Interior Office Layout techniques

What is important to understand about designing office layouts is that there are many rules, standards and regulations to adhere to and comply with. This is an area that clients often get confused with as it is specialized knowledge and requires the planners to keep up to date with many standards and regulations. Different countries will have slightly differing standards but many Western countries such as Australia, UK and USA are very similar. The main point of standards is for safety especially in the event of emergency situations like fire, however one of the growing standards issues is access for people with disabilities. New standards and regulations are issued every year and in most cases layout plans will need to be submitted to local authorities for review and approval.

There are many standards to comply with such as standards for Airconditioning to ensure a clean environment, standards for fire services such as fire sprinklers and fire hoses are critical in tall buildings as well as layouts needing to show clear routes for escape in the event of emergency. Other emergency systems such as exit signs, emergency lighting and evacuation warning systems also need to comply with various standards. Standards for persons with disability require office layouts to have clear access for these persons especially those in wheelchairs.

As well as the many regulations and standards that need to be considered when designing an office layout the next consideration is the functionality and flow of the whole layout. First and foremost it must meet the clients basic requirements in terms of how many offices, meeting rooms, storage areas and workstations. location of all the many requirements is also important to achieve a harmonious design that incorporates natural lighting and views. Walkways and the general flow of the office are also very important and a clear methodology needs to be adopted to ensure the office actually feels good. Recent workplace psychology reports have shown that the working environment has a big impact on the health and welfare of staff and in turn their overall productivity and performance so the importance of good planning and design cannot be underestimated.

Apart from the layout other factors that need to be considered when designing office interiors are the types of systems furniture and storage required. Although companies may differ general requirements here are very similar such as most staff require some personal storage such as a drawer pedestal and bookcase in their working area whether it is a workstation or an office. Communial storage areas are normally located around the office space for staff to access general filing and storage information and usually a couple of areas to access general equipment such as copiers, printers and other office equipment.

Ergonomics is a word that either completely confuses people or is placed on top of the list of importance for some companies. Basically it is the practice of making sure that staff are working in a safe and healthy way. this has been especially prevalent since the use of computers as people are sat at a desk operating a computer for many hours per day and can develop all sorts of physical ailments due to this. The ergonomics of the chairs especially are very important and heights of desks, computer screens, shelving and many other basic personal use office systems all need to be designed with the safety and health of the operator in mind. A whole new business has developed out of ergonomic office furniture systems and this is another area that designers need to be informed with when designing offices.