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Zoning

Strive for a balance between collaborative spaces and quiet areas for focused work. This balance helps cater to different work styles and tasks within an open plan environment.

The ratio of primary individual workstations to collaboration spaces was typically about 70/30 [ [individual / collaborative]. Today, progressive hybrid organisations now trend toward 50/50.

1. Collaboration and Focus.

2. User Insight

Prioritise small private spaces over larger meeting rooms.  When meetings rooms are in use, only 40% of seats tend to be occupied.

 

Most organisations build meeting rooms for 12 people, but meetings tend to be held in-person by two or three people.

Provide appropriate levels of acoustic privacy and separation.

Getting the balance right.

Prioritise proximity.

  • This is particularly important in multifunctional areas or shared spaces.

     

    Designate zones for collaboration, leisure, and quiet work, separating them with acoustic treatments to absorb, block, cover or defuse noise transfer. ​

  • Quiet and collaborative areas should be available in proportion to the frequency of the activities people engage in when working from the office.

     

    Failing to provide enough of the right spaces can result in frustration, with settings in high-demand difficult to access, while other areas ill-suited or rarely used.

  • Making collaborative and focus spaces visible and quickly accessible from the work area encourages spontaneous use.

     

    This helps to reduce the number of noisy activities occurring along-side focused tasks, which will lower overall noise levels for a more conducive work environment.

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