The modern office has transformed. Employee wellbeing, collaboration spaces, open-plan layouts…these qualities were rare in workplaces a decade ago. Organisations now spend a significant amount of their resources bettering their workspace design to optimise the performance and wellbeing of their employees.
“Organisations spend a significant amount of their resources bettering their workspace design in order to optimise their employees.”Innovative office design and high-tech capabilities are all the rage these days, and we’ll be giving you some examples of real life offices that have incorporated innovative workplace design to boost productivity and employee satisfaction.
We are firm believers in the ways design can optimise employees. In our headquarters in Sydney, we transformed our office to incorporate what we call the Hub. Our office is designed like a compass to reflect our brand as a ‘change navigator’, and enables the traffic of employees to flow around the floor. In the very centre sits the Hub: a technologically advanced collaboration space that utilises Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to its fullest.
“In the very centre of the Axiom office sits the Hub: a highly technologically advanced collaboration space that utilises Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) to its fullest.”A large touch screen desk allows employees to work on multiple ideas at once, and to transfer images to the wall screen for larger discussions. The glass windows can turn opaque with the touch of a button in order to give users privacy if needed. The VR and AR Display are used as planning tools to help our clients see and experience spaces that have yet to be created.
Shane Hales, Managing Director of Axiom, says: “We’re very happy with what we’ve managed to achieve. And we cannot encourage others to follow our lead unless they experience it for themselves. So pay us a visit.”
Read more: Design File: The New Axiom HQ
Google is known for amazingly fun office designs that aim to bring the best out in employees. From basketball courts to slides, the company stands out as a true innovator in workspace design. Apart from go karts, bean bags and hanging gondolas, the EMEA Engineering Hub in the Zurich office hosts several egg-shaped pods. The enclosed pods offer privacy for phone calls, or one-on-one meetings, and each is designed according to the space around it.
Forbes magazine added Verisk Analytics to its World’s Most Innovative Companies list in 2017 for a reason. The big data analytics company uses technology to connect its employees and improve their wellbeing.
Verisk Analytics use an installed audio and visual system in the form of interactive screens with laptop connectivity, allowing for room bookings, interactive whiteboards and repeater screens. Along with ‘touch tables’, the company has even incorporated smart furniture to warn employees of poor posture: office chairs that monitor how the workspace is being used, and can be connected to a standing desk via an app to relay your position and adjust accordingly.
With technology continuing to advance, thanks to Artificial Intelligence (AI), AR and VR, Helix Property in the UK looked to power accessibility to innovate their offices. The furniture was designed to incorporate wireless charging points, so employees could recharge on-the-go, while going between meetings, or during short breaks.
This major Australian health insurer had its head office redesigned in 2014, as part of a major cultural program to better the health of employees. Staff can choose from 26 types of work settings that include indoor quiet spaces, collaborative hubs and even Wi-Fi-enabled balconies.
Circadian lighting mimics natural light patterns, supporting people’s biorhythms, and the building’s ‘crown’ – designed specifically for collaboration of employees – is the Plaza. Post-occupancy reporting of the new space revealed reduced absenteeism, and higher levels of collaboration and productiveness.
There is no single picture of what the future of office design will be, but the trends point towards a future that is collaborative, technologically advanced, and above all else, healthy for employees to work in.
“The future of office design trends point towards a future that is collaborative, and technologically advanced.”At Axiom, our mission is in discovering better ways of innovating workplace design to ensure your people are happy and your workspace integrates your company values and beliefs. We create workspaces you and your employees can truly feel at home in. Chat to us about workplace transformation today.