The A to Z of Office Design

A = Autocad

An industry standard for 2D and 3D computer-aided design (CAD). AutoCAD is used across a wide range of industries, by architects, project managers, engineers, graphic designers, and many other professionals. At Novex Solutions we use AutoCAD to produce detailed building regulation drawings for our customer’s office interiors.

B = Biophilic Design 

It’s an approach to interior decorating that focuses on our instinctive human attraction to nature and the outdoors. Biophilic design, therefore, draws on natural colour palettes and textures, as well as natural imagery and live plants. A trend that can improve productivity, creativity and staff wellbeing when combined with office design.

C = Clerkenwell Design Week

Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington, and typically the home to many office furniture manufacturer businesses and an inspirational area for anyone considering an office refurbishment. Each year for Clerkenwell Design Week various showrooms open their doors and emerging brands exhibit new and exciting products for all to see. Definitely worth a visit.

D = Delivery as Promised 

As a complete interiors service provider, Novex Solutions takes on the responsibility of delivering all aspects of the office refurbishment process and planning for your business. Enabling a rapid turnaround with direct lines of communication and responsibility so that we can Deliver as Promised with no hidden charges or extras from the originally signed quotation.

E = Ergonomics 

When we think of Ergonomics within the working environment, we immediately think all singing and dancing ergonomic chairs. Although the furniture is an essential element to office ergonomics for our day to day activities. Current workplace trends focus on ergonomics within the whole environment, and rather than just providing equipment to help the end user sit for 12hours a day, we look to create working environments that encourage movement around the space.

F = Furniture 

Office furniture is much more than just supplying desks and chairs, A common fail in office refurbishments is to leave the furniture decisions late in the process. Where in fact, knowing the style of furniture earlier on can have a huge impact on your office design. Are you likely to have sit/stand tables? Or will you want to create collaborative booth areas?, drop in benches? flexible meeting tables? A tree house? What size workstations do you need? Do you all need your own desk? What kind of things will you need to store?

G = Green credentials 

Sustainable (Green) office design, refurbishment and fit-out make total sense for your business. At Novex we take our commitment to protecting the environment seriously and fully understand how to deliver cost-effective, sustainable office design and fit-out.

H = Health

Office design trends such as Activity Based Working, Biophilic Design etc look to create not only physical environments but build a workplace culture where employees feel valued and safe. – https://www.novexsolutions.co.uk/inspiration/workplace-wellbeing-mental-health/

I = Innovation 

This is a great illustration of how technology has had an impact on our working environments. As technology and innovation have evolved, the need to have a static work environment has become less and less as we become more and more mobile.

 

J =  Joyful

A Joyful (Happy) work environment can have a lot of positive effects on not only the welfare of the individual employee but on the business’ bottom line. If people are happy with where they work and the environment they walk into each day, they have been proven to be more productive and make fewer mistakes.

K = Knowledge 

Today the majority of the Novex team is made up of employees, who have worked within the business for a minimum of 10 years and continue to do business with suppliers as far back as when we started out, giving us a wealth of experience and knowledge in office interiors and an employee retention that we are very proud of.

L = Lighting 

Natural Light is key to employee wellness and productivity, and this is just one benefit of LED lighting as it gives off a much softer light in office’s and is energy efficient, cost-effective and more durable than existing methods.

M = Modular Office Design

Similarly with technology evolving constantly, so is the way we work. In order to future proof our businesses we need to be flexible and able to adapt our business environments to accommodate change.

For example:

  • Bench Desking with inset legs means that a 6 person bench can quickly become an 8 person desk.
  • Flexible partitions can be used for dividing and opening space at a drop of a hat – making more and more office space multi-purpose depending on the activity taking place.

N = Novex Solutions.

Specialists in Office Design for when you relocate, refurbish or resize.

;D Well, it had to be done.

O = Open Plan 

Is the generic term used in interior design for any floor plan which makes use of large, open spaces and minimises the use of small, enclosed rooms such as private offices. However, the open plan office has become not, something of the past.. but, has evolved into Activity Based working environments.  As human beings we all learn and work differently, so instead of everyone working at the same style of a desk in a big open space, office space planners consider each individual and their working activity, resulting in a mixture of working styles and environments.

P = Prepare. ‘Failing to prepare is preparing to fail’ 

Change can be stressful and unsettling for staff; help them to feel relaxed and excited about your workplace changes by communicating your plans so easing the feeling of uncertainty.  The more the team is on board – the better the ideas and the better the outcome. After all, more heads are better than one!

Q = Quiet

Shhh, with most open plan environments, noise can become a nuisance for some individuals. So there are many products on the market to help with acoustics. From Acoustic desk screens, suspended ceiling buffers to acoustic furniture pods where individuals or teams can hide away to get their heads down or focus as a team with as little distraction as possible.

R = Refurbishment 

A relocation and refurbishment project can be one of the most expensive events in the life of a business. It’s certainly beneficial that you get the right look, feel and fit for your business so that the changes you make now will still work for your business into the future. 

S = Space Planning

Space planning and design are probably the most exciting part of any office move – remember to design your space based on your business style and brand. What works for one company may not work for another. 

T = Time for tea and coffee break

Breakout spaces are not just space to grab a drink and return to your desk straight away. They are great places to promote employee engagement, a refuge for employees to escape their report so they can return to it with a fresh mind. A way to spark creativity and generate ideas among employees that may not necessarily work in the same team. Some of the best ideas have generated from a chat at the watercooler.

U = Up and down – keep moving 

For some employees, their work involves a permanent place of work, so other than breakout space the majority of their day will be spent sitting at a desk. Encourage movement with a Sit/Stand Workstation, a furniture item that is now much more affordable than recent years and the benefits are worth it.

V = Virtual reality for office design

The future of design? in the last few years we’ve seen the odd VR stand at design expo’s, but this year at Clerkenwell Design Week 2017, there were VR headsets in most showrooms. We ourselves have started taking 360 photographs for site surveys, enabling ourselves to look back at photos when away from the site to double check elements. You can even view our 360 photos via a VR headset should you wish!

[vr url=https://www.novexsolutions.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/The-book-people-360-for-web.jpg view=360]

W = Workstations and Wires – Cable Management.

When visiting furniture showrooms its very unlikely to see yards of wires from monitors and PC’s, so it can sometimes be very easy to forget that these items will be present in your office. Understanding your technology requirements early on will ensure a workstation solution fit for purpose and tidy cable management.

X = X-Factor.

One of the hottest trends in the Technology, Media and Telecoms (TMT) sector, is to create working environments that will appeal to the younger generation, so it’s out with the usual office décor in favour for something with a little X-factor! https://www.novexsolutions.co.uk/inspiration/workplace-future-proofing-through-interior-design/

Y = Your business 

It’s all about you,

So that you can remain focused on your business and your customers, it is important to find a facilities contractor/design & build service you can trust and feel confident they’ve got your project under control, so you can sit back & relax. https://www.novexsolutions.co.uk/news/announcements/fis-member/

Z = zzz

Sleep tight knowing your next office refurbishment will be Stress-Free with a good team on board.

 

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