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Creativity and innovation are the two pillars of architecture. So, as an architect, it is in your best interest to have a happy, comfortable and inviting workplace that boosts your creativity. A poorly designed office, on the other hand, will not only affect your creativity, but also fail to impress potential clients. After all, there is no better way to show off your designing skills than creating your own attractive, professional, and functional workplace.
However, designing such office spaces can be a demanding task. Here are six quick tips that will help you get a head start.
Renting the first available place you came across without thinking about the marketing implications is the biggest mistake you can make as an architect. The location of your office plays a crucial role in transforming your workplace into a branded destination that attracts even more customers. In fact, in today's customer-driven market place, branding shouldn't be limited to your website, business cards, logos, and brochures.
Working with local real estate agencies helps to zero in on the best location in your area as they are more familiar with the personality of the neighborhood. For example, if you want to open a new office in the Golden Triangle area of Denver, you should firm to find a location that fits your wallet, yet delivers the brand value.
Investing in ergonomic furniture is the first step towards improving your staff's productivity. Usually, architectural work involves sitting at a desk and working on a construction project, sometimes for hours. When your employees have spent more than eight hours at their desk, they will have sore necks, strained backs, and burning eyes. Using cheap-quality furniture eventually leads to increased work fatigue, reduced productivity, and health-related problems.
Besides, the choice of your furniture directly reflects the image of your brand. So, make sure to invest in aesthetically-pleasing ergonomic furniture when setting up your office. Some of the most common ergonomic features include contoured seats, lumbar supports, footrests, adjustable armrests, and height-adjustable tables.
Using vibrant colors not only shows off your designing skills, but also portrays a creative and dynamic workplace. In short, using will have a positive effect on your employees and potential clients as well. For example, neutral colors tend to make most spaces look large. So, if you have a small office, you are better off with neutral colors.
The color green is a symbol of a symbol of balance, nature, growth, and tranquility. It can help reduce eye strain and overall anxiety. Red promotes productivity, especially related to physical activity. Blue, on the other hand, is said to boost analytical and creative thinking. Unlike red, blue has a calming effect on your brain. It is, therefore, the color of choice for workplaces that are less fast-paced, but require high creativity.
If you want your employees to bask in collaborative energy, you should provide them with some breathing space. One of the easiest ways to create such a recreational space is to design an innovative break room. A creatively designed break room is critical to enable face-to-face interactions (other than the work-related discussions and meetings) among your employees.
The purpose of a break room is to create a relaxing atmosphere that sparks conversations. Most probably, this is going to be the only place in your office where your employees can simply sit down, eat their lunch, brew a fresh pot of coffee, and talk about life in general. So, design it with a different color palette than the rest of your office to make it stand out.
Apart from including kitchen appliances and healthy snacks, consider installing a television or stocking the break room with books and magazines to provide employees with entertainment. Make sure to decorate the room with interesting wall art. If possible, choose a room with a great view as it can help create a relaxing environment.
As an architect, you are already aware of the importance of natural light. Almost every building, whether residential or commercial, requires plenty of natural sunlight. So, make sure your office has optimal number of windows (and skylights, if necessary) to brighten the space.
If you get limited natural light, use energy-saving . However, try to increase the amount of natural light by tearing down interior walls and using glass walls for private offices. When it comes to overall employee health, natural light can make a huge difference as it makes you feel energetic.
All types of offices produce plenty of clutter at the end of the day, and an architect's office is no exception. Even in today's software-driven world, you will need to use and store dozens of full-size (or half-size) drawings. Most architects also have a fully-stocked resource library having a sizable collection of the latest books and magazines even though you can get almost everything off the Internet these days.
You also have to factor in supplies and materials required for daily tasks. So, designing a commodious materials room is the key to avoid clutter. Do keep these points in mind when designing your office space.
As an architect, you must have a workplace that fosters creativity and productivity. In fact, everything, from the location to the interior of your office, is a direct reflection of your architectural prowess that can elevate your brand to a whole new level. However, designing such an office is easier said than done. Hopefully, these six tips will provide you with a great head start. Do share your experiences of getting the most out of your workplace and using it to establish yourself as a brand.
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