Presentation 9 - History of Interior Design

Evolution of Office Typology L9 | Planning of Offices

Space planning and Organization

IR 2613: HISTORY OF INTERIOR DESIGN

Tutor: Amal Shah | Sem 3 | Monsoon 2020 Faculty of Design, CEPT University

Space Planning in an Office Space Planning in an Office

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Organizational Values and Structure

Area required by each function.

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Work Relationships

Typology of spaces Communication Flow Interconnections Adjacency-Proximity of spaces Spatial Divisions Interrelationship of spaces Orientation

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Location, division of functions Circulation flow patterns Spatial properties

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Shell

Office building shells of early 20th century

Office building shells of 21st century

The shell is all that is provided for the duration of the life of the building: the structure, the envelope and the basic services. Earlier the shell had fewer openings and more wall space which corresponded to the rigid office structure.

Eventually in 1950s, when modernist materials were prominently used, the shell started opening up and now the office buildings largely have glass fabric and minimal wall space. This not only opens up the built but also brings in more daylight, views emphasizing on employee well-being.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Static elements in a shell

Early 19th the services used to be common for that floor’s spaces. Eventually they shifted inside and each office space got private service blocks. Now they are also the part of the space by being centrally located. They also divide the spaces at macro level.

The static elements in a shell are the services shaft that are given with the built. They play a primary role for zoning decisions in space planning. Firstly based on the services area, dry and wet area are distinguished. Their approach is thought of and then based on that, orientation, circulation are planned. As spaces evolved, the services have started becoming a part of the inner shell.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Interior Planning of the shell- Space divisions in planning

(Teams) (Teams) (Teams) (Teams) (Teams)

The spatial divisions are done both vertically and horizontally. They are done based on the company size and profile.

Vertical division and planning of spaces is more followed in parent companies having multiple departments.

While companies needing single floor area divide the area based on the hierarchical structure and work relationships.

Vertical division of spaces 5

Factors that play a significant role in office planning Interior Planning of the shell- Space divisions in planning- Centraal Beheer Establishing interconnections through planning by superimposition of grids. The building shapes into a series of interlocking modules of space. These are connected by a fixed grid of circulation which is consistently reflected by a change in ceiling height. Within this architectural framework there is paradoxically great freedom in arranging workplaces.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Organizational Structure An organizational structure is an interrelation of social position and roles which demonstrates the unifying character of the organization.

By the organizational structure, nature of the organization, flow of communication between the leadership and the employees, work relationships as well as formal and informal internal communication networks are established which are required to be reflected through spatial planning. Patterns of communication reflected through spatial planning by the aspect of organizational structure varies based on the nature of organization and field of work.

Types of Hierarchical structures

Vertical Hierarchy: Every employee

has one clear supervisor. This is the dominant type of organization and it is followed mainly in processing work

Flat Hierarchy: There is no hierarchy

and the work gets equally distributed.

Decision making power is shared.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Types of Hierarchical structures

Matrix Structure: In this

type, people with similar skills are grouped together for work assignments and the reporting relationships are set up as a grid. It is also known as transferable hierarchy.

Network structure: It is

more flexible and decentralized than other structures. Since, it helps visualize both internal and external relationships between managers and top-level management.

Divisional Structure: It

is an independent operational workflow. Such that within a divisional structure, each organizational function has its own division which corresponds to either products or geographies

Team Based Structure: It

consists of teams working towards a common goal while simultaneously working on their individual tasks.

They are less hierarchical and have flexible structures.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Typology of spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes

While planning office spaces by typology of workspaces, identifying the work patterns becomes crucial.

Mainly the work patterns are grouped under four organizational types of work modes as identified by Francis Duffy which are formulated based on two fundamentals: Interaction and Autonomy. From the typology of spaces, patterns of work, occupancy and the scope of space sharing, type of space layout and use of technology to facilitate various processes are identified.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Typology of spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes 'Hive' because such offices can be compared to beehives occupied by busy worker bees; 'cell' because these recall the monks' cloister or the venerable, highly cellular, offices of the Inns of Court in London; 'den' because these are busy and interactive places where it is easy to work informally in teams; 'club' because one of the nearest models to the new transactional office, despite its unfortunate and outmoded elitist overtones, is the old fashioned gentlemen's club.

The diagram identifies four major organizational types and, as a shorthand way of capturing the distinct work patterns and distinctive design features of each, has characterized them as hive, cell, den, and club.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Hive spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes Workplace settings are typically uniform, open-plan, screened, and impersonal.

Typical organizations or work groups include ● telesales, ● data entry or processing, ● routine banking, ● financial ● administrative operations, and ● basic information services.

Hives Hives are characterized by individual, routine-process work with low levels of interaction and low autonomy.

Hive office workers sit continuously at simple workstations for long periods of time on a regular nine-to five schedule. Variants of hive offices include 24-hour shift working.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Cell spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes

Each individual workplace must be designed to provide for a complex variety of tasks.

The autonomous pattern of work, implying sporadic and irregular occupancy, means that the potential exists for such work settings to be shared. Typical occupiers of cellular offices include ● accountants, ● lawyers, ● management and ● employment consultants, ● and computer scientists.

The cell Cell offices accommodate individual, concentrated work with little interaction. Highly autonomous people occupy them in an intermittent, irregular pattern with extended working days - and often work elsewhere some of the time (possibly at home , at a client's office, or on the road). Each person typically occupies either an enclosed cell or a highly screened workstation in a more open-plan office.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Den spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes

Tasks are often short-term and intense. Sometimes they are more long-term; and they always involve much team effort. Typical work requiring dens includes ● ● ● ● ● ●

design, insurance processing, some media work, radio television, and advertising.

The den Den offices are associated with group work, typically highly interactive but not necessarily highly autonomous. Den spaces are designed for group working and often provide a range of several simple settings, usually arranged in an open-plan office or in group rooms.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Club spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes ● ● ● ● ●

design, IT development, Sales, marketing consulting,

The club It demonstrates high interaction as well as high autonomy. The work pattern followed is generally for the organizations that need to work collaboratively as well as individually. The occupancy supports shared use of work settings.

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Typology of spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes (i) Hive

(ii) Cell

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Typology of spaces in office planning- Francis Duffy work modes (i) Club

(ii) Den

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Factors that play a significant role in office planning Work modes based on activities in office planning All activities critical to knowledge work are divided based on four work modes - Collaborating, Focusing, Learning and Socializing. These work modes help organize spaces based on activities and the physical conditions required to facilitate each activity.It reflects employee engagement.

Focus: Focused work requires

concentration and complete attention of the worker. It plays an essential role in the work process since it enables the worker to work across the ideas generated by collaborative discussions.

Learn: It is an interactive work

mode where workers dedicate some of their work time to learn via problem-solving, training, reflecting and interacting.

Ancillary spaces within and outside the work area help in facilitating learning.

Collaborate: It includes

discussions, knowledge sharing, brainstorming. This is the main work mode for team work. It facilitates communication and is critical for idea generation.

Socialize:

It creates common values, identity, networks and trust. Mainly builds employee relationships and is the stress buster work mode. The breakout areas of the office and interaction pockets and booths facilitate this work mode.

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Volumetric - Spatial relationships

Types of Spatial Relationships in OfďŹ ce layouts

When two or more distinct spaces are required to enable a building’s interior to function, it is inevitable that those spaces will have a relationship with each other.

There are four fundamentals ways in which two spaces can relate to one another and these can be described in quite simple terms: Space within a space, Overlapping spaces, Adjacent spaces, Spaces linked by a common space 20

Volumetric - Spatial relationships Spatial Relationships in OfďŹ ce

Hierarchy

FACTORS

Connectivity

Hierarchy

Connectivity

Spillovers, Team spaces Circulation & Movement Space Requirements Territoriality Spillovers, Team spaces

Territoriality 21

Volumetric - Spatial relationships

Vertical Connectivity Circulation & Movement

Space Requirements Types of Spaces 22

Spatial Divisions Spatial Divisions in OfďŹ ce

Vertical Partitions

TYPES

Additional Elements

Vertical Partitions

Additional Elements - Biophilia

Through Flooring Through Ceiling Through Levels Through Nature of Spaces Additional Elements - Installations

Through Flooring & Ceiling 23

Spatial Divisions

Through Flooring & Ceiling

Through Levels

Through Nature of Spaces - Colours

Through Nature of Spaces - Materials

Through Nature of Spaces - Furniture

Additional Elements - Staircase 24

Orientation of Office Furniture Orientation of Office Furniture

Social Interaction

AFFECTS

Spatial relationships Outside-Inside Connection Light & Acoustics Views while working Privacy

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Orientation of OfďŹ ce Furniture Social Interaction

Spatial relationship

Outside-Inside Connection

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Orientation of OfďŹ ce Furniture Light & Acoustics

Views while working

Privacy

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Lighting in Offices Which functions does light adopt in office buildings?

Office lighting needs to fulfil a variety of requirements: in every project designers are faced with the challenge of bringing together normative specifications, economic targets, constructional conditions and design aspects into a single concept.

A theoretical model of lighting functions helps to evaluate the quality of lighting not just according to purely quantitative criteria such as illuminance or energy efficiency figures. It separates lighting from the static cubic room to focus on the utilisation of the spatial situation – the interior, the façade and also the exterior.

In this way the function becomes clear: should a room area represent, guide, make concentrated work possible, support open communication or provide inspiration and change?

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Lighting in Offices Effects of Lighting

Whether an office’s light source is natural, artificial, bright and blue, or dim and yellow, the type of light that employees are exposed to not only impacts mood, circadian rhythms, and physical health but also affects productivity and creativity. ll one-third of workers would be happier at work if they had better lighting in the office, according to a 2018 international survey conducted by Staples. An overwhelming 80 percent of employees said that having good lighting in an office was important to them.

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Lighting in Offices Qualitative lighting design

The fact that current office planning places employees with their specific tasks and individual needs in the centre requires a new, qualitative approach to lighting design.

Vertical lighting

In areas surrounding office workstations, vertical lighting significantly increases visual comfort by balancing the contrasts between a backlit monitor and its visual surroundings, thus in turn preventing eye fatigue. In prestigious areas of an office building it also sets an inviting, generously-dimensioned spatial impression.

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Lighting in Offices Natural Lighting

LED versus fluorescent office lights

Employees who were exposed to natural light in the office reported an 84 percent drop in eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision, according to research by the department of design and environmental analysis at Cornell University.

In recent years, LED lights have come into favor as an energy-efficient alternative to fluorescent lights.

While LED lights may be slightly more expensive than fluorescent ones, when used in an office, they’re likely to save a company money in the long term.

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Lighting in Offices Color and temperature of office lighting

In general, warmer yellow or orange lights tend to be better for relaxing, whereas cooler blue and white lights are good for working, waking up, and concentrating. If possible, the lighting temperature and color should vary based on the time of day.

How bright is too bright for office lighting?

It makes sense to have common areas and kitchens drenched in natural light, as this light is diffuse, and employees aren’t usually looking at screens in these settings. While the light from the laptops and desktops is nowhere near the power and brightness of the sun, so the brightness of natural light can overwhelm what we’re able to see.

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Acoustics in Offices The ABC of workplace acoustics centres around these 3 principles: Absorb noise close to the source Block the direct path of sound Cover – mask unwanted sounds Absorb: Baffles and Panels

Block: Partitions , fabric panels etc.

Cover

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Acoustics in Offices

Acoustic Panels

Acoustic Tiles

Baffles and Cloud

Modular Screen

Acoustic Furniture

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Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning Systems The main purposes of a Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) system are to help maintain good indoor air quality through adequate ventilation with ďŹ ltration and provide thermal comfort. Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) plays a huge role in keeping our workers comfortable, healthy and productive.

First, it is important that our heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system is designed and installed properly. A good design can control air movement in an energy-efďŹ cient way especially if your equipment is properly and strategically placed.

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Biophilic Design in OfďŹ ce Spaces Being amongst nature has an uncanny way of soothing us and making us feel at peace. This inherent connection that human beings have with nature and green spaces is called biophilia.

Why Biophilia in an OfďŹ ce?

Improves Productivity

Creativity blossoms

Increases concentration levels

Greater Staff Retention

Enhances staff wellbeing 36

Types of Biophilic Elements in OfďŹ ce Spaces Biophilia in OfďŹ ce

Visual elements

TYPES

Auditory elements Olfactory elements Sense of touch Thermal variability Light variability Presence of water

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Types of Biophilic Elements in OfďŹ ce Spaces Visual elements

Visual elements and exposure to the colour green has a positive impact on creative performance. While green walls require a bit of planning and maintenance, there are simpler ways of introducing visual biophilic elements.

Auditory elements

Anybody who has been to a spa would know the soothing soundtrack of waves and wiThe linkway forms a corridor of thick foliage and is equipped with motion sensors that trigger the sound of chirping birds as one walks across.

Olfactory elements

Being surrounded by nature subjects one to fragrances that are extremely healing and incredibly memorable.

Having natural ventilation and adequate breezeways is another great way to ensure that employees can enjoy the smell of rain.

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Types of Biophilic Elements in Office Spaces Sense of touch

Including lots of natural elements like wood, bamboo and stone, both in spaces where employees work as well as in break areas, would aid our tactile senses.

Thermal variability

Light variability

Presence of water

Modern office design incorporates intuitive HVAC units that mimic the weather outside when it’s pleasant and regulate the temperature based on the occupancy of a room

Just like dynamic temperatures, natural light conditions are always at a flux because of cloud cover and the time of the day.

Wall-to-wall windows are a solution.

In spacious offices, flowing water installations like fountains, water walls and constructed streams are highly recommended, as they stimulate multiple senses at once.

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Case Study AICL Communication- An advertising, consultancy company Industry: Creative, Management consultancy Area:

6,000 sqft

Occupancy: 52-100 employee Type: Open plan

Matrix hierarchy structure

Collab-Socialize | Focus-Learn ratio

Design Concept: The ofďŹ ce is designed emphasizing a lot on the future of work environments. The aim is to encourage interaction while not compromising on the autonomy of a workplace. It is an open plan workspace which is broken down into distinct concept spaces. The concept is to have each space the exist individually while working seamlessly to create a cohesive working environment.

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Case Study Conceptual Zoning strategy

Programmatic ClassiďŹ cation of spaces

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Case Study Organizational Hierarchy The organization follows a hierarchical matrix structure where the leadership till the post of senior manager follows a vertical hierarchy. Whereas, there is a horizontal hierarchy followed for all the other employees.

There is a team-based organizational working pattern where the employees are grouped based on different projects. The hierarchy is reected through organization and qualities of spaces designed for the leadership.

The cubicles for leadership are planned in a cluster away from the work area on a podium to differentiate. Senior managers are also allotted different desks.

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Spatial Planning

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Typology of Workspaces based on work modes

In this organization, collaborative and focus spaces are planned in the nearest proximity to encourage people to interact 44

Communication ow in work area based on planning

It is an ordered ow of communication where the managers sit in the adjacent rows and are directly connected with the staff whereas the leadership has a separate space which addresses the conďŹ dentiality required. This arrangement fosters face-face interaction internally with the employees sitting in the same row as well as adjacent.

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Organizational Flexibility- Work environments

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Adjacency of space in planning

Internal Layout Planning

Linear arrangement of workstation.

The arrangement facilitates communication for team work while it also gives privacy to the other row of workstation.

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Circulation Flow

Nodes of Interaction

The primary circulation ow forms a loop and connects all the primary spaces such that the internal workspace area is not disturbed and is well connected with ancillary spaces. It overlaps the work area while leading to services or meeting rooms. This encourages employees to interact face to face, and communication ow is smooth 48

Types of Spaces

Library & seating area for informal engagements.

Meeting rooms of varying capacity.

Workspace- Internal communication.

Creative Desk.

Break-out area.

Amphitheatre- Socializing 49

Orientation and movement in space

Views from Work area

The work area is centrally located in the shell. Hence, there is no direct outside-Inside connection from that space.

Advantage: It cuts down noise and other distractions. Let the employees focus. Disadvantage: It cuts the natural light and views.

When the circulation passage is oriented parallel to the work desks, it encourages interaction amongst employees while the autonomy is not disturbed.

Daylight spread in space: The shell has glazing on three outer sides, however, the work area is centrally planned and there is an envelope of spaces around it. Hence inside the work area, there is a minimum spread of natural light 50

Connectivity: Networking and Services

Flexibility and mobility in connectivity enabled through technological controls.

Proximity of resources to the work area.

Exposed services planning showing systematically planned services.

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Spatial Qualities- Nature of Space making elements

Partitions for exibility in spaces.

There are minimal space making elements in order to have an open plan workspace and a barrier-free ow of communication. The partition follows the language of glass and metal such that it divides the space but also allows visual interaction.

Storage elements as spatial dividers.

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Physical Characteristics of the workstation

The workstations have a storage cabinet on each side so that it can cater to the immediate need. The cable box has concealed plug points and other networking server cables to allow mobility and convenience. The book stand acts as a support for reading so that employees don’t have to bend. It ensures well being. The shared workstations accommodate 2 people which leads to crowding and employees don’t get the autonomy required for individual work.

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Spatial Qualities- Organizational Values reected through interiors

Organizational values reected through captions, colors and texture in the interiors. While everything else has a white backdrop, Birch ply and glass is used with metal sections throughout the space to give a soothing ambience. The transparency catered in interior elements gives way for interaction needed in a creative organization.

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Future of Offices The constantly changing office dynamics and developments in Information Technology has led to enormous changes in the work environment. These environments are the technological infrastructure and the physical surrounding(lighting, acoustics) that support work.

The four critical points of office environments are: 1.

2.

3.

4.

Infrastructure for dynamic work environments Collaboration and concentration (open v/s closed work spaces) Layers of enclosure Design for sustainability

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Future of Offices Infrastructure for dynamic work environments This has to do with the misplaced notion that as a designer, one can predict the kinds of office layout an organization will need for present and future needs.

The dynamic nature of the contemporary work along with constantly changing technology requires designing infrastructure and furniture systems that support change.

We can no longer live with embedded HVAC, lighting and networking solutions of the past. Flexible infrastructure is critical to the future office environment to felicitate change with minimum disruptions.

Layers of Collaboration Spaces and Tools needed to support shared work spaces is the key for future work environments. There is electronic collaboration, Project spaces, cross-disciplinary collaboration. Tools and equipments supporting knowledge transfer and environment for co-ordinated work for multi-disciplinary needs is inevitable

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Future of OfďŹ ces Layers of Enclosure (Privacy v/s Interaction) People spend a great deal of time collaborating and interacting but they also spend a great deal of time heads-down reading and writing. On examining links between acoustics and performance, acoustic privacy and quieter environments are more conductive to execution of complex tasks, including memory and recall. Hence, it is important to provide environments which can create visually, spatially and acoustically closed spaces as required.

Design for Sustainability Daylight, views, Natural ventilation contribute to healthy work environments. Research shows that the performance improves by 10-25% output due to daylight and views. There is 5-10% reduction in sick - ofďŹ ce syndrome and 30% energy savings can also be achieved. Natural ventilation can also increase productivity by 0.4-18% and provide 40-70% reduction in cooling loads.

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Thank you...