Although there are other important factors in commercial design such as space and aesthetics, one of the most important to achieve is function. When an office is not designed with the everyday function of a business in mind, you can end up with a space that may actually cost you more money in the long run.
A Waste of Time
When designing a layout, ensure paths of travel are devised around the natural flow of staff and clients going about their daily routines. It is extremely important to have a layout that is easy and efficient to move about in or you may find that precious time and money are being wasted in the following ways:
People spend too much time moving around the space if the paths of travel are too long.
People may procrastinate about getting up to do jobs if the paths of travel are not easy or too far.
Consider developing a flow chart to help visualise the natural flow patterns within a work environment and better understand how a layout may begin to take shape.
Disruptive Situations
Poor space relationships can create disruptive situations that will decrease staff productivity and cost you money. Ensure you create a functional layout that is conducive to work by considering the use of each space and its interaction with adjacent spaces. For example: The photocopier/printer area or the tea bench can create a ‘social hub’ where casual discussions create a noisy and disruptive environment. Consider the impact of this environment on a person busy at work and aim to, either spatially or acoustically, separate them from one another.
Happier Staff
A space that is highly functional creates a sense of harmony and your staff will feel at ease when working in and moving around the layout. Of course, there are other factors that attribute to your staff’s mood such as light, colour, acoustics etc. however functional design is the skeleton on which you can build upon to create an overall fantastic space. If a space is not firstly functional, no amount of decorating will be able to hide this fact and it will affect the people trying to use the space.
Make certain to consider function in your tenancy design to help make your staff feel their best and in return, a happy staff member will perform better in their job and be more productive.