Office Open Space: let's break down the walls in the office!
Open Space is a concept that has been around for a few years and is still very much in vogue. We hear about it in relation to the furnishing of flats, as well as in relation to the organisation of working and collaborative spaces.
In particular, Open Space in professional environments is very much in vogue due to its practicality for collaborative work, but its application is equally controversial. Let us take a look together in this article at the characteristics of the Open Space Office and analyse its potential and limitations compared to a traditional office.
The Open Space > What is it?
OpenSpace is an English term that literally means " open space". Open Space describes a single environment in which there are no structural dividing elements, such as walls, but which houses different living functions within it.
For example, in an Open Space environment a kitchen can coexist in the same space with a living room.
Why is it so successful?
Open Space is a design and furnishing trend that has been very successful, especially in recent years, and is increasingly in vogue. The advantages of this type of room organisation are mainly linked to the different concept of living space.
In fact, with Open Space furnishing, the rooms appear much larger than with an organisation of space by means of partition walls. From the lighting point of view, natural light can more easily reach every corner of the room, while, as far as energy consumption is concerned, the savings are not indifferent.
Applying Open Space to the professional sphere: the Open Space Office
Open Space is a space organisation model that is not only applied to domestic environments. In fact, Open Space is very much in vogue in working environments. The Open Space office is, therefore, an increasingly frequent reality.
The introduction of open offices is one of the changes introduced in the context of the revolution in the world of work that has been taking place for more than thirty years. Indeed, the recent past has seen the emergence of new professions, especially those involving creativity and collaboration.
The IT and information sectors are particularly affected, with professions related to communication, graphic design, copywriting, social marketing, community management, etc.
These emerging professions have from the outset emphasised the need to work in ' Team Working', which has immediately emerged as the key to their strategic effectiveness. As a result, the workplace has become more attuned to the need for environments where the exchange of ideas is facilitated.
Where did the idea of the Open Space office come from?
This new way of conceiving and experiencing work has its roots in the 1990s in Silicon Valley. A driving force behind new business models, it also influenced the collective imagination as regards the organisation of work spaces.
In fact, with the spread of images of the headquarters of the giants Facebook and Google, the trend of working in open offices became established. From Silicon Valley, therefore, comes the idea that open space can be effectively applied to working environments.
In this context, the logic of savings and economic sustainability was combined with the need for innovation. Indeed, Facebook and Google presented a working model without hierarchies, i.e. absolutely horizontal and flexible, which they translated in spatial terms into open-plan offices.
In such a type of working space, the idea was to foster and stimulate collaboration, but also to provide an idea of fluid and transparent work.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of Open Space?
Open Space has always been considered a synonym for modernity, dynamism, an alternative and progressive approach to work .
However, if its application is linked to many undeniable advantages, its use also entails several disadvantages.
Let us look at them together.
Advantages
The application of Open Space in offices entails innumerable benefits, especially from the point of view of energy savings. These would be:
- Considerable economic savings in terms of expenditure on space and materials;
- The spaces used are organised in a more flexible, well-kept and inspired way, which can be a determining factor in positively influencing productivity;
- Real-time communication: encouragement of team working and collaboration between colleagues. This leads to a decrease in the possibility of misunderstandings or misinterpretations, as well as delays and slowdowns.
Disadvantages
If Open Space has many advantages, it also has quite a few flaws or shortcomings. According to various studies conducted on the effectiveness of the application of open space in offices, the disadvantages for employees are various and burdensome.
Numerous employee surveys have shown that in an Open Space office:
- It is easier to be distracted;
- Privacy is not sufficiently protected;
- One is subject to sensory overload (noise pollution and visual distractions), which would generate more stress than necessary;
- The degree of unhappiness and dissatisfaction in working environments is higher;
- General productivity declines;
- The risk of infections increases: viruses and bacteria circulate more easily in a shared space;
Studies show that, in an office without walls, people would paradoxically communicate less and would, on the contrary, tend to exchange communication more via e-mail.
According to a 2018 study conducted by Harvard Business School, almost two-thirds more sick leave occurs in open space offices than in classic offices.
According to the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the biggest problem associated with an Open Space office would be the increased stress caused by autistic pollution. This would have a strong negative impact on both the quality of work and the well-being of employees.
How to run an Open Space office?
So, running an Open Space office is not necessarily child's play. For this reason, open offices must be well thought out and calibrated in order not to be detrimental to business productivity.
→ One possible approach to Open Space that could diminish the negative effects associated with it is to provide private 'decompression' spaces, i.e. separate smaller rooms.
These places, which could be realised in the form of booths or soundproofed areas, would allow for regaining lost privacy or concentration when necessary. This solution, while not solving all the problems associated with Open Space, may reduce some of them.
→ Alternatively, or in addition, a slight separation between spaces can be created, albeit without introducing partition walls. There are, in fact, practical and unobtrusive solutions that can contribute to the minimum protection of workers' privacy.
→ Instead, sound-absorbing panels can be used to limit the negative influence of noise.
Of course, the challenge for designers today is to combine the intention of maintaining a shared work space with the need to address certain personal needs of employees.
The need today is to rethink the workplace within the company, keeping it dynamic but sufficiently protected. Professionals in the field must aim to strike a good balance between the available space, the uses to which it is put and the needs of the employees. We will see what the future holds!
And you, have you ever had direct experience with an Open Space office? If yes, what were your impressions and what is your position on this? Share your opinion with us in the comments!
Article translated from Italian