How Office Partitions Can Turn Simple Workspace into Living space at Work - By: Kathryn Dawson

There was a time when the workplace was grey and boring, and a place that we could not wait to get away from. The week was a dreary drag of filing cabinets, musky desks and grotty little offices, and the weekend was an escape into the sunlight. But with the arrival of work areas designed to promote happiness in the workplace, with ample space and comfortable couches and bright colours, all that has disappeared. Though it might not seem too obvious, key contributors to this positive working environment are office partitions.

It would be fair to describe many of the best designed offices as living spaces within which people work, rather than simply workplaces. The modern office can have its layout changed numerous times, depending on a change of situation or even a change of season. This is the strength of an office partition, which is a temporary wall that can be easily moved or done away with. These partitions can look permanent, and some quite expensive, with glass partitioning providing a stylish, sophisticated option that can impress greatly on both staff and clients.

There are two main kinds of partitions available. The first is demountable, where temporary walls are mounted into a frame that stretches from ceiling to floor to create the impression of a permanent structure, but can be easily demounted and moved. The walls can be glazed or solid, and in a range of designs, colours and finishes, which means they can complement the particular style and character of the office itself.

The second style is frameless and constructed almost completely of glass. This is the most stylish option, providing a contemporary feel that underlines the image of the particular firm or company. And the fact that the glass walls can be branded with logos, images, colours and designs adds an extra impact.

Of course, both of these types of partitions are moveable, with minimal time required, and at the minimum amount of upset, to take it down, move it and erect it again anywhere.

Obviously, a partition has a functional purpose, and the need for an office to be divided into segmented areas for the sake of organisation cannot be ignored. So, one open floor space can be divided with partitions to create separate spaces for specific functions. Staff can be given a dedicated area for their desks, meetings can be conducted in privacy behind a quickly assembled set of walls that creates a completely new room, while the snack machine, coffee machine, microwave and fridge, can all be located behind another set of partitions.

Even the more ambitious staff can also be satisfied, at least temporarily, by providing them with their own office, giving a sense of advancement as well as the personal space that encourages them to work more diligently.

However, the principles that affect the design of a modern office are different to the traditional image of the workplace. Since it is recognised that an office worker will spend as many as 40 hours per week surrounded by the same four walls and sitting at the same desk, an office needs to provide more than just places to sit. That is why offices today are designed and styled in such a way as to promote a sense of belonging as much as a sense of industry, with plants, large amounts of natural light, sufficient space and, in some cases, water features, included.

So, just as at home when the furniture is moved to freshen a room, it is now considered ideal if the office layout can be changed, refashioning the workplace to refresh the working environment. This preference has led to the growing popularity of demountable and re locatable walls.

In the reception area, the seating can be moved to take better advantage of sunlight, and the glass screen behind the couches can been moved too. A corridor into the office itself can be extended by placing curved, coloured glass partitioning, while a rarely used meeting room can be easily removed to accommodate an increase in personnel.

When in it comes to creating the modern working space, there is not doubt that temporary office partitions play a key role in making the layout idea possible. Functional and imaginative, an office partition can provide much more on the way of possibility and style than a solid brick wall ever could.

About the Author

Kathryn Dawson writes articles about Applied Workplace, where you can find office partition solutions for all types of office configurations and layouts. Applied Workplace is one of the leading suppliers of office partitions and glass partitioning systems in the UK.

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