A productive office space fosters creativity, it is designed to not only be aesthetically pleasing but effortlessly functional, simultaneously inspiring and supporting those in within it. Creating a working environment that encourages the free flow of ideas and inspires collaboration will generate an immensely positive impact on overall productivity.
So let’s take a look at our top 5 design tips when building a productive office fit out that encourages creativity.
1. Collaborative meeting areas
Relaxed meeting spaces provide the perfect opportunity to get the creative juices flowing. Collaboration is encouraged as these meeting areas allow flexibility and movement, quite the opposite of the traditional rigid meeting room. Furniture often seen in examples of successful casual meeting areas include sofas, ottomans, high benches with stools and quiet pods. By doing this, it ensures people are not fixed to a designated seat or area and can move around to communicate to a range of people in the broader office environment.
Communication is key to encouraging creativity as people can bounce ideas amongst each other and test theories out until the most successful outcome is achieved.
2. “Destination Spaces”
Destination spaces can be created by something as simple as a change in table height to something more complex as a change in floor level by incorporating steps, or floor finishes to give the illusion of a changing floor plate. This can indicate a change in zone or team however still maintains an open plan office. These elements can have a subconscious mental effect on people that can influence whether people decide to sit communally or individually. It can also differentiate between a meeting zone or a quiet zone. Creating variations within an environment ensures people are also adaptive and don’t become monotonous, or feeling as though they are working on auto pilot. This can stimulate alertness and creativity.
3. Colour and textural points of difference
The breakout, kitchen and casual meeting areas are the perfect spaces to implement a range of different colours and textures. Not only is this important to add a quality of comfort to the space, but also crucial in providing a visual break. Employees need visual and tactile stimulation to inspire creativity in their everyday work space.
4. Feature walls
Many offices are littered with blank, white wall space. To inspire creativity amongst workers, utilise these spaces to form functional, feature walls. By plastering a blank wall with whiteboard paint, blackboard paint or funky pin boards, staff can share their ideas in a much more tangible format.
5. Games Areas
We spend most of our lives in the office, so why not have some playful fun whilst there! Allowing a small area dedicated to “games” or fun will encourage staff to socialise, collaborate and bring out a more creative side to their work. Outkast has built games spaces encompassing ping pong tables, an old school video games arcade, putt-putt golf course and pool tables. When there is a positive culture within a business the work productivity will reflect positive results, the easiest way to stimulate a positive culture is to provide a space such as this.
Whether you're refurbishing an office space or relocating to a new workspace in Sydney, Brisbane, Gold Coast or Melbourne, contact the office design and fitout specialist team at Outkast to discuss a complimentary design to suit your business needs.
