Agile Office
The office market segment is constantly working to embrace the endless change and daily advancement of today’s technology. The once strived for perfection in an office environment that has been thoughtfully designed, redesigned, reevaluated again and again until it’s just right, can quickly become obsolete with advancing technology and Generation Z (those born in 1995 or later) ready and willing to push the limits.
What does Agile Office mean? Starting with the basics: agile in its simplest sense is “quick and well-coordinated in movement; lithe” (Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary) When applied to office design it can be translated as an office in the state of beta; a space flexible to the users as they push the envelope through their values and expectations. While this is not the typical approach to office design – providing a flexible platform versus providing well defined spaces – it is the next step in the revolutionized office.
The design thought process of providing a flexible office platform starts by looking at one of the varying constants – the people! It is the users of the space that can bring the office to life with their diverse personalities. This diversity aides in defining how we relate to one another and therefore helps to shape the type of environment that we can thrive in. An analytical person may be more comfortable in an office where a door can be closed to achieve a quiet concentration, where as an expressive person may prefer an open office setting where fellow coworkers can pull up a chair for an impromptu collaboration. In this type of platform, the user selects their micro work environment based on the responsibilities and dispositions of the day. An authentic office is then created as people are able to relate to one another and utilize office resources in ways they are most comfortable with.
The flexible office environment not only relates to those who report to a main office on a daily basis, but to those who are on the go for work as well. With collaborative and co-op work lofts popping up nationwide, the traveling work force has options (other than the local coffee shop) for their temporary work space. These types of flex space facilities are agile in the word’s true meaning and foster the authentic office from the get go. An office space and collaborative environment based on social styles, not hierarchies, foster the agile platform.
September 28, 2017