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WORKPLACE DESIGN& CONSULTANCY

See our full range at www.spectrumworkplace.co.uk

WORKPLACEDESIGN

See our full range at www.spectrumworkplace.co.uk

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DESIGN &CONSULTANCYIf you are considering a refurbishment or move project,then you have a fantastic opportunity to take a fresh lookat the design of your workplace interior. The way peoplework and interact in the office has changed dramaticallyover the last few years. If you want to leapfrog over yourcompetition, retain your key staff and recruit the best,you need to look closely at how a great office designcan help promote your business.

WORKPLACE DESIGN ISSUES

Space Usage

The primary reason for organisations redesigning offices is to addressspace issues. The most common scenarios we are presented with are theneed to (a) fit more people into the same space or to (b) fit the same or areduced number of people into a much smaller space. Often office layoutshave evolved over a period of time with little strategic planning havinggone into them. Teams that need to work together end up at opposite endsof the building, hours of time are wasted by staff walking excessivedistances to access printers, to get to a meeting space or just to get acoffee!

Building Constraints

The interior layout of a building can also seriously hinder efforts tomaximise productivity and space efficiency. Often there are underlyingproblems with heating, cooling, ventilation, lighting or acoustics withinoffice buildings. These may have become accepted as normal but aredraining staff energy levels and sapping morale. Work practices havechanged considerably in the last 10 years and yet many companies areoccupying buildings that were designed 20 or 30 years ago.

Company Culture and Branding

This is a key issue for all progressive organisations. Management mayrecognise the need for more collaboration and a more open culture butare hampered at every turn by an outdated building and office layout.Corporate branding is often totally absent or clumsily applied within mainoffice areas.

Regulations

Many companies may be unwittingly breaching fire or buildingregulations by adding offices or meeting rooms without regard to theregulatory requirements. Emergency routes of escape and fire detectionsystems are the most common areas that get overlooked. Other issues thatneed to be considered are the DDA regulations and Display ScreenEquipment (DSE) regulations.

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DESIGN PROCESS

Audit and Analysis

The first stage in any design process isto obtain a clear understanding of thecurrent situation and the objectives.Space and filing audits can beconducted and any issues with noise,light levels, ventilation or heat can beIdentified. Through this analysisprocess and by discussions with thevarious stakeholders a clear designbrief can be developed.

ConceptualDesignsand SpacePlanning

Initial conceptual designs willbe prepared in both 2D and3D. These initial designconcepts will form the basisof further discussions andcan then be developed into acomprehensive solution that

Visualisation

To help our clients visualisetheir finished project we usethe latest technology to createincredible photo-realisticimages. We can also providewalk-through virtual videos orinteractive modelling thatenables you to walk aroundand explore your new officespace.

Detailed Design

Once the design and budget have beenagreed the detailed design can be produced.All construction detailing, building regulationcompliance and specifications will befinalised.

Office fitout and refurbishment projects oftenhave hidden pitfalls and it is vital to have anexperienced design team on board who canovercome challenges as they arise.

Space Planning

The space planning stage iskey to a successful outcome. Itrequires skill and experience tomaximise the available floorspace but also incorporatedesign features that providecharacter and tone to theworkplace.

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Watch the video tohear about our design,from Sam Kidger, SalesDirector at FMG.

See our full range at www.spectrumworkplace.co.uk

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NEWWORK PRACTICES

When new work practices are appliedintelligently and effectively the results areincreased staff motivation, increasedproductivity and reduced overheads.

Advances in technology aredriving new work practices

Most office workers now have mobiledevices that enable them to workwhenever and wherever they need to.This has reduced the importance of thetraditional fixed workstation. Manycompanies are now analysing theirutilisation of office space.

The increasing need for collaboration isdriving new work practices.Recent studies have found that in 1985about 30% of a workers outputdepended on working with others. By2010 that had increased to an amazing80% of output requiring working withothers.

“ The design of theworkplace should notbe determined by thestatus of the users butrather their activity”

What is the reason for this?

As western economies have becomemore focused on ‘knowledge industries’then the creation and fostering of newideas and innovative problem-solvinghas become of paramount importance.It is generally accepted that a goodteam will be far more productive in ideageneration than the same collection ofindividuals and hence the need forcollaboration.

The globalisation of the world economygives access to skill and expertise fromall over the world. To get ahead – oreven just to keep up – businesses needto work smarter and faster. Knowledgeworkers tend to specialise in aparticular field of expertise andtherefore meetings need to bearranged and teams formed on aregular basis.

Instant electronic communications haveproduced almost unrealistic customerexpectations of speed of responses.Often the only way to hit deadlines is toshare the workload involving aconcentrated team effort.

The Spectrum Workplace Effective Working programme blends different elements to create a truly

effective work environment.

• Static Job role –e.g. Support staff

• Sustained working withcomputer access

• Recuperation/Time out

• Informal/ low key,impromptu meetings

• Quiet working on intense tasks

• Collating tasks

• Training

• Informal Meetings

• Short duration tasks –e.g. reading emails

• Reading/Writing

• Printing/Copying

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WHAT IS EFFECTIVE WORKING?

The Spectrum Workplace EffectiveWorking programme is our ownsolution to the need to adapt theworkplace to accommodate theprogress in technology and theresulting changes in workpractices. The general principle isthat different tasks, to be doneeffectively, need differentenvironments. The workplaceshould provide a choice of

environments that workers can usedepending on the task on hand.This concept is sometimes knownas ‘activity-based working’. UsingEffective Working principles thework areas within a modern officeenvironment are designed andallocated according to thetasks to be performed in themrather than according to statusor rank.

Traditional open plan offices areexcellent in encouragingteamwork but are not good fortasks requiring either concentrationor privacy and also rarely providesufficient meeting spaces.

CONTACT USHEAD OFFICE & SHOWROOMInnovation House, Marples Way, Havant, Hampshire, PO9 1UH

REGIONAL OFFICEChancery Lane, London, EC4A 1BL