Well,
here it is the first in a series of regular “news,
views and updates” weblogs from our main office
in sunny Brighton. This week I thought I’d start
by talking about office design and the environment.
These
days office furniture has become very inexpensive, which
has lead to a “use once and throw away” culture
in many modern offices. The appeal of a brand spanking
new office is easy to see, and so the environmental side
effects tend to get pushed aside, hidden beneath the glossy
catalogues and visions of that perfect new office. However,
there is much that can be done to improve both the looks
and the layout of your office space without having to
hack down trees (replace all the furniture). As we are
a space planning company (not a furniture sales company)
we often work with existing furniture, drawing it up on
to CAD plans and then re-using it, but in a more effective
manner. This simple re-cycling of existing desks and storage
keeps your costs down (not just new furniture costs and
delivery & installation charges, but also the costs
of disposing of old furniture) and it is obviously beneficial
to the environment.
Old
workstations can be brought bang up to date simply by
replacing the existing worktops (most of which tend to
be one of three standard sizes anyway) and by introducing
additional screens, or even re-upholstering existing ones,
the workstation is instantly lifted. The same can be achieved
with chairs and soft seating, and there is a growing list
of products that are almost completely recyclable when
no longer needed. As we have carried out many projects
for small companies and companies with limited budgets
(such as local government), we often produce minimal expenditure
plans that aim to accommodate the staff needs, but involve
less unnecessary change. However if there is a budget
for new furniture we can recommend several companies so
that you can get the best prices, or even companies that
deal with second hand furniture (more recycling!).
There
was much talk of the “paper-less office” a
few years back as companies started to use email rather
than traditional letters, yet in reality this still seems
some way off. We often recommend much more efficient storage
systems, such as the rolling stack, which can effectively
fit in double the amount of storage in to your office
space, and this can have a knock on effect freeing up
space elsewhere. We’ve carried out several projects
that have enabled the users to reduce the amount of office
space that they use to such an extent that they have been
able to sub-let a floor, or a part of their office out
to another company. Though not immediately obvious, this
has a knock on effect as the same amount of staff are
using less space and so less heating and lighting, and
in air conditioned buildings (particularly over the last
few months) this can be a huge saving in energy and money!
So
if your office is in need of an overhaul, or you have
new starters joining, but nowhere to accommodate them,
don’t just reach for the furniture catalogue and
replace all the desks, try some large scale recycling,
or contact us to find out how we can make your office
space more efficient.
Jonathan
Hall
Contact Us on 0845
166 8381 |
