flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Activity-based design takes precedence in new office projects

Office Buildings

Activity-based design takes precedence in new office projects

The latest report by Ted Moudis Associates also finds more space being allocated for amenities and wellness.


By John Caulfield, Senior Editor | April 23, 2018

Open floor plans that encourage collaboration are becoming “best practices” for office designers. Image: Ted Moudis Associates

More evidence that companies are embracing open workplace environments comes from Ted Moudis Associates, a New York-based architectural and design firm, whose 2018 Workplace Report finds that offices are being designed to accommodate collaborative “activity-based” projects.

This report, the firm’s third in as many years, encompasses data from 31 projects in the U.S. with 3.1 million sf of rentable space, 2.5 million of usable space, and 15,546 workspaces. While the average usable square footage per seat remained consistent at 165 sf, 54% of the total seats were allocated for “alternative” (i.e., non-assigned), collaborative, or amenity seating.

Nearly one quarter of the employees in projects that Ted Moudis analyzed—especially those working for digital media and technology companies—participate in activity-based working, meaning that they roam the office on a daily basis. Activity-based work environments average 177 sf per seat last year (versus 163 sf/seat in 2016), 1.3 seats per employee, and 131 sf per person (vs. 124 sf the previous year). 

The study states that usable square footage per seat in activity-based working environments rose by 14 points to a total two-year gain of 18 points. “This suggests that we have reached the limits of office density,” the study concludes.

Here’s a breakdown by company type:

“This is a really exciting time to be in workplace,” notes Jamie Feuerborn, Director of Workplace Strategy at Ted Moudis Associates. “Executive leaders are competing [with] other organizations across all industries to recruit the best and brightest talent and have come to realize the value the physical workplace brings. As a result, we have seen a larger investment in workplace strategy and change management services to help create the right balance between their culture, productivity, and employee experience.”

 

See Also: A cost guide to office fit-outs provides comparisons for 59 markets

 

Progressive workplace concepts “have increasingly become best practices and virtually all organizations are implementing some, if not all, of them,” the study stated. The number of clients that are adopting benching increased by 7% over 2017, to where 75% of open workspaces are desking/benching.

Of the 54% of workspace seats that are alternative, 71% are being used within meeting spaces (the vast majority of which within an open floor design), 23% for amenity seats (such as cafés), and 6% are “focus” seats that are in enclosed areas free from auditory and visual distractions.

Enclosed spaces in offices are typically reserved for meetings and privacy. Image: Ted Moudis Associates

 

The study finds a strong inclination toward consolidating café space to include meeting areas. (Amenities are now viewed as “destinations,” the report stated) More often than not, offices are also being designed to support mental and physical opportunities for employees. Wellness space now includes prayer rooms, nap rooms, game rooms, and fitness centers.

The projects analyzed average one wellness space per 173 employees in 2017, vs. one per 198 employees the previous year. And as companies become more paperless, there’s less space allocated for equipment like copier machines, which average one for every 83 employees, vs. one for every 73 in 2016.

In the future Ted Moudis Associates will track its predictions that there will be an increase in semi-enclosed and small focus rooms, fewer executives suites, an increase activity-based seating, and an increase in amenity and wellness spaces.

Related Stories

Green | Apr 7, 2015

USGBC survey shows Fortune 200 companies prioritize green building

The world’s top-performing companies are prioritizing sustainability as part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, and a majority of them are using LEED to achieve their goals, according to the new survey.

Office Buildings | Apr 1, 2015

Facebook opens Gehry-designed headquarters: ‘The largest open floor plan in the world,’ says Zuckerberg

Employees have started moving into Facebook’s new headquarters, a 435,555-sf building in Menlo Park, Calif., whose famed architect Frank Gehry describes as “unassuming, matter-of-fact, and cost effective.”

Office Buildings | Apr 1, 2015

IBM's supercomputer Watson finds new home in Manhattan's Silicon Alley

The new headquarters for the former Jeopardy champ was conceived as a showcase for Watson’s capabilities, and as an inspirational workspace for Millennials and idea generators of all ages.

Office Buildings | Mar 29, 2015

Chance encounters and the ‘action’ office: Do collisions spark innovation?

Google, Facebook, Samsung, and Tencent have all unveiled plans for “action” offices designed to get their people moving, interacting, huddling, collaborating—all in the name of innovation.

Codes and Standards | Mar 12, 2015

Energy Trust of Oregon offers financial incentives for net-zero buildings

The organization is offering technical assistance along with financial benefits.

BIM and Information Technology | Mar 11, 2015

Google plans to use robots, cranes to manipulate modular offices at its new HQ

Its visions of “crabots” accentuate the search-engine giant’s recent fascination with robotics and automation.

Modular Building | Mar 10, 2015

Must see: 57-story modular skyscraper was completed in 19 days

After erecting the mega prefab tower in Changsha, China, modular builder BSB stated, “three floors in a day is China’s new normal.”

Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015

Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose

Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.

Office Buildings | Mar 7, 2015

Chance encounters in workplace design: The winning ticket to the innovation lottery?

The logic behind the push to cultivate chance encounters supposes that innovation is akin to a lottery. But do chance encounters reliably and consistently yield anything of substance?

Codes and Standards | Mar 5, 2015

Charlotte, N.C., considers rule for gender-neutral public bathrooms

A few other cities, including Philadelphia, Austin, Texas, and Washington D.C., already have gender-neutral bathroom regulations.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Curtain Wall

7 steps to investigating curtain wall leaks

It is common for significant curtain wall leakage to involve multiple variables. Therefore, a comprehensive multi-faceted investigation is required to determine the origin of leakage, according to building enclosure consultants Richard Aeck and John A. Rudisill with Rimkus. 




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021