Large space is sometimes associated with an unhomelike place, however, thanks to an appropriate arrangement, it can turn out to be friendly and comfortable. How to achieve such an effect?
Large space offers big possibilities so we shouldn’t be afraid of it. We very often hear from our client that they would like their office to be cozy, however, such atmosphere means different things to different people. Some of them feel good in minimalistic interiors and others prefer eclectic interiors that are full of heavy furniture and patterned fabrics.
However, architects can create an illusion and “trick” everyone with lots of elements. They can use mirrors that create reflections and thus they optically lengthen the interiors. What’s more, paints can disturb divisions between walls, flooring and ceiling, whereas a simple wallpaper can create an illusion of distance. A scope of options is really broad. Importantly, we also deal with aware customers who know how their office can look like and how to use their space.
Acoustics is another aspect that plays a crucial role in office space. How to take care of it in the case of large space?
Acoustics is of great importance. Unfortunately, we’ve forgotten about it over the years. Nowadays, there are a lot of amendments to regulations that put greater emphasis on sound comfort in office interiors. This isn’t only about acoustics of materials and compartments (for instance, walls and ceilings), but also about echoes in rooms. At present, designers are obliged to fulfill much more prohibitive norms. Every building is different. Location in the city, neighborhood and type of work in a given office are very important aspects too. Due to care about acoustics in large office spaces, there are a lot of materials that absorb sounds. What's more, there are better floorings, ceiling islands, acoustic walls, ceiling panels, screens, compartments, upholstered furniture and greenery. These elements meet both acoustics and design functions.
Large space often belongs to companies that hire many employees. How to accommodate needs of different people in one place?
When we hire many employees, we obviously need larger space, thus big areas are most frequently leased by big companies. In such case, needs of different departments, specifics of different work posts and age-related preferences have to be accommodated. We can’t treat design as a process during which we are able to satisfy all employees because of one simple rule: the more people, the more ideas that often exclude each other. As architects, we research the company, its target area, clients and kind of information that this particular company wants to present. What’s more, work place should be also attractive for employees and this mainly concerns companies that hire young people. We're currently dealing with an "employee market", for whom work place, office and its location are of great importance in respect of choosing a company.