As companies transition back to utilizing their office space on a more full-time basis across the country, we are reminded and appreciate a well-designed office space. A good office design encourages team collaboration, can improve productivity, increase wellness among employees, impress clients, and contribute to your bottom line.
As we continue to navigate the challenges that COVID-19 brought on, corporate and commercial space needs have changed over the last few years. Company leadership is constantly looking to improve their office space and create a welcoming environment. Although design trends are continually evolving, those introduced in 2022 are building on trends that began gaining traction before the pandemic.
Some trends include collaborative spaces and individual workspaces, bringing the outside inside, using warm and relaxing colors, sustainable design, home comforts, and natural light and textures.
All great office designs consider the traffic flow and the number of people that share the space. If you are looking to remodel your office space or thinking of building a new space from the ground up, look at your current office’s natural rhythm. Notice what works well and what requires improvement.
Multi-functional Spaces
Many commercial office spaces are designed with a mixture of individual workspaces and areas for collaboration. A combination of open concepts and places for personal work can be achieved with wall panels and glass partitions that are stationary or moveable. These combination floor plans allow for communication amongst coworkers, collaboration, and high team morale, adding to your company culture. It is also essential that employees have an area that they can call their own. Offices are also creating multi-use spaces that can be used for a team of individuals as well as for an individual.
Bringing the Outside In
Creating a space for your team that incorporates greenery and outdoor elements can improve the aesthetics of your office space and assist in boosting your team’s mood and productivity. Designing a space that brings the health benefits of the outdoors inside is referred to as biophilic design, and more and more companies are including this concept in their office. We spend many hours working inside, and many studies suggest that including green initiatives in your office offers long-term health benefits, less sick time, and improved employee experience. Some examples of bringing the outside in are plant-filled walls, outdoor seating, live trees, and plants. A study published in the “Journal of Environment Horticulture” reports that productivity increased by 12 percent when individuals performed tasks with plants in the room than workers who performed the same job in a room without plants. Green spaces have also shown that they
- Increase memory retention and concentration
- Produce higher quality work at a higher accuracy
- Reduce stress levels
- Lower anxiety levels
- Decrease depression
- Make people feel more relaxed and happy.
Office Color Scheme
Many office designs are also incorporating lighter and neutral color palettes in their design. Using these softer palettes complements the calming effect created by including green elements in the space. Soft hues of blues, greens, and greys seem to be popular. Combining these colors with stone, wood, and other textures also creates a very welcoming and positive atmosphere for your team. The use of color in an office can highlight your brand, affect mood and encourage creativity. The psychology of color suggests:
- Green: The color green connects people to nature. It represents purity, health, freshness, growth, and productivity.
- Blue: Another primary color, blue evokes feelings of serenity, tranquility, enthusiasm, compassion, and communication. It also has positive bodily reactions, like lowering heart rates and slowing metabolism.
- Yellow: The brightest color on the spectrum, yellow brings fresh ideas, creative projects, and new business initiatives. Studies also suggest that yellow enhances mental activity, heightens awareness, and boosts energy levels.
- Pink: Pink is a gentler alternative to red. It evokes feelings of tenderness, vulnerability, optimism, hope, and youth.
- Purple: A mixture of red and blue, purple is long associated with luxury and power. It also radiates nobility, ambition, creativity, and wisdom.
Natural Light
Another popular design trend with commercial office space is incorporating as much natural light as possible. Providing your team with outside views and natural light is proven to contribute to an individual’s well-being and productivity. Using natural light in combination with mirrors and glass can also make the space feel larger.
Comforts of Home
After working from home for an extended period, many became accustomed to the comforts of home, including comfortable chairs, rugs, and a more homey feel. Some commercial office designs include elements such as cozy armchairs and bean bag chairs in the common area or multi-purpose areas. Others include area rugs, plants, and inspirational art pieces. These elements allow your team to feel relaxed and more productive in their tasks. Many companies have included their team in the design process, asking precisely what they need in their workspace.
Sustainable Design
Designing sustainable spaces is more important now than it has ever been. Utilizing led lighting and natural elements such as stone and wood are on the rise. Including energy-efficient heating and cooling and eco-friendly products are becoming more common. Using a moveable wall or office partitions is also on the rise.
Many of the office design trends of the past few years have been driven by a focus on the employee and their needs while balancing the desire for increased productivity, creating a team atmosphere, employee well-being, and the employee experience.
Whether you are looking to build a new space for your team or remodel your current space, Riken Construction is here for all your needs.
Reach out to Riken Construction today to begin designing your new office space. Check out some of our residential and commercial projects on our Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
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Riken Construction and Design, LLC. provides our clients with the highest level of quality construction and consulting services at fair and market-competitive rates. Our pledge is to establish lasting relationships with our customers by exceeding their expectations and gaining their trust through exceptional performance by every member of the construction team. To fulfill our goal, we treat all employees fairly and involve them in the quality improvement process to insure responsiveness and cost-effective work practices. Our clients count on our dependability, our drive, and our integrity. We take great pride in our accomplishments and build on them every day. To learn more about Riken Construction, call us at321.363.4904 or email [email protected].
