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Senior Content Manager
Content specialist in office design and build.
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Over the last few years, businesses have found themselves navigating a landscape marked by constant change, emerging trends and unforeseen challenges. Leaders are being tasked with building a workplace strategy that prioritises agility and adaptability to align with the evolving needs of their business, as companies set their sights on sustained growth.
As we navigate this transformation, the traditional approach to office design is rapidly becoming obsolete. The notion of a static, unchanging office no longer aligns with the demands of modern businesses and the need for a high-performance workplace; offices have to be built to adapt to enable businesses to pivot, evolve and stay competitive.
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What does building for adaption mean?
The wider acknowledgement of hybrid work models, coupled with constant change in recent times, has presented businesses with the challenge of crafting a workplace strategy that they see as the best fit for their teams and objectives. But as many have come to discover, what worked in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic does not necessarily work two or three years down the line—and this has placed substantial pressure on real estate.
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Building for adaption is a strategic approach that involves crafting a workspace capable of evolving without needing major overhauls. It’s about providing the business with a dynamic solution to the challenges of change, whether that be growth or the shifting of policies.
It’s something that needs to be considered in the early stages of an office move or renovation, as it will provide guidelines for how you want the office to perform regardless of any change to the workplace. This could include the key circulation areas or the maintenance of ‘heartbeat’ spaces that are fundamental to both company operations and workplace culture.
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The principles of adaptive office design
An office built for adaption is a dynamic and responsive environment braced for change. There are several key principles of adaptive office design, such as:
Flexibility: not rigidly allocating spaces for specific functions, but instead promoting a fluid and versatile use of space. Areas that might serve as collaborative spaces one day can be easily transformed into presentation areas, meeting rooms or individual workstations the next day.
Modularity: by nature of its interchangeability, modular furniture is fundamental to adaptive office design because it can constantly be reconfigured to suit evolving business needs on a temporary or more permanent level. This could encompass seating, desking or dividers to break and open up spaces.
User-centric design: the needs and experiences of employees should always be a priority. The design should consider diverse work styles and preferences, alongside wellbeing to enhance both comfort and productivity.
Sustainability: a core focus on building for adaption office design should be creating a workspace that minimises environmental impact, both in its construction and ongoing operations. This involves adopting eco-friendly materials, energy-efficient systems, and modular construction methods that reduce waste.
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The benefits of building for adaption
The benefits of building for adaption for businesses extend beyond convenience; executed correctly, it can have a positive impact on business costs, scalability and sustainability—all essential elements for sustained success in a dynamic business landscape.
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Scalability
Office moves are complex and time-consuming, and no one wants to go through that process only to outgrow the space a year later and have to do it all again. However, working out how much office space you need can be tricky—too much could harm profitability, whereas too little could impact employee productivity and wellbeing.
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Building for adaption allows businesses to negate the complications of change, whether that be growth or a shift in workplace strategies. By opting for a lighter design, businesses can enable a seamless adjustment of their office to accommodate new requirements without the need for extensive renovations. This often takes shape as a ‘day 2’ plan for the space, which may involve reconfiguring agile areas to add more desks, or, replacing underutilised desks with a breakout space to promote collaborative, creative work.
It can be difficult to step back and view the bigger picture when it comes to scalability and space requirements, but developing a workplace strategy in line with your business and operating model will enable you to create a space that evolves alongside the business. For businesses navigating this, a workplace consultancy process should help you understand how your space can be optimised for the future in support of your ways of working.
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How do I calculate my space requirements?
Use our calculator tool to find out how much office space your business requires.
CALCULATE OFFICE SPACE
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Sustainability
The role of the office has changed drastically over the last few years, and businesses are continuing to experiment with new ways to entice employees into the office. However, without a structured consultation process, this can often lead to underutilised or misused office space which then may need to be changed six months or a year down the line.
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The built environment is the largest source of climate emissions after surface transport, contributing 25% of the UK’s total carbon footprint. Opting for a lighter design with modular construction methods can reduce the environmental impact of a project in several ways, minimising unnecessary material usage, transport and waste. One way to approach this might be assessing the use of the space before committing to an area that may require significant resources but is likely to be used infrequently.
Ultimately, sustainable design principles go hand-in-hand with building for adaption. Both approaches offer both environmental and economic benefits for businesses seeking to reduce their carbon footprint and promote greener operations.
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Employee engagement
A key principle of building for adaption involves a focus on user-centric design, with flexibility prioritised to support a wide spectrum of working habits and preferences. A workplace primarily designed around the needs of its users will enable businesses to drive engagement, providing employees with greater autonomy over how and where they work.
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For example, opting for modular furniture and reducing the number of desks in the space to cater for agile working and ad-hoc collaboration provides employees with greater choice when it comes to completing their tasks.
Building for adaptation is a key pillar in creating a high-performance workplace, and it’s important to remember that iteration is part of the process. What’s new now won’t be new in two years, and an office’s users and demographics will change. Remaining agile through workplace design enables businesses to stay on top of emerging trends with regard to employee needs, and ultimately create spaces that attract and retain top talent.
In this current climate, it’s important to be thinking as far ahead as possible. The last few years have brought a great deal of change, and putting an as little restriction on your space as possible will certainly help negate the impact of evolving business needs—whatever they may be.
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The High-Performance Workplace Guide
Building for adaption is one of the eight design tips that feature in our guide to the high-performance workplace.
This guide help businesses create environments that cater to the diverse spectrum of work styles, helping them remain adaptable for tomorrow’s challenges.
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Get in touch
Speak to an advisor about building adaptability into your office space
020 7553 9500
info@oktra.co.uk
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