Architect and Builder November/December 2018 | Page 11

…has the potential to change office-space
landscape in South Africa
is also a prime area where they can be more efficient with their
real estate commitments whist driving staff engagement and
wellbeing – resulting in measurable gains.
Therefore, agile workplaces represent the next stage of the
open-plan revolution. What is needed is more collaboration and
interaction amongst co-workers, which has resulted in concepts
such as ‘hot desking’, which means that individual employees no
longer have desks assigned to them personally, but simply utilise
the office space as and when they require it.
As for the future evolution of the co-working trend, D’Adorante
speculates that it could very well result in a paradigm shift in how
major corporates are structured. Economies around the world
are in constant flux, which means business is contracting and
expanding all the time, while overheads tend to remain fixed.
Suddenly there is a realisation that this no longer has to be the
case, and that business has other options in how they utilise a
traditional workspace.
However, there are a few key interior architecture principles
that underpin effective co-working space design. Here it is
Co-working Trend
important to design collaborative spaces that stimulate creativity
and enable social interactions. But at the same time there is a
very real need for private meeting spaces and quiet focus zones
to balance all the activity.
Our design approach at Paragon Interface emphasises
teamwork and collaboration over hierarchy and insular work
practices. Key factors here are flexibility, so as to maximise
space usage, and identify potential growth areas in the building;
efficiency, which means creating multiple-use spaces; adaptability,
so as to respond to changing requirements and technologies;
and sustainability, which relates to ‘green’ and healthy work
environments that support the wellbeing of all staff.
Additional criteria are privacy, which means adding quiet
rooms, focus spaces, and concentrated work areas; using acoustic
materials to minimise noise transference; dividing open spaces
by means of planters, filing cabinets, low screens, and existing
architectural elements to create a sense of personal space; and
using colour and texture, in addition to stimulating furniture and
fittings, to create dedicated team areas and neighbourhoods.
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