Where do you begin your office project? Perhaps you’re in the middle of an organisational change. A restructuring. Or maybe you simply feel the need for something new – bigger, smaller or just better. Whatever the situation, direction matters more than square metres.
An office is not just a physical framework for work. It influences how you attract employees, collaborate, develop and create results. That’s why it makes sense to start with the right questions. Not about furniture and delivery times. But about strategy, wellbeing, needs and resources.
Here are five key considerations to help you get your project off to the right start.
1) Clarify what the office needs to support – now and in the future
What is the purpose of your project? Are you relocating, expanding, consolidating locations or bringing teams together? And what should the interior design contribute to in terms of your business goals, workflows and employee wellbeing – both now and long term?
We can help elevate the dialogue to a strategic level. By drawing on global trends and data, we support your long-term considerations and help ensure flexibility throughout the project.
2) Decide how you want to work
Your interior design should support the way you want to work together. Your policies on hybrid and remote work, the number of online meetings and your collaboration formats all play an important role in how your office should be designed.
Consider how much you want to share workstations across employees, teams and locations – and what that means for the need for smaller, larger or more flexible office environments.
3) Make decisions based on data and insight
Many organisations overestimate the need for individual workstations and underestimate the need for spaces dedicated to online meetings, collaboration and focused work. In fact, data suggests that in many companies, up to one third of all desks remain unused during a typical workday (XY Sense, 2024).
Occupancy data, employee surveys and realistic capacity tests of your current or future building provide a much stronger foundation for decision-making and help you design for the future.
4) Start with what you already have
Do you know how many office chairs you already have? Let your existing furniture and inventory form the starting point for your new interior.
By conducting an early inventory and registration process, you gain a clear overview of what you actually have, the remaining lifespan of your assets and what can be upcycled, purchased, resold or donated. In a project for Nykredit, 1,250 desks were upcycled and reused in the new headquarters.
5) Put the right team in place from the beginning
Workplace projects are often complex. There are many stakeholders, budgets to manage and decisions that need to be made and finalised continuously to ensure that construction and furniture are delivered on time.
Do you know who needs to be involved, when and in which decisions? And is your project manager equipped to coordinate construction, interior architects and input from management and employees?
We can help you assemble the right team, find the right external architect, manage your furniture budget and lead the project from the earliest idea to your first working day in your new office.
Let’s talk about your office
Are you considering a new office, or already in the middle of the process?
Reach out for an informal chat about how we can help.
