AMBIENCE

at work

Design Story: Ambience in corporate environments

When your company feels like a hotel

People and spaces interact in a symbiosis. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. However, a sensitive approach towards interior design always pays off.

Working from home has become the new normal. Working at home — for all its advantages and disadvantages — means working in an environment designed to suit you. With lots of plants by the window, a rocking chair for contemplating, a piano in the background or completely bare. We have learnt to appreciate working environment with an individual design.

Working in a company, as part of a team, with real people — that's beneficial on the social side. Companies with a clear sense of the team's needs are increasingly investing in the design of their company spaces. They want to show that they value their employees, provide enough space for the team to connect, offer and organise high-quality catering and much more.

ILF CONSULTING ENGINEERS, our case study of the month, is a prime example of the potential benefits of hiring experts to take care of interior design. Managing Director Josef Mayr found time to talk to us — read the interview here.

NEW WORK

NEW SPACES

What does it mean, when we talke about a dynamic company? "The willingness to overcome the familiar, to stop certain ways of thinking, acting and behaving that have guaranteed success til now ..." is how Hans-Joachim Gergs, lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the Technical University of Munich, puts it.

Flexible work, new work, the future of work - buzzwords for trends in the professional world. Outdated structures, management styles and working styles are being rethought. It is hardly surprising that the design of the ideal working space is all about flexibility, creativity, collaboration, innovation and well-being.

Work-Life-integration

instead of work-life balance

People who feel good at work enjoy increased energy and concentration. Ttrends predict a shift from "work-life balance" towards "work-life integration". In other words, different spheres are merging, the private sphere goes publice and vice versa.

Hence, it is important to create areas in the workplace designated for informal interaction, for privacy and focussed work. In other words, places to socialise and collaborate and places to relax, unwind or celebrate.

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New concepts

for work environments

New working environments require more communication options, more alternative workspaces such as focus rooms/silent rooms, creative spaces or collaboration zones instead of the classic, administrative individual workstations.

For the design work, this means a change in the spatial organisation of the entire area, a more emotionally driven and individual design of collaborative areas, a sense of a living room and the creation of attractive areas for communicating.

The Work Café

as a hybrid workplace

The idea is pretty simple. More and more people all around the globe choose to study or work in a café. A laptop, coffee and a pleasant background noise are enough to keep them motivated and productive.

The Work Café thus replaces the previous kitchen or coffee bar. It integrates these elements and includes an area for socialising. Ideally, the café area is next to the kitchen. Here, people can chat about the past weekend as well as the current progress of their projects.

Informal meeting

in the Lounge

Sofas, armchairs, reading material and occasionally beanbags — this is how architects design lounge areas in companies as well.

Not a big difference compared with an elegant hotel lounge. Whether individually or as a team, you can simply lean back here, chat, make phone calls or relax. Customers, business partners and visitor groups are also happy to use such areas. The length of stay increases if you feel comfortable.

Meeting areas

with ambience

The third area is explicitly used as a meeting area. This is where morning updates or monthly jour fixes on current projects are held, new ideas discussed and opinions gathered and exchanged. The design encourages open and lively communication.

The concept of a work café transforms areas previously only used at peak times, such as cafeterias, into workspaces and increases the time they are used. It promotes the exchange of information within the organisation, boosts staff loyalty and contributes to a positive corporate culture.

Insider -Tipp

Colour design in the office

Colours have an impact on the mood, both in offices and other areas of the company.

For larger areas, continue to use tinted white, green or blue. White looks clean and clear and is an ideal backdrop for adding a touch of colour. Green provides balance and calm, while blue promotes a sense of relaxation and increases concentration. This makes them the "safest" colours for office design. Stronger colours such as black, red or yellow are used at best for setting the mood in the office. Consequently, they are not used extensively on walls, but rather in furniture and carpets.

CONCLUSION

The importance of good design in working environments

A new approach towards office design clearly shows how organisations are striving to provide their employees with inspiring and pleasant working environments that not only increase productivity but also promote wellbeing.

By integrating the concept of a work café and carefully selecting colour schemes, companies can create an atmosphere that encourages innovation, collaboration and success.

Images: home INTERIOR, Shutterstock

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