Infection control by design

Challenge

Since the spring of 2020, many sets of restrictions have come and gone in German workplaces. Employees working in open-plan offices have experienced the reopening as a gradual return to a normal work situation. However, some changes may have come to stay. Limiting contact and assemblies remain important considerations that characterise the daily lives of many. These are also the considerations that companies now try to incorporate into their office interiors. With workplaces reopening, in whole or in part, the COVID-19 pandemic acts as a significant ‘driver’ in workplace design, with flexibility and control being key.

Solution

The LOQI Activity Office in Berlin serves as the European headquarters for the global design company. Work areas are designed to support creativity and collaboration while ensuring a safe and secure environment for staff in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. To meet both of these requirements, Studio Aisslinger planned the space as a series of separate but flexible zones for solo and group work, with a range of other activities made possible between them.

Taxonomy

Sphere: The Workplace

Timescale: Long Term

The office space has an open plan, so the designers had to find creative ways to delimit different zones. Partitions were designed to be as flexible as possible and took the form of heavy fabric curtains and perforated metal screens. Strong colours were used to define clearly where one zone ends and another one begins.

The project is an example of how well-considered interior design can increase the usability of a room even during COVID-19 restrictions and limitations – and how aesthetic choices such as colour and texture can support the safe use of a space.

Type: Interior Design

User Group: Employees/Service Providers

Project and location: KEID’s Offices, Copenhagen, Denmark

Contributor: Municipality of Copenhagen, Copenhagen Properties and Purchasing (KEID)

Established: 2020