The office of the future : ergonomics, space utilization and sustainable interior design

Office is geared towards the demands of the digital society, ecological sustainability and combines employee comfort with ideal conditions for undisturbed working. Whether open-plan offices or spatially separated workstations, the future of office furnishings relies above all on the sensible use of space and ergonomic furnishings that promote the health of employees.

In the office of the future, sensible use of space and ergonomic furnishings are key.When it comes to ergonomics, many companies only think of height-adjustable office chairs with elastic backrests and desks at a comfortable arm height. These factors are of course part of the problem, but the issue starts with the choice of premises, lighting and air conditioning. Inadequate ventilation and street noise alone can have a significant impact on workflow. Whereas in the past little importance was attached to the well-being of employees and work in as little space as possible (e.g. in office cubicles) under uniform neon lighting was considered ideal, today the focus is on the worker.The ergonomically ideal room has daylight windows that can be screened off with shutters, an optimum humidity of 40 to 60 percent supported by plants and offers employees a minimum space in which they can rotate and roll backwards in their office chair without bumping into furniture or rear walls. There must be legroom at the desk, and ideally the desk should be height-adjustable, see examples. The room must be regularly ventilated with 5-minute bursts of air and should, if possible, do without air conditioning. If air conditioning is unavoidable, employees should be able to regulate it themselves. According to a study by Cornell University Ithaca, noise is one of the factors that can have the greatest impact on productivity. Even low levels of noise lead to stress, irritability and distraction from the actual work. The use of partitions can be useful if several employees share the office space, but permanently installed partitions should be avoided so as not to jeopardize communication. The workplace should be brightly painted and avoid too many colorful contrasts in the furnishings.

The modern workplace

As digitalization progresses, the electronic requirements of the workplace should also be taken into account when furnishing the modern office. The desk must offer enough space for sufficiently large monitors or second screens and should be equipped with new devices that work flicker-free and with a clean image. It is no longer just the graphics department that relies on an additional screen to work quickly and without obstacles. There should be at least 50, more likely 70, centimeters between the person working and a 24-inch monitor. The tabletop of the desk must be at least twenty centimetres above the seat of the ergonomic office chair. Use of digital databases and digitalized correspondence to avoid excessive use of paper, employees often do not need a filing cabinet, or only a space-saving one. It makes sense to purchase one cabinet per room, with the option of buying additional cabinets if more storage space is required. The lighting in the office should be indirect. Neon tubes and spotlights have had their day in the office. Wall spotlights with warm light from LED sources do not create reflections on screens and unwanted shadows on the keyboard.

Rethinking sustainability

The issue of sustainability in the workplace only plays an indirect role in ergonomic equipment, but has a major influence on furniture and furnishings. Modern offices largely dispense with the unnecessary consumption of resourcesto create an ecologically and socially sensible energy balance. In addition to moving away from printing out every email and every memo, this also means that sustainable products are purchased from the outset to furnish the premises. FSC sealshould be taken into account. Office waste should be separated and recycled. As a rule, electronic devices should be purchased with an A+ energy rating or higher. If possible, some parts of the office can be equipped with automatic switches that, for example, dim the lighting when there is a lot of daylight or switch off the air conditioning when the room temperature reaches a level that is ideally one degree below the comfortable temperature. Employees should be trained in the use of energy-intensive devices and be able to use standby modes or shut down computers during breaks. This is only possible if each employee is solely responsible for their workplace and can control lighting, ventilation and energy consumption themselves.

Better working conditions, higher productivity

Even a more comfortable office chair can represent a significant improvement in working conditions for an employee who spends eight hours a day at their desk. However, when redesigning and restructuring office workstations, greater focus should be placed on ergonomics as a whole. Motivated employees who feel comfortable at their workplace work more reliably, faster and better. They have a more positive attitude towards customers and colleagues and make full use of the opportunities offered by the modern office. It goes without saying that the sustainability factor should not be neglected for companies that want to make a contribution to ecological action.Source: http://www.eventconsulting.ch/Green/files/56-Green-Ideas.pdf