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Scan Magazine | Business Profile | LAIKA Rumdesign
LAIKA consists of a team of change management and space design experts. Together they tailor each workspace to fit the specific needs and the specific brand and culture of each client. “When we look at the workspace of our individual clients, we often see a lot of people sitting in what we call desk deserts – large open spaces with a lot of empty desks, and a lot of employees running around because there aren’t enough meeting rooms. Our job is to give them the facilities they actually need in their everyday work,” explains Mingolla. She adds: “Depending on their needs, we use the space to create a number of different zones: a debate zone where people can meet and brainstorm without worrying about disturbing others, a dynamic zone where there is room to focus but also to have a quick chat on the phone, and finally a quiet concentration zone where you can really get down to focused solo work.” In the cases where free seating is a part of the design solution, LAIKA emphasises the importance of ensuring that employees do not feel displaced or disconnected to the workplace without their own individual desk. All employees are given their own touchdown in the home base area, a locker or a paper tray, where they can store personal items such as photos and pencils. In this way they can bring these items to their chosen work facility to make it feel like their own. The approach has meant that though many employees are at first reluctant to give up their old workspace structure, most quickly adapt and enjoy the new settings. Surveys show that after six months, 80 per cent of employees would not wish to have the old office structure back. Thinking big – but not bigger than necessary Among one of LAIKA’s supporters is Alfred Josefsen, former Director of the supermarket chain Irma. As a known advocate for the beneficial effects of a positive work environment (Irma has been elected “top workplace” in Europe for several years in a row), he has become chairman of LAIKA's board. “What I find interesting
about LAIKA is that they work to create joy and satisfaction in the workplace by changing the physical settings. For many years the work within that area has been seen from a purely psychological and managerial point of view.” He continues: “I think it’s fantastic that someone has collected a team of people who are in the top of their different fields and have the competences needed to do this. What’s more is that you might expect this kind of field to be led by the kind of design companies that would offer fancy and expensive solutions, but that is not the case at all. By looking at the actual needs – the movements and patterns within the workspace – LAIKA ensures that the area and resources available are efficiently used. It’s very cost-efficient because it creates what’s needed at the same time as it brings joy to the work place, and that’s a combination that I want to support.” Josefsen is not the only one who believes in the effects of an improved work environment. Studies from the DTU (Technical University of Denmark) have shown that the relations between employees are more significant to their productivity than their individual qualifications. “What matters is that we create a frame which allows people to meet and get to know each other; that creates a sense of security that induces employees to be braver, think out of the box, and share their ideas,” stresses Mingolla and rounds off: “What we create is not just a new workspace design but also more sustainable use of space, joy and efficiency. Space matters!”
TRADITIONAL SPACE PLANNING
Example of traditional space planning: 20 employees have 20 identical desks so that everyone has the same. LAIKA’s studies show that up to 50-70 per cent of the desks in a traditional knowledge-based workspace are empty.
ACTIVITY-BASED SPACE PLANNING
In activity-based space planning the workspace is designed with different zones and variation – one size doesn't fit all. In the example here a ratio of 75 per cent has been implemented. That means 20 people share 15 desks. The tables are distributed in a concentration zone, group tables in the dynamic zone, and besides there is room for a project/fly in desk, reading corner and meeting bar for short informal chats. If the presence is actually 50 per cent, the example leaves space for the department to grow without any restructuring.
A typical office employee spends only 30-50 per cent of her time at her work desk, meaning that a lot of desk space is actually wasted much of the time.
LAIKA also offers talks on the effects and results of activity-based workspaces. LAIKA is an official Scandinavian alliance partner of Gensler, one of the world’s biggest and most recognised architecture and design companies.
For more information, visit: www.laika-rumdesign.dk
By monitoring and researching the patterns and routines of the workplace and its employees LAIKA creates a workspace that provides the exact facilities needed.
Issue 69 | October 2014 | 135