Paul Brown, MD of Overbury's Northern office comments on how fun, informal features are finding their way into the workplace.
“A new trend we’re seeing in office design is the incorporation of ‘work’ and ‘play’ spaces. At ghd’s international headquarters, the design of the office reflected the business’ desire for staff to enjoy a quirky but professional interactive working environment. A ‘Big Brother’ style diary room was incorporated to enable staff to provide feedback and ideas to managing directors. The specially designed diary room, incorporating a VideoBooth AV System was an important part of the original concept. Fitted out with a comfy sofa and refreshments, it provides a unique way for staff to communicate their thoughts and ideas and even post footage of their recordings onto YouTube.
“The catwalk tunnel reception area, which allows access to the offices for both staff and visitors, projects images of your entrance into the space onto three 42 inch plasma screens - truly communicating the brand’s ethos of fashion, style and image.
“We have worked on projects where an in-house café bar or deli area has been incorporated into the design to provide staff with an informal breakout space for meetings or simply relaxation. At Deloitte’s offices in Spinningfields, the ground floor café area works as a central hub for staff wishing to take time out or grab lunch or coffee on their way to or from their work areas.
“When Overbury relocated its own office to The Zenith Building, Spring Gardens in 2007 the company felt that it was important to provide staff with an informal break out area. The specially designed space, including a wall mural chosen by staff, allows people to move away from their work stations at lunch time to catch up with the news on the plasma screen or read a paper and enjoy the great views over the city centre.”
