November, 2013
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Trends
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Hot Topics
High-Performance Workspace Design: The New Way to Work by Dianne A. Dunnell The workplace as we know it is undergoing a major sociological shift, one fueled by our reliance on technology, employees’ desire for greater control over their time, and companies’ need to reduce overhead costs. This shift is changing how people work and spend their days, and even Dianne Dunnell affects our social relationships in a work setting. Many companies are moving toward a high performance workspace design, a design philosophy that is championed by executive leadership, human resources, and facility managers, and lauded by thousands of employees as the new way we want to work. A high-performance workspace (HPW) is the combination of nontraditional work practices, settings, and locations, and the HPW model is also known as alternative workplace design, workplace transformation, or workplace innovation as it substantially deviates from traditional office designs and practices. HPWs are characterized by open space and flexible seating arrangements; areas for collaboration, communication, and quiet work; and the embrace of tech-
nology to tie the office and its employees together. Most companies take the concept further and support work-from-home options that increase employees’ flexibility as well as their productivity. When the employee is in the office, he/she is there for collaboration and communication with others, not deskwork that can otherwise be done at home. Other companies reduce their real estate burden by employing a “free addressing” or sit-where-youwant desk arrangement. With this style of workplace innovation, employees are encouraged to work “their way,” whether at collaborative or individual desking, living room, café, or quiet zone environments. There’s a legitimate real estate argument for considering HPW design. The HPW model reduces the amount of space that is unoccupied on any given day, thus reducing the overall square footage per person by eliminating unused real estate. The design offers a better use of space by taking into consideration employee travel, sick time, and vacation schedules, as well as work arrangements that have employees out of the office one or two days a week. Why pay for real estate when 30% to 50% of an employee’s time is spent in places other than the office? For HPW design to be successful, however, executive management, human resources, facility management, and the IT department need to work together to help change how the company works.
Company culture, branding, and communication become key in a highperformance workspace, as companies seek to remind people who they work for and what their shared mission is. Engaging a change management firm to aid in the transition to a high performance workspace can also ease or eliminate any employee reservations. While flexible workspace solutions create opportunities for greater collaboration, communication, and mobility, they don’t work for every employee, department, or company. For example, the level of employee satisfaction in a free addressing program is usually very high, but implementing it doesn’t work for all departments. The innovation coming out of a collaborative work environment may also be quantifiably measured, boosting the argument for an open-plan design. Don’t
be motivated, however, to embrace a highperformance workspace just for the real estate cost savings. The concept, applied to its fullest, can help a company attract the best talent wherever they may be. While there are many ways to implement a high-performance workspace, the tenets of openness, flexibility, collaboration, branding, a mix of work setting offerings, and integration of technology remain. Make the space inspirational to encourage creativity, dynamism, and dialogue and enhance the company culture. In this era of mobility, prompt communication, and information exchange, the high performance workspace concept is fast becoming the norm in interior office design. Dianne A. Dunnell, IIDA, LEED AP, is a NCIDQ certified interior designer and senior associate at Margulies Perruzzi Architects
Improving Economy and IPD by Seth Pasakarnis Recent economic indicators suggest that the broad economy is on the mend. As of May, existing home sales rose to their highest level in 3-1/2 years. On the commercial side, statistics show an increasingly strong demand in both the northeast and south. Industry participants that I frequently speak with, including general contractors,
subcontractors, and owners, are generally saying that business is picking up – certainly a good sign for the construction industry. Positive sentiment, however, raises significant questions for all industry participants – will you be able to meet increased demand in order to capture additional revenue? More importantly, are you well positioned to maximize corporate efficiencies Continued on page 58
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