Undergoing an office fit out? Relocating to larger premises due to company expansion? Downsizing to smaller premises to reduce costs? Refurbishing existing space to improve creativity and staff morale? Whatever the reason, it is the ideal time to get your office premises properly organised from the bottom up.
A well organised office makes for an efficient office, and an efficient office makes for happy staff, higher productivity and increased output. Before the first batch of furniture crosses the threshold, or the first lick of paint touches a wall, you should have a plan in place which will provide all these things. Proper planning is paramount. If you’re going to get the office efficiency you need at a price you want to pay – you need to start at the beginning.
Why Planning for an Office Fit Out is Essential
- Office planning is not simply arranging of desks to fit into an empty room, but a deliberate effort to make workstations relate to one another and offer seamless workflow. Whichever the type office plan – open, closed or hybrid – the relationship between productivity and efficiency should never be compromised.
- Different products require a different approach in designing offices. For technological products, workstations should be enjoined in an open office plan to give room for discussions and referrals. As for physical or bulky products, a closed or hybrid office plan should be considered.
- Costs are also a major contributor to why and how we plan for an office. An open office plan is much cheaper to acquire and modify compared to a closed office.
Steps in Designing an Office
- Do a site visit to the proposed venue for the office. In this trip, take all the measurements needed to create a plan. This can be done if the legal and contractual terms for the space are agreed upon and finalised.
- Samples of probable designs are created, keeping in mind the customer’s preferences, the location of the front door, cost of materials, furnishings, the location of restrooms and other necessary fittings.
- After a design has been agreed on, the cost of production is fine-tuned, budgets approved and the purchase of materials commenced depending on urgency and availability.
- If the design requires modification of the floor space in the building, a potential consultation is necessary ascertain pressure and strong points within the building. The modification should complement the building’s original plan, especially if it is a storey building.
- The plan is executed – modifying the floor space, purchase desks, chairs, wall units, electronics, fittings, paintings and accessories.
- When the floor, electrical circuits and equipment are finalised, the desks are arranged as wall units and file cabinets are put in place.
Office Renovation Essentials
Designate a Project Manager
If you intend to carry out your office refit yourselves you need a project manager. If you intend to employ the services of an office fitting company – you need a project manager. Only your people will know how your office operates, what you want to create, and how you want to achieve it. Professionals are always best placed to handle this role as they are used to performing and carrying out such projects.
Project Planning
Staff should be consulted from day one. After all, they’re the ones having to work in the newly designed office. If you have a number of departments, departmental managers should consult with their staff and liaise back to your project manager.
Open plan was the office design buzzword 15 years ago; now, not so much. Realisation has dawned that, while some areas benefit from open, communal, work areas, there is still a need for work places away from the hubbub of background banter and clacking keyboards to achieve greater creativity.
Colour Palette
Planning this new project should go right back to basics. Did you know the office colours you choose can impact on staff creativity and production? Office spaces are usually associated with shades of cream and beige, but adding a splash of colour to your workplace décor can actually have great advantages, providing your employees with a visually appealing environment that can spark their creativity and increase motivation.
Adding colour to the walls of your office space is a simple yet extremely effective way to incorporate colour into your interior design and can work to completely transform your space without breaking the bank. But what colours should you opt for?
There are numerous shades of green that can contribute when working towards fostering a work environment that promotes focus and can aid employee’s concentration, also helping to tie in with more natural and environmentally conscious themes that have been popular within commercial interior design as of late. Using decorative shades such as sage green or olive green within your office refurbishment can be a great way to modernise and freshen up a space with minimal effort and without the use of colour becoming too overpowering. Just one accent wall could make a huge difference to how your workforce perceives their office space.
The introduction of indoor plants into your office space can also work wonders for helping you to revamp your workspace and add a pop of colour with minimal effort, also playing into more natural themes popular within commercial interior design as previously mentioned. Incorporating greenery into your interior design through the use of houseplants can also help to improve air quality as well as brighten up your surroundings.
Financial Planning
How much of the refit can be undertaken by your own staff (painting, cleaning etc). How much of the existing equipment and furniture can be revitalised and updated, and how much needs to be replaced? Once the project has been transformed from a mishmash of ideas or wants and needs, into a project with specific aims and aspirations it’s time to get the calculator out.
With a maximum budget to achieve the fit-out, you need at least a ball park figure that what you envisage is achievable within budget. Time to meet the office fit-out company’s project manager.
Office Fit Out Project Managers
These guys are professionals in their field. Turning your ideas into reality is what they do. Working with your project manager they will plan and design how best to achieve your aspirations. What can and can’t be done, or what can be achieved with a little alteration here and there. It is also in their company’s interest to provide you a service at a competitive price and one which is cost-effective for your requirements.
Once your project manager is happy, working plans will be drawn up and, most importantly, overall costing can be finalised.
All these steps should be on your checklist for getting the best and the most out of an office fit out. To talk to us further about an office fit out, use our details on the contact page.