Google's
famous (or perhaps infamous) workspace design has caused a great deal
of controversy and debate in the world of commercial office
interiors. London and UK companies are divided about whether this is
a style to be emulated as forward-thinking and inspirational, or
avoided as extravagant nonsense.
As leading
contractors carrying out new office fit outs and refurbishment in the
London area, we are very much in touch with what organisations really
need from their office designs. So we have taken some time to reflect
on what Google got right, and how this can benefit our clients. We've
picked out 5 key lessons that we think designers of commercial office
interiors can usefully take forward into their designs:
1.
Unique Spaces Encourage a Sense of Belonging
The bigger
a company gets, the less you can rely on direct personal
relationships to make a workforce feel like a team, all pulling in
the same direction to meet organisational goals. Putting workers in
individual cubicles that all look the same is a recipe for
alienation, making people feel separate and less likely to feel a
sense of belonging and connection with others, or with the company.
Innovative and visually striking office design which feels
significantly different to anywhere else, helps to send a signal that
says: "Everyone within this space is connected".
What this
means for other companies is that simply copying design elements from
Google won't work – employees will just feel like they are working
for a copycat Google. Instead the goal should be to find a design
which is distinctive and unique to your company, whether that's in
terms of colour scheme, materials or layout. For instance in our
example below, the effect is nothing like Google – but is totally
distinctive in its own way, giving a sense of identity to the
building and to its occupants.
2.
Attracting Post-Recession Talent
Clive Wilkinson, the
architect-designer behind Google's workspace transformation has said:
"One of the biggest motivators for creating good workspaces
is being attractive to people you want to hire."
UK businesses – and
particularly those in London – are steaming ahead and driving the
economic recovery, especially in areas requiring high levels of
individual creative talent, such as design, media, finance, software
and engineering. To ensure their long term success, companies have to
hire the best people and then keep them for as long as possible. In
an age when the youngest talent can change jobs as often as they
change their smartphone, companies who want to be able to "take
their pick" of the best talent need to excite prospective
candidates and appeal to them as an exciting place to work.
As the recovery beds in
and recruiting key skills gets more difficult, an innovative office
interior, combined with other progressive employment policies, may
even start to be a factor helping to reduce staff "churn".
3. The
Use of Glass Partitions
The use of
glass partitions
was a key element in transforming the old Google offices from
"cubicle land" to a space which helped to connect people
visually. Even in a conventional office space, glazed
partitioning adds a sense of modernity and
provides a level of soundproofing between zones, to aid productivity.
Glass also makes best use of available natural light to brighten and
lighten interior spaces. Clever use of glass manifestation (such as
below) lets in the light and allows staff to get a sense of what is
happening elsewhere in the space, while the frosting helps to retain
a level of privacy.
4. Use
of Colour
Using
colour is a quick and easy way to make a space feel unique and
stimulating, even if the furniture and layout are fairly
conventional. Indeed, the use of bold colour is one of the most
immediately obvious characteristics of the Google workspace and is
often what companies have most trouble embracing – especially if
their company is in a sector where stability and restraint may feel
more "fitting" to their company image.
But it is
possible to use colour in a way which helps a workspace to feel
modern and cutting edge, but without undermining more conservative
organisational values. For instance, in the image below, a single
bold accent colour is combined with shades of white, chrome and grey,
which creates a look which is understated but far from dull.
5.
Embodying the Brand
Apart from
providing employees with somewhere to sit and work, the next most
important thing that any office space has to do is put them in the
right frame of mind for doing work that expresses the values and
standards of the organisation. These values then find their way into
the ideas, products and services those employees create, which are
then experienced by the company's customers.
Perhaps
the reason that Google's office design provoked so much controversy
is that it exactly reflected the tech giant's brand values: original,
maverick and cutting edge. Companies with similar brand values loved
Google's offices; those with different brand values hated it. So what
Google got right here, was to allow their offices to fully express
their core brand values.
GDL
Interiors have wide ranging experience of creating high quality
commercial office interiors for companies in London and the South
East. We combine practical, functional design with creative flair to
help organisations of all kinds achieve a workspace which promotes
productivity as well as enhancing their brand.
Commercial
Office Interiors London – Click here to see our portfolio.
