Context architects legal work space guide ebook

The legal office of the future Context Architects guides you through what you need to think about when designing your legal work space.

The legal office of the future is efficient, secure, productive and inspiring.

If you are looking for productivity gains, staff retention, space efficiencies and futureproofing, then have a read over this guide.

We’ve produced it to help you work through the important elements that need to be considered when you are thinking of designing or redesigning your legal office.

Welcome to the legal office of the future.

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Future proofing your legal practice

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Inter-generational working styles

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Confidentiality and acoustic control

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Creating a mobile workspace

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Brand equity

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Document management and storage

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Activity based zones, traditional

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Technology enablement and future-proofing

workspaces and collaboration

10 Designing for wellbeing

Breakout spaces and quiet zones

11 Sustainability and energy efficiency

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FUTURE-PROOFING YOUR WORKPLACE Careful planning and good design is essential in ensuring your office stands the test of time.

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CONFIDENTIALITY & ACOUSTIC CONTROL Why are confidentiality and acoustic control top of the list?

Confidentiality and privacy are crucial aspects of the legal profession. Confidentiality gives clients confidence and lawyers integrity. The levels of privacy you require can be achieved through strong acoustic control within a sensitively designed layout.

Acoustic control should be used across the whole office. This can be done through partitioning and glazing systems, wall and ceiling treatments and soft furnishings. Knowing what suppliers can deliver in terms of acoustically treated furniture and fittings, and what is proven, rather than marketing hyperbole, is equally critical.

We will work with an acoustic engineer to ensure the level of acoustic control and privacy you require is achieved.

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ACOUSTIC CONTROL NEEDS TO BE RIGHT, OTHERWISE YOU WILL HAVE PRIVACY AND NOISE PROBLEMS. ONCE IT’S RIGHT, YOU WON’T EVEN NOTICE IT DOING ITS JOB.

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BRAND EQUITY

The legal profession like all other professional services is competitive.

Communicating your brand and values is critical. It differentiates your practice, and communicates what you are all about.

People experience your brand through every interaction with your practice and people. From the moment they enter your reception, the design should be telling a strong story about the practice and its culture. Carrying this brand identity throughout the office will reinforce the company’s values to staff.

Everything from the office layout and design, to furniture and colour schemes, reflect the attitudes and values of a firm. For example to reflect innovation and modernity; choose a clean, sleek design scheme. For a more traditional, conservative brand; choose deeper, more traditional materials and hues. Both of these examples can include the latest in workplace spatial design and facilities, but express them differently.

You can value engineer your fitout budget so that the brand experience gets the biggest investment, i.e invest more budget into client zones such as reception, meeting rooms and client breakout spaces.

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COMMUNICATING YOUR BRAND IS CRITICAL. IT DIFFERENTIATES YOUR PRACTICE AND COMMUNICATES WHAT YOU ARE ALL ABOUT.

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ACTIVITY BASED & TRADITIONAL SPACES In a Gensler study, 77% of lawyers reported that

Activity-based working is at the forefront of workspace design. It is about changing the workplace so that people are no longer bound to their desks as their primary place of work.

People can move from space to space depending on what activity they are doing.

Flexibility is key to activity based working, and this can be achieved by designing in easily changeable spaces and mobile furniture, supported by a backbone of wireless IT. This has been taken up locally at Telecom Place and internationally at Macquarie Bank in Sydney where staff have laptops and are assigned lockers where they keep their belongings overnight, moving around during the day.

For legal offices, which have specific needs around confidentiality, a mix of traditional office spaces combined with activity-based work spaces is the ideal mix.

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collaboration is a critical part of their work. Some collaboration can be planned and purposeful – meetings, work sessions, conference calls – while some is impromptu – like casual lunch chats.

Collaboration can be fostered by the design of your practice’s space and the facilities provided, such as spaces for impromptu meetings such as break out spaces and kitchens or café areas.

CREATING FLEXIBILITY IS THE KEY TO ACTIVITY BASED WORKING.

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BREAKOUT SPACES & QUIET ZONES Good spatial design is critical when creating spaces intended to foster interaction and others for focus and comfort.

Breakout spaces and well planned circulation routes can increase occurrences of chance encounters that enhance office relationships. Locating breakout spaces in desirable areas such as near a view or central eating area encourages their use.

Quiet zones are distinct areas for focused work. They are ideal for mobile workers attending the office for hours at a stretch, or within open plan workspaces when additional concentration is required. Good acoustic treatment in these spaces is essential.

THE ‘PING’ FACTOR – THE CONSTANT BECKON OF TECHNOLOGY – IS REDUCING OUR EFFICIENCY, PRODUCTIVITY AND SANITY. PEOPLE NEED TIME AND SPACE TO THINK, BALANCED WITH SPACE TO COLLABORATE. PHYSICALLY MOVING TO A QUIET ZONE CAN FACILITATE THIS AND ALLOW PEOPLE TO CHOOSE TO LEAVE THE PING AT THE DOOR.

Context can determine the best approach to designing circulation, breakout and quiet spaces to suit your business.

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INTER-GENERATIONAL WORK STYLES For the first time in modern history, we have people aged from 20 to 60 plus working alongside each other.

The workplace is often where generations meet and in top performing companies, the working environment needs to appeal to all generations.

The average lease is eight to 12 years, so when leasing consider who you will need to attract at the end of the lease.

• Approx. 7% of the workforce and tend to be leaders • Born between 1928 and 1945, they generally have a paternalistic, topdown approach • Focused on financial security and ‘work to save’

You are likely to be recruiting people in their early twenties in ten years time: people who are teens today - the digital natives.

You will be able to recruit and retain the best people by creating a workspace which caters for your entire potential workforce. To do that, you need to understand the dynamics of the various generational working styles:

• Approx. 40% of the workforce • Born between 1946 and 1964, they ‘live to work’, and are optimistic • While they value face time at the office, they consider working a solitary experience

Baby boomers

Traditionalists

• Approx. 30% of the workforce • Born between 1965 and 1980, they ‘work to live’ meaning they put quality of life ahead of career • First generation in which it was common for two parents to work, making Gen Xers autonomous selfstarters

• Approx. 23% of the workforce • Born between 1981 and 2000, they value a work/life balance • Work best in teams and may have many different types of jobs throughout their work lifetimes • Digital natives and accustomed to a BYOD (Bring Your Own Devices) way of working

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Gen Y

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CREATING A MOBILE WORKSPACE Legal practices should offer various levels of flexibility and mobility to staff, resulting in talent retention and savings on real estate.

Today, more than half of law graduates in New Zealand are women. To retain this top talent as women are transitioning in and out of the workplace, offering flexible workplaces and working is a must.

PUT A TELEPHONE BOOTH INTO OPEN PLAN OFFICE SETTINGS, OR NEAR HOTDESKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR PRIVATE CONVERSATIONS.

Going mobile means giving staff the tools they need for mobile work such as laptops, smart phones and tablets, as well as options to work in third places.

The key to flexible workspaces is offering the right environment. Activity-based workplaces are the right setting for mobile work. Staff can come into the office to work collaboratively in a break-out space, but might go to a quiet zone to write a document or deal with their email. It is important to assign dedicated workspaces for mobile staff near their colleagues.

To attract new employees, make it easy to be a mobile worker. Give staff the technological tools they need to work-on-the-go.

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DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT & STORAGE Legal offices are by nature document and paper heavy. Even with digitalisation, paper isn’t about to go away.

It is likely copies of wills and deeds of title for example will be retained onsite, as well as electronically.

BUILDING IN ADEQUATE AND APPROPRIATE DOCUMENT STORAGE IS CRITICAL TO THE WHOLE SPACE WORKING AND FEELING FUNCTIONAL AND FRESH.

Document management and efficient storage solutions are key to making a legal office work effectively. Removing unnecessary clutter not only frees the mind but also creates useful space.

Document management and storage solutions should be innovative and streamlined. For example, storage units and planters can act as room dividers in open plan spaces, or storage can be built into walls. Utilising offsite archiving can be cost effective and will free up valuable office space.

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TECHNOLOGY ENABLEMENT & FUTURE-PROOFING

Technology is evolving so quickly that you need to think about how to design a space both for today’s technologies such as wi-fi and mobile devices, but also for tomorrow’s technologies such as interactive video and touch technologies.

When you make a property transaction like a new lease, you need to think five years ahead. Will key areas need to be configured for video and digital technology? Can you incorporate technology into the client zones to help clients experience the brand? For example an interactive video in the reception area on the services you offer, case studies or updates on what is happening with legislation.

In the future, video applications will be limitless and ubiquitous. Video conferencing from any device, including laptops, tablets, smartphones and anything with a web browser and camera will be the norm and will change the way we work. For example it will give doctors the ability to collaborate during surgery with consultants in other parts of the world.

In a legal context, it will enable lawyers to bring in experts from wherever they are in the world.

Using wireless devices to communicate with voice, video and data is the future. Ensuring the spaces we lease today are capable of integrating these future technologies into its design is key.

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DESIGNING FOR WELLBEING

Driving down cost, designing sustainably and enabling new technologies are all part of the latest in workplace design thinking, but ultimately, we design for people.

Everyone in the legal profession knows the long hours that are put in. Extended periods of sitting have proven to cause muscle degeneration, bad backs, eye strain and foggy brain function.

It’s no secret that there is a direct tie between wellbeing and productivity – improving working conditions is a Context Architects specialty!

A growing concept in the interiors field is called ‘green ergonomics’. This is the integration of ergonomics and sustainability to improve health, wellbeing and performance.

Sit-to-stand desks have been very well received in some of our recent work. Incorporating natural, passive heating and ventilation as well as indoor plants and growing green walls all can have a profound effect on staff morale and wellbeing.

BRING NATURE INDOORS BY INCORPORATING PLANTS AND GREEN WALLS FOR A POSITIVE EFFECT ON WELLBEING.

We can assist in creating a ‘green ergonomic’ office by using furniture with proven ergonomic benefits and creating office layouts to take advantage of natural and artificial light.

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SUSTAINABILITY & EFFICIENCY Good sustainable office design includes things like:

• a good balance between natural & energy efficient lighting • materials which are environmentally friendly to manufacture & healthy to live with • achieving indoor environments that are neither too hot nor too cold – and doing this naturally through ‘Passive design’.

Adding a sustainability requirement to design brief doesn’t have mean adding extra costs – designers often see this as a design challenge as well as a filter for selecting materials and products. For example we can guide you in making informed choices about the lighting types, timers and sensors you can use.

Lighting accounts for around 38% of an average commercial office building’s total energy use so good lighting design means ongoing cost savings.

allows you optimise passive opportunities like solar gains, sunlight, shading and cross ventilation.

Context Architects is a member of the New Zealand Green Building Council, and has a wide range of skilled people who have experience delivering sustainably focused offices both in NZ and abroad.

We have qualified practitioners who can advise on sustainable design and can even work with you toward gaining Green Star accreditation for your office fitout.

USE DAYLIGHT TO REDUCE YOUR ELECTRICITY USE AND RECYCLED FLOORING TO REDUCE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT.

Similarly by selecting materials which are both ecologically sourced but also robust and durable maintenance costs can be minimised. We love to include things like bike racks and shower facilities.

Such simple additions add amenity whilst giving people extra commuting options.

These elements must be considered early in the process and with regard to the overall building design and internal layout. Designing in this way

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YOUR DESIGN PARTNER When considering your workspace, it’s good to think about what you want from your design partner.

Context Architects offers turn-key solutions with a full architectural and project management service for interior projects. We are a New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) practice with a flair for interiors.

We can work with you in all stages of your project, from finding the right space for your practice and test fitting designs, to delivering a completed fitout.

As architects, we specify the products and fittings that best suit your brief and needs. We aren’t tied to specific suppliers, and can pass on the trade discounts we receive.

We are conscious of cost control and work closely with you to work out a fitout budget at the beginning. We involve a quantity surveyor at the design stage to ensure the design matches your budget.

If you want to have a chat about your ideas, or get started on design,get in touch and one of our interiors experts will be happy to help:

Context Architects

Auckland: Judith Taylor judith.taylor@context.net.nz Level 1, 326 New North Road, Kingsland, Auckland PO Box 56404 Dominion Road, Auckland 1446 P: 09 358 0140 M: 027 527 0055 Christchurch: Heather Blewett heather.blewett@context.net.nz 75 Perry Street, Papanui, Christchurch PO Box 5227, Papanui, Christchurch 8542 P: 03 550 1550 M: 027 537 9804

www.contextarchitects.com

www.contextarchitects.com