Challenges of designing commercial spaces
By unidus
Many of our clients come to us for ideas for designing their commercial spaces. They have a two-fold objective behind this: one is that they want to create a masterpiece for visitors to look at and admire. It also helps them attract clients and give them a nice first impression. Commercial spaces that appeal to prospects are considered an added advantage while closing a deal. The second objective is that the design adds to the brand image of the company and helps in establishing the reputation of the firm. Also, in order to motivate staff at the workplace, companies need to provide them with an engaging environment that can be achieved by a well-designed space. Good interior design also helps in optimizing lighting and space in the office. Adequate open spaces and sufficient lighting are important prerequisites of interior design. One suggestion can be to maximize the incoming natural light and incorporate artificial light in addition to attain the best results.
Besides bringing so many benefits to any organization, interior design faces certain challenges too. Let’s take a look at some challenges and how they can be dealt with:
Lack of space
It is not possible for every organization to own a property of their own. In such a case, a lot of organizations have to mortgage properties which to have extremely high rents. So, sometimes they have to compromise with a small amount of space they get in the rent they can afford. If the office is not big enough, it can become difficult to compartmentalize it. But an office without compartments can lead to a noisy room which can be really disturbing and distracting.
Solution- Strategize workspace
The golden rule is to a lot a space of 100 sq ft per person. With an innovative design, space wastage can be reduced to as much as possible and even a small office can be compartmentalized. A meeting room can be replaced with four smaller rooms for individual phone calls and discussions. You can implement movable systems and makeshift spaces for work which is not regular. A workspace strategist can help you in this regard.
Distractions
While more and more companies are opting for an open culture which comes with an open office setup as well, this does come at a price. The unnecessary noise coming from other employees’ desks can be distracting as well as irritating. One cannot stop their colleagues from chit-chatting, eating at their desks or maybe, calling out to other employees. This kind of a design also takes away the idea of a personal space, a resting room or a private discussion room.
Solution- layout
If at all, you plan on adopting an open house set-up, try allotting spaces department wise and do not keep unrelated departments adjacent to each other. For example, the client service team, if placed next to the finance team, can create a lot of chaos for the finance department. On one hand, the client service team is required to do innumerable phone calls and discussions within the team, on the other hand, the finance team is required to work on the accounts for which they need utmost attention and focus. If they are intruded by regular talking and shouting of people sitting next to them, their work will suffer. Hence, strategizing a layout is extremely important.
Too much work, too little me time
For most employees, it becomes almost impossible to switch-off from work, especially in this digital age when their phone keeps on buzzing with e-mails, messages from the boss, etc. But while looking forward to the best quality work from an employee, it is also the organization’s responsibility to let their employees get some me time to re-energize themselves.
Solution- Fun spaces and tea points
Creating tea points and lunch spots in the office can have a two-fold benefit. One will be that employees will not have to eat at their workspaces and secondly, they can have some me time talking to their friends and family in the break time. Another way of employee motivation is to have some fun spaces in the office. This can include play zones for a game of pool, table tennis or foosball. Activities like these will keep the employees active as well as involved at the workplace
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