Moving Through the Workspace

by Mark Reed

The debate over open offices versus closed offices is far from over, but economics are driving our clients more and more toward open layouts. When they make that decision, they often ask us to design the workspaces so that they don’t feel like “Dilbert,” with endless rows of cubicles. A common initial response is to look at organically shaped workstations or Y-shaped triads to reduce the regularity of rectangular systems. However, we have found that these systems do not achieve the same density of headcount as conventional L-shaped solutions. In three recent projects, we took on the challenge of achieving an organic informality within a rectangular format of workstations. Each of these projects shows an evolving approach toward the use of pathways to create a natural flow and sub-division of work areas. Metaphorically, we refer to these as City Streets, Clover Leafs, and Campus Paths.

The City Streets design concept subdivides the workstations into team-based units and links them via an orthogonal, multidirectional system of pathways. The pathways lead to meaningful destinations such as the café, the board room, the lab entries, and smaller conference room clusters. Instead of being in an anonymous grid of cubes, the teams find themselves in smaller neighborhoods along a major circulation spine.

 

 

 

 

The Clover Leafs approach seeks to lead people through the space along a large-scale, curved walkway. The pathway, in this case made from reclaimed oak, weaves through a rectangular grid of columns and workstations toward the company kitchen. Shared huddle rooms and conference rooms abut the path, ensuring that a maximum flow of people take this route. By placing an emphasis on the curve, the impact of the rectangular workstations is greatly reduced.

The Campus Paths strategy takes its inspiration from the desire lines of trampled grass often found on college campuses. In this design, the board room, conference areas, kitchen and lab areas are situated at the perimeter of the plan, allowing for natural circulation paths to define the workstation groupings.

In each of these design solutions, the dominant perception is one of movement and energy, which disguises the placement of space-efficient workstations. Successful arrangements of workspaces in an open office can reveal new collaborative possibilities within the organization, collaborations that might be inhibited by a closed-in office approach. Paying close attention to the culture of the company for which the design is created can lead to innovative designs that are also fun and efficient places to work.

Mark Reed, AIA LEED AP is a principal at LAB / Life. Science. Architecture, Inc. a Boston-based laboratory design firm.

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