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8 Office Layout Design Ideas
Your office layout design is a key part of your business operations. To ensure your team is productive, you must set up your space to support your unique working practices, and this can require a lot of planning.
If you’re not sure where to start, this blog article is designed to help. With reference to our own space design projects, we explore eight different office layout configurations to give you inspiration.
From a tech company operating with a hybrid approach to an advertising agency with an office that fosters creativity, you’ll find plenty of layout ideas here. Read on to learn more…
1. Open Plan Departments
The open plan layout is still popular due to its simplicity and the way it supports collaboration. This is particularly beneficial for businesses with employees that need to work closely together throughout the day.
Example One
Based in Manchester, this corporate insurance company required a departmental office layout for its tight-knit team. This entailed creating an open plan formation using banks of desks, with the departments broken up by storage planters.
Furthermore, the company needed facilities where employees could hold private conversations. Our solution was to introduce several meeting rooms and an acoustic phone booth where people could talk in confidence.
The addition of enclosed spaces makes for the perfect setup. While the departments allow the team members to work in harmony, the private spaces offer an escape from the open plan setting where it’s harder to exchange sensitive information. The meeting rooms also offer an alternative workspace for quiet working and brainstorming sessions.
Example Two
Our second open plan example shows Ward Security’s office in Kent. The remit for this project was to maintain the departmental feel while offering employees greater flexibility over how they could work.
To strike the perfect balance,
our designers converted the fourth floor into a multifunctional breakout and working area. With laptop stations, easily movable sofas, collaboration tables, and an auditorium, the fourth floor offsets the rigidness of the departmental setup.
You could say it’s a combination of a traditional open plan setup and an agile office (see point two). While the departments serve as “anchor points” for teams, employees have the freedom to move around if their task requires a different setup.
2. Agile Work Zones
Unlike an open plan office, the agile office layout consists of different work “zones” rather than banks of desks segregated into departments. Employees can choose which zone they want to work in depending on their task, whether that be collaborating with colleagues or working independently in quiet areas.
London-based sports tech company Hudl embraced agile working several years ago, and its office design layout reflects this. The space contains work zones throughout, including an open plan hotdesking area, multiple Zoom booths, bookable meeting spaces, and a laptop lounge.
The office design is also an important part to Hudl’s flexible working approach, which allows employees to choose between home and the office. With a luxury design like this, however, many of Hudl’s employees choose the office over the home environment.
See more of Hudl’s office here
3. Creative Suites
As Ignition Creative’s name suggests, creativity is a central part of the company’s offering. The London-based agency crafts advertising campaigns for the international entertainment industry, so its office layout is geared for creative tasks like video production.
To create the ideal space for its team of creatives, we implemented a number of soundproof creative suites alongside a standard open plan office. These have helped Ignition to expedite workflow, which is extremely important when working on projects for high-profile clients.
In addition to the suites, Ignition updated its aesthetic to reflect the company’s identity. The features include a Michael Caine wall mural, branded reception desk, and framed posters of company projects.
4. The Hybrid Approach
The hybrid office layout supports a blend of in-office and remote work, giving employees more flexibility and a better work-life balance. While this approach clearly benefits employees, the challenge for businesses is optimising the space for a split workforce.
Example One
Social Finance faced this challenge when switching to hybrid working post-pandemic. To create the ideal layout, the London-based firm arranged the space to support hotdesking, video calls, and specific in-office tasks.
This entailed creating multiple work zones (e.g. a focused working area), introducing lockers for personal belongings, and installing Zoom booths. Crucially, the Zoom booths connect office and home workers, helping to maintain a smooth and efficient workflow.
Related content:
• Hybrid Office Design: How to Set Up Your Space
• 3 Hybrid Office Layout Ideas – with Floorplan Examples
Example Two
As this client has numerous offices across the UK, many employees regularly travel to different locations. This transient style of working required ad-hoc working spaces, much like that of a hybrid office.
As such, our designers introduced a “hybrid” style working area where visiting staff members could meet with regional colleagues before independently for the rest of the day. The area contains a designated workstation and meeting facilities for group planning, while the welcoming breakout space is of course open to all.
Facilitating in-person collaboration has helped the business to strengthen ties between the regional operations. Even though video chats are now the norm, it goes to show that there’s no substitute for coming together in person! `
5. Private Executive
For some businesses, privacy is one of the most important aspects of their office design. One such example is soda ash producer WeSoda, which wanted a suitable office for its executives.
To achieve a private layout design for quiet working and focused collaboration, WeSoda made use of glass partitions with manifestation. Positioned around the perimeter of the space, the partitions create multiple private executive offices without blocking out natural sunlight.
To make use of all the available space, WeSoda also introduced shared desking solutions next to the glass offices. These are ideal for employees who work closely with the executives, offering the perfect balance between privacy and collaboration.
See more of the WeSoda project here
6. Mezzanine Office
A mezzanine is a steel structural unit that’s typically installed in an industrial space. These are perfect for businesses that need to keep production and office operations close together. Here are some examples:
As part of the office fit out, it was our job to optimise the mezzanine, which now contains a ground floor welcome area, workspace, and wine tasting facility for visitors. The office layout within the mezzanine is made up of various glass-fronted working areas, helping to maintain a bright, open feel. This also makes for a stunning, panoramic view of the winery below.
Below, the office is set up with banks of desks for a departmental layout. Above, employees have a designated area to take a break, hold collaborative meetings, connect with colleagues, and work casually with their laptop.
Again, this comes round to the idea of giving employees more freedom and flexibility. In the age of agile and hybrid working, this layout is a great solution.
7. The Breakout Floor
As we’ve already touched upon, there is a trend amongst large companies to create breakout spaces across entire floors. In addition to providing employees with a place to dine and recharge, breakout floors double up as an alternative place to work with a laptop or engage in impromptu collaboration.
Example One
Classic Collection in Worthing created a stunning breakout area on the floor below its main open plan office. The space contains coffee-shop style banquet seating with integrated power, a cosy lounge with modular furniture, and an auditorium for presentations.
The space creates a hospitality-style atmosphere, which encourages the employees to step away from their desks and take a break. The addition of the auditorium has also helped to foster a fun, team-centric company culture.
Example Two
As part of an industrial fit out, Albion Fine Foods made use of its ground floor to create a large breakout and dining area. With a large team made up of office and production operatives, the facilities are essential in bringing employees together and helping them to recharge.
Highlights of the space include a kitchen servery, diner-style booths, and a modern-industrial aesthetic. Additionally, the area includes a raised platform with banquet seating and coffee tables, adding to the functionality and visual impact of the space.
See more of the Albion Fine Foods project here
8. Something Bespoke
Each company is different, so it’s a good idea to contact an office space planning company before making concrete decisions. The space planners will advise you on the best layout based on your team size, unique working practices, available space and design preferences, giving you the best solution for your needs.
The design will typically come in the form of a 2D plan (as per the examples above), but some design practices offer isometric 3D visuals for a life-like representation of the space. For more examples, take at look at Rap Interiors’ space planning page here.
Thank you for Reading Our Office Design Layout Blog
While every space is unique, we hope that the examples here will give you plenty of food for thought. For a final tip, list what you want your office space to achieve and let that inform your design decisions. Whether that be a faster workflow, improved team morale or a combination of many things, the early stages of the design process are crucial.
Are You Thinking of Reconfiguring Your Office Interior Design?
Established in 1988, Rap Interiors is an experienced workplace design and build company with offices in Kent and London. With a team of in-house office designers, Rap can guide you on the best configuration for your space and bring the scheme to life.
To discuss your office layout design with a member of our design team, please call 0333 600 1234 or fill out the form below.
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