Utilization

Hanna Graziano of FM:Systems and Lisa Layman of Eighth Day Design share design tips on bringing the outside in (image by Eighth Day Design). Originally published on Work Design Magazine.

  • Every office can enjoy the benefits of nature at work, and it doesn’t need to be an expensive reinvention. 
  • Start by focusing on quick wins, such as better lighting, better air quality, and the introduction of biophilia. 
  • Don’t try to reinvent the office in a silo; collaborate across departments and consider every opinion. 

This article was originally published on Work Design Magazine by Hanna Graziano of FM:Systems and Lisa Layman of Eighth Day Design. 

Walk into most large federal government offices designed in the 1990’s and you’ll see… not a whole lot.  

For those whose mission requires quiet and focused work, spaces still exist today that are primarily enclosed offices, both on the interior and perimeter of the space. The more senior an employee, the better their access to space, comfort, and natural light. Workrooms and pantries are also largely buried in the interior core of the building with no access to daylight.  

When COVID struck, these heads-down workers started doing all this work at home. Instead of isolated offices, they reviewed documents wherever they did their best work. Now, as offices reopen, spending a full day in such a structured, artificial environment isn’t quite as appealing.  

But that’s all changing now. 

A recent example is the redesign of a government agency with a two-fold goal. The first goal is to create a more visually appealing workspace. The second is to foster productivity and support a better employee experience. The redesign reduces private office space to introduce far more (and more accessible) natural light for everyone. Since natural light boosts productivity and creativity, and reduces stress, this change will do a lot more than cut down on lighting costs.  

But bringing the outdoors in goes well beyond lighting. 

Another example is a wealth management company who wanted to recreate a “beach house” vibe in a new space. The moldy, drab, long-empty brick structure was ready for reinvention. They added more open areas, new skylight features, natural wood decor, a natural color palette, and even a water feature to bring the outside world in. Clients feel at ease in the space and it provides a welcoming and enjoyable environment for employees to return to every day.  

post image
A drab building was reinvented in a ‘beach house’ vibe, complete with new skylight features, natural wood decor, and even a water feature to bring the outside world in (image by Eighth Day Design). 

These examples are part of a new movement to bring more outside elements to the indoor office. It’s driven by two key factors. The first is the fallout from the pandemic. The second is more collaboration between facilities managers and HR teams in response. Poor air quality and unhealthy conditions contribute to the spread of illness and harm productivity. Bringing the outside in helps fix this in many ways.  

To help the return to work, organizations must create spaces that are appealing to work in. This means they are modern, safe, bright, and designed to fit the needs of their workforce. A well-built office will move from a perk to a must as companies work to keep talent and stay competitive.  

No initiative is too small 

Of course, not everyone can have a private outdoor patio or rooftop garden. And making big changes to traditional workplaces is hard. But every office can enjoy the benefits of nature at work. 

So, start by making small improvements piece by piece. Over time, they will add up to tremendous gains in many key performance metrics.  

More stories for you

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

2 days ago
Workplace Innovators From MillerKnoll, Gensler, And PLASTARC Unpack Why Most Offices Still Miss The Mark — And How To Fix It

Workplace Innovators From MillerKnoll, Gensler, And PLASTARC Unpack Why Most Offices Still Miss The Mark — And How To Fix It

4 days ago
Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

6 days ago

Designing for What’s Next | Expert Future of Work Insights With Ryan Anderson, Melissa Marsh & Janet Pogue

1 week ago

Start by focusing on quick wins. 

Look into better lighting, better air quality, and the introduction of biophilia. From there, options such as environmental sensors become attractive. They help identify areas of opportunity and track the impact of current initiatives.  

Here’s how you can start enjoying these benefits, too. 

post image
Start by focusing on quick wins, like better lighting, better air quality, and the introduction of biophilia (image by Eighth Day Design). 

Ideas for Bringing the Outside In 

Start by reevaluating the types of space you provide to employees. 

In a hybrid work model, collaborative space is the priority. Subdivide large, underused spaces. Open your space to have more natural light and better airflow. Ensure your spaces support social distance. Maximize your use of efficient indoor lighting. Allow employees to book space where and when they want based on their needs for any given day.  

Artificial plants add greenery and help aesthetics but do nothing for air quality. Adding live plants around the facility requires a lot of resources to manage and nurture. Consider hardy ground covers such as mosses and lichen to cover walls. They need near-zero maintenance, and even provide acoustic benefits. 

And of course, ditch the cube-based assigned seating.  

How to get started 

Don’t try to reinvent the office in a silo. The larger the organization, the more collaboration it will need across departments. There will be a lot of opinions and you should consider each of them. 

Remind your teams that the goal is not perfection but improvement. Find ways to measure the improvement to continue gaining support throughout the organization. Run internal surveys to see what your people want. Learn what they’d use most, and what would actually get them to come into the office more often.  

This all comes down to being a data-driven and employee-experience-driven organization. Use data to back your strategic decisions. Data allows you to design spaces that fit your workforce’s needs and standards. You also need to test the effectiveness of these changes in real time. Do this with sensors that track wellness and efficiency metrics such as employee density and space utilization.  

Survey, test, and optimize these “outside-in” projects to create and maintain a healthy work environment. 

Follow these tips to instil confidence in employees that they’re safe. At the same time, you’ll give them more reasons to use the space you’re paying for. Over time, these considerations will benefit both your bottom line and your mindset of working in the office. 

Tags: Biophilic DesignDesignWorkplace Design
Share5Tweet3Share1
Guest Contributor

Guest Contributor

Guest contributors from across industries share workplace solutions, fresh ideas, and actionable strategies for modern professionals, forward-thinking leaders, and organizations navigating what’s next.

Other Stories Recommended For You

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick
FUTURE OF WORK Podcast

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

byFrank Cottle
2 days ago

Discover how workplace design can reduce loneliness, enable flexibility, and reshape offices for the future with Amber Wernick of Perkins&Will.

Read more
Workplace Innovators From MillerKnoll, Gensler, And PLASTARC Unpack Why Most Offices Still Miss The Mark — And How To Fix It

Workplace Innovators From MillerKnoll, Gensler, And PLASTARC Unpack Why Most Offices Still Miss The Mark — And How To Fix It

4 days ago
Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

Can Workplace Design Cure Loneliness At The Office? With Amber Wernick

6 days ago

Designing for What’s Next | Expert Future of Work Insights With Ryan Anderson, Melissa Marsh & Janet Pogue

1 week ago
Advertisements
Maximize Flexible Space Revenue
Advertisements
Yardi Kube automates flex and coworking operations

Unlock your competitive edge in tomorrow's workplace.

Join a community of forward-thinking professionals who get exclusive access to the latest news, trends, and innovations that are shaping the future of work.

©2024 Allwork.Space News Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Exploring the Future Of Work® since 2003.

Advertise   Newsletters   Privacy Policy   Terms Of Use   About Us   Contact   Submit a Press Release   Brand Pulse   Podcast   Events   

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Latest News
  • Topics
    • Business
    • Leadership
    • Work-life
    • Workforce
    • Career Growth
    • Design
    • Tech
    • Coworking
    • Marketing
    • CRE
  • Podcast
  • Events
  • About Us
  • Solutions
    • Advertise | Media Kit
    • Publish a Press Release
    • Brand Pulse
Subscribe

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.
-
00:00
00:00

Queue

Update Required Flash plugin
-
00:00
00:00