Designing offices or workplace design floor plan takes careful consideration. From defining the functionality of the workplace to designing and purchasing the perfect furniture, there are several things to consider before designing your workplace floor plan.
Whether you are starting from an empty floor plan or working within an existing floor plan structure, your workplace design impacts productivity and overall company culture. Before jumpstarting your workplace floor plan, you must first determine the most suitable layout for the type of work you do, how you plan to grow, the amenities you want to make room for, and the furniture that supports each of these categories.
This post walks you through seven steps you should consider before designing your workspace floor plan.
Design Consideration #1: Functionality
Considering the size of your workspace is an important first step in designing your office floor plan. Considering the functional aspect of the space is essential, regardless of workspace size.
Think about the primary work engaged daily. If your plan requires space large enough for individual desks, you may consider sacrificing other defined areas, such as conference rooms or a reception desk.
However, if your design needs to accommodate a large team with different needs, your functionality considerations will be more critical. To determine the right floorplan for your workspace, list all the functions your space must accommodate. To help get you started, answer the following questions:
- What kind of work does the team typically engage in?
- What workspace is most appropriate for conducting this work?
- Which meeting space is essential to meet client or customer expectations?
Design Consideration #2: Appropriate Meeting Space
By answering the functionality questions above, you likely have a list of essential workspaces for your floorplan design. Does this include a particular type of meeting space? If you are designing a workplace floor plan for a large team, you want to consider appropriately sized conference rooms for larger team meetings.
On the other hand, if your team is small or you work solo, it may be more appropriate to designate areas of your workplace floorplan design specifically for client meetings.
Regardless of the floorplan space or company size, separate meeting spaces are essential for more focused work and one-on-one conversations with clients.
Design Consideration #3: Future Growth
Every company has dreams of growing and scaling its presence. Before designing your workplace floor plan, consider the potential growth strategy. Is the company currently mid-sized but has plans to grow exponentially in the next few years? If so, choose a workplace floor plan that is adaptable for this expansion.
Consider flexible workspace options such as open floorplans or hybrid desk spaces that can accommodate various designs. Unfortunately, you cannot foresee this type of growth, and including this consideration in your design can be challenging.
If you feel stuck in designing a flexible floorplan for a growing operation, download our free guide, How to Make Your Most Difficult Projects Your Greatest Wins.
We’ll walk you through the principles we use to execute multi-million dollar, award-winning projects to turn a challenge into an incredible opportunity.
Design Consideration #4: Define the Work Style
Another component of any well-designed workplace floorplan is determining the most appropriate work style. How workers perform their jobs is rapidly evolving. Some companies switch to open floorplans only to discover their team can’t execute as well as before. Others find that traditional cubicle-style workspaces stifle creativity and collaboration.
Knowing this, it’s essential to determine the correct work style that will not only fit the overall design plan but will be most appropriate for the team’s daily workload.
Consider surveying several team members to gauge the best workspace style that matches the floorplan design, the functionality of the space, and the company’s working style.
Design Consideration #5: Set Your Budget
While the project budget is arguably one of the biggest considerations for designing a workplace floorplan, we’ve listed it as #4 on our list. You can’t scope out a budget without first considering the functional needs of the team, the necessary meeting spaces needed to conduct business, and the team’s working style.
At this point, you have a much deeper understanding of the type of materials and furniture you will need to design the space to fit the client’s needs. It’s easier to scope a project budget when you have nailed down all relevant information.
Armed with the necessary information to design the workplace floorplan, you can begin to inform your client about the various pricing options they have within those categories.
Design Consideration #5: Consider Amenities
Once you set the budget and decide on design elements, you should consider the added amenities the workspace can accommodate.
Determining the size of common spaces, areas for disconnection, and other amenities will largely depend on the foundational considerations we’ve already discussed. Designing the flow of the main workplace floorplan and meeting rooms should give you a rough idea of where amenity-packed areas are most appropriate.
You may consider the activities taking place in each area. For example, it may be more appropriate to separate common areas from reception spaces to maintain the team’s privacy. Additionally, designing meeting rooms near workspaces may add to the overall flow of the workplace.
These considerations impact the productivity and mood of the team, increasing morale and well-being.
Design Consideration #6: Select or Design Furniture
The final consideration when designing a workplace floorplan is the type of furnishings most appropriate for the space. Functionality, work style, and the project budget feed into choosing the furniture for a workspace.
Furniture’s role in overall workplace floorplan design depends on the daily workload and overall design strategy. Carefully consider the following when incorporating furniture into your workplace floorplan design:
- What type of functionality do we want to provide for the team? Do they require custom desks, chairs, and conference tables?
- Do we have a reception area that needs to make a bold statement for visitors?
- What kind of furniture is appropriate for common spaces?
- Can the furniture accommodate more team members or expanded working styles as the company grows?
Selecting custom furniture for your workplace floorplan design is the easiest way to fulfill design deliverables while maintaining your client’s satisfaction.
Design Consideration #7: Partner With a Professional
Taking into consideration the six steps we’ve outlined here can be overwhelming, no matter the project size. That’s why we always recommend partnering with a professional team who can help you think through the delicate balance between flow, design, and functionality.
If you already have a design in mind or need help coming up with something that works with your workplace floorplan, reach out to us today. Our experienced artisans are ready to partner with you to create a genuine corporate design identity.