Layout of Office Premises and Furniture Arrangement

What ‘a working triangle’ is (Understanding a ‘working triangle’)?

The first thing to do before purchasing furniture, hiring personnel and choosing your favorite plant for the workplace is office space planning. This is the groundwork for any company. Have a space and interior design done to make the best out of your premises.

The ultimate solution to minimizing wasted resources of your workers is to use a “working triangle” arrangement for office furniture.

This is an ergonomical way of space planning that encompasses placing all the needed furniture next to each other, namely:

• Working place, i.e. a desk and a chair;
• Filing cabinet;
• A small drawer unit for personal belongings or working stuff.

This type of space planning has remained popular for quite a long time because it was used back when only an office-type layout existed.

Nowadays, it is used practically in every office.

Key points in office premises layout

Modern space and interior designs are put into several layout types, and the choice of the layout depends on the following criteria:

• Aims and goals of the company workers.
• Number of office staff.
• Premises’ intended purpose (if staff is to work with people or documents, or is it designed for a call center, etc.).
• Workers’ and C-suite’s needs.

In addition, pay attention to the accommodation’s location (lounge zone, changing room, etc.). Some heads might consider it a waste of money and space, but a break room with kitchen area is a mandatory condition for comfortable work in every office. Equip the room with lounge furniture, kitchen table and chairs, a fridge and a microwave oven.

Do not forget about decorative elements as well. A nice and cozy atmosphere in the office can significantly boost productivity, because if the office looks nice, your workers will want to spend time there. And it won’t take much to create a minimalistic but cozy atmosphere that will please both workers and C-suites, while sophisticated pictures and décor elements are not a good idea, for they will only distract everyone.

Space and interior design

Once you’re settled about the functions of office and the number of staff, it’s high time you get a space and interior design done to make the most out of your office. It will show the premises arrangement, windows, doors plan, and furniture. Space and interior design aims to provide a well-managed layout of your future office.

The project outline is usually done by professional designers. They collect data about your needs and preferences, desired functions and result. Based on this data, the future project is done. It’s usually represented in a 3D-model but can be a simple drawing too.

Layout types

We’ll discuss the 3 most popular layout types used in office design. Before we start, you can guess that an open space layout is mostly used by more creative companies.

Open-space layout

This is a stylish modern open space (obviously), that has no boundaries in the form of walls or high partition-walls. This layout type is deemed the most widespread in modern offices.

Advantages

• Active communication

  Employees are located in the same space and can freely interact with each other, which saves time and contributes to the creative environment, as everyone can instantly share their ideas and thoughts.

• United company

  With such layout, a company head doesn’t have a separate room, but rather shares an open space with other workers. The only boundary between him and his staff may be a glass wall. All this boosts teamwork. Moreover, the head can directly control the working process as he sees every single worker.

• Lightness

  It’s easier to breathe, as people are located in a big well-ventilated area rather than small airless rooms. Such offices have a comfortable “climate” that affects the workers positively.

• No waiting

  If you work with clients, they will have no need to wait in line and can address any worker in an open-space office.

Advice on furniture arrangement

Opt for square desks with castors to move them at any time if there is need for a bigger desk for presentation or negotiations. Desks should be located a good distance from each other to create comfortable private space for employees and not overcrowd aisles.

You can also choose round tables, but they suit roomier spaces, for they can use up too much space in smaller offices.

Office-type layout

This is the top classical layout type that has been in use for quite some time. The idea is that the premises is divided into separate offices that can even be located on different floors. Such small offices are usually designed for one employee or a small group (up to 4 people), while an open space layout is aimed at groups of 100 to 300 workers.

This layout type has its own rules. For example, each person should have his own space of at least 48,5 sq. ft. It means that an office for 4 employees should be at least 161 sq. ft large.

Advantages

• High efficiency of workers

  Most people concentrate easier while in a small group or in a separate office.

• Individuality

  One person or a small group can create their own comfortable micro-climate for better work, which is impossible in an open space.

• Confidentiality

Drawbacks

• The biggest drawback is walls that do not allow the space to look bigger and more spatial, especially if this is an office for one.
• The communication between departments becomes complicated, as you have to go into another room to communicate with colleagues.
• You will probably have only one receiving office that will form a long line of dissatisfied clients.

However, there are groups of personnel that work with confidential information, and office-type layout is perfect for stress-less work with it. That is why this layout is usually applied to banks, hospitals, accountant offices, government facilities, etc.

Advice on furniture arrangement

Provide your employees with enough working space. Be sure to use the ‘working triangle’ rule for your employees to have everything at hand. Make sure your employees have enough working space. You can add some houseplants and flowers for making the offices more comfortable.

It’s a good idea to place desks next to each other facing the window. Do not put employees face to face or back to back, as it can interfere with employees’ movements.

Better not to put the desks opposite doors, so no one can peek at the computers.

Mixed layout

This layout type includes all the advantages of the abovesaid layouts. You can find both separate offices and open spaces there. Offices are usually designed for C-suite, accountants and HR department, while other employees work in an open space.

It helps boost team work and at the same time let those who need it the most concentrate in their own quiet offices.

This is the most effective type of layout that takes the best from both layouts and creates a modern and comfortable space for work.

Rules of furniture arrangement

After planning the layout and space and interior design, it’s high time you think about the furniture, or rather about its placement. There are rules of furniture arrangement in the office.

1. It’s not a good idea to put employees face to face or back to back. The former option contributes to unwanted competition, and the latter is simply unhandy.
2. Don’t place desks under the stairs or massive chandeliers. It can affect employees on a psychological level and reduce their productivity.
3. Place desks away from air conditioning systems and heaters to make your employees feel comfortable.

Feng-shui furniture arrangement

Feng shui is a way of space arrangement that is said to attract positive energies to the premises. If you’re into it, here are some simple rules to follow:

• Opt for unsophisticated furniture made of genuine materials like wood or metal.
• Better not to choose distracting pretentious forms and colors.
• According to feng shui, it’s better to locate men’s offices in the north or west, while women’s offices are better to be placed in the south and east.
• A fish tank in the office can help relax and rest. They also say that living creatures in the office help increase company’s profits.
• Do not place desks in the corners and in the very center of the room, as they are believed to block energy currents.
• If your space has more than 4 corners, disguise “extra corners” with soft furniture or large potted plants.
• Do not put heavy stuff on top of closets to avoid the effect of clutter.

Furthermore, if possible, let your employees choose a place for their desk by themselves.

Afterword

Office space planning is not as complicated as it may seem. But you have to take it seriously to please your workers and, as a result, boost their productivity and your profits. So, calculate your budget, set aims, hire professionals and build your perfect stylish and comfortable office.