From Open Floors to Enclaves: Office interiors adapt to changing times.

• Author: Orr, Vanessa
• Position: ARCHITECTURE & ENGINEERING SPECIAL SECTION / INTERIORS

When it comes to office design, taste is subjective. But one thing that most business owners, architects, and interior designers tend to agree on is that today's offices need to be adaptable.

"Office space has become more fluid and agile over the years; for example, while a formal conference room may still be a requirement, it might now feature divider walls that allow the bigger space to be divided into two spaces," says Stantec Associate Jessica Cederberg. "The furniture is also mobile; it may be stackable and movable, which makes it easier to adjust for larger or smaller groups." "A lot of clients now talk about flexibility, especially during these uncertain economic times," agrees Principal of Operations and Designer Natasha Schmidt of SALT (formerly RIM Design). "While they want appealing amenity spaces that attract employees and a variety of collaborative and open work areas, they need these areas to be flexible so that they can change use as they ramp up or down on staffing."

Open Floor Plans and Enclaves

According to Cederberg, while many clients lean toward a less formalized open office concept, they are also taking into consideration employees' needs for semi-private workspaces.

"A lot of what we're seeing is the creation of multi-use rooms or gathering spaces that are less formal than before," she explains. "Some clients are moving away from the idea of having an official reception area altogether; in fact, we have one client whose elevator opens up to the office's kitchen space because their theory is that their employees are the company's ambassadors and should greet visitors when they arrive."

She adds that clients are also requesting enclaves, or "phone booths," that are just big enough for one or two people. "The idea is that in an open office concept, some people might want to go into an enclave to work in quiet or to think; they can also be used to make private phone calls."

As commercial real estate becomes more valuable, many businesses are keeping an eye on that particular cost and may look at trying to make do with less office space, which is one impetus behind these types of small work areas. While some companies still consider the private comer office a perk, others are looking to utilize every inch that they can.

"The last office improvement I did allowed for 60 square feet per workstation, while the typical space is about 80 square feet," says Cederberg. "The good news is that now employees can move anywhere in an office; they can make any area their work space."

Typical enclaves are roughly 30 to 50 square feet...