Explore the benefits of well-designed office spaces, from happier employees to a smaller carbon footprint.
An office is more than just a place to work. A thoughtfully designed workplace that puts the needs of people first can have a significant impact on employee productivity, wellbeing and engagement. Good office design is also about reducing our impact on the environment – using materials responsibly and minimising waste. Several of our own office spaces recently won the London Design Award 2024 for Interior Design – Offices, reflecting our commitment to combining functionality and sustainability in workplaces that enable and inspire our people.
In the zone
Flexibility is key to creating workspaces where people can thrive. Evidence shows that cognitive zoning – with specific areas designed to suit different types of work activity – can help to enhance focus and productivity. A study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology found that people performed as much as 22% better when they were given access to quiet spaces away from more “active zones” for tasks needing concentration.
Our new Beijing and Warsaw offices include a mix of high- and low-stimulation areas, designed to create tailored environments where people can connect, get inspired, feel energised, collaborate and concentrate. Folding walls enable spaces to be extended for large gatherings and events, or made smaller and more intimate for one-to-ones or small groups, while sit-stand workstations deliver a range of health benefits and mean employees can change position, reflecting their changing needs throughout the day.
A sense of belonging
Good design also has an important role to play in creating inclusive workplaces that can accommodate a range of needs and preferences and where all employees feel comfortable and able to perform at their best.
As well as considering the need to accommodate people’s practical needs – for example with ramps and widened doorways for those with physical disabilities, belief rooms or spaces for nursing mothers – design and visual imagery can also play a part in building a sense of belonging. At our office in Casablanca, Morocco, we worked closely with local design teams to create a distinctive look and feel featuring traditional tiling and work by local artists, linking the office to the community and people around it. In Warsaw, a mix of colours inspired by street fronts and the city’s iconic terracotta roof tiles add a distinct local aesthetic to the space. These kinds of design features can help to communicate a company’s values and its commitment to diversity, something that is shown to have a positive impact on attracting and retaining talent.
While keeping a local feel, our offices are also designed to feel like coming home. Wherever you are in the world, our offices are designed to feel both familiar and uniquely local. A consistent design language ties our spaces together, quietly reinforcing our shared values and brand identity.
Greener and cleaner
Another crucial aspect of people-focused office design are biophilic elements – put simply, features that make people feel more connected to the outside world. Key among these is natural light. Researchers at Stanford University showed that natural light has a “statistically significant” impact on wellbeing, as do other features such as use of natural materials like wood. Other research points to health benefits including reduced blood pressure and enhanced mood.
Introducing plants is an effective way of creating a more welcoming – and healthier – environment. The long list of benefits includes lowering stress and cutting sickness absence as well as reducing noise levels and stimulating creativity. Plants also help to improve air quality, reducing levels of CO2 by up to 10% in air-conditioned spaces. All of these factors informed the design of our office space at Groot-Bijgaarden in Brussels, which features an abundance of greenery and natural light.
Design for a better world
Perhaps most important of all, thoughtful office design can also drive progress towards sustainability goals. We are committed to ensuring that all our new buildings meet the standards set by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the world’s most widely used green building rating system, and to working towards net zero in our owned buildings.
At Groot-Bijgaarden, for example, chairs, screens and planters are all made from polyAl derived from used beverage cartons. Overall, the office aims to reduce carbon emissions by 396 tonnes over the next 10 years – equivalent to taking 94 cars off the road for a year – as well as halving energy consumption. In Warsaw, the panels that make up the office walls are 3D printed from reused polyAl.
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