Architects and designers all over the UK are currently looking at the design of the workplace; how can this essential environment be adapted to cope in a post-COVID world?
It is likely that ‘hot-desking, shared communal workspaces and compact offices will stop being the norm, at least in the short term.
Instead, designers will be looking at creating wider and larger working spaces. Greater emphasis will be placed on the communal areas and walkways within an office development. All workstations will be consciously placed to ensure a 2m distance can always be kept between those working and those walking.
And at the same time, designers will be looking at all the ways they can do this without reverting office design back to the 1950’s cubicle model.
The use of internal glazing and architectural glass technologies can play a key role in the future of office design.
Internal Glass Partitions
Glass by its very nature is clear, light, and transparent. It is the perfect material to segregate working spaces without making it feel like you are working in a small box. The use of internal glass partitions will also help with communication, people management and productivity.
The proper use of internal glass partitions in office design will offer the modern feeling of an open plan office but in a safe and hygienic way. Managers will be able to see their team across the office, team members will be able to see each other’s faces when they talk and it may even negate the need to move from the workspace for face to face meetings.
For immediate office refurbishments, glass partitions have another advantage in that they are relatively easy to retrofit. Little costly building works are required, and the installation of glazing is particularly ‘clean’ with little dust and debris created.
Frameless glass partitions are often the most popular amongst architects and designers, looking to create the impression that the barriers are not really there. These modern glass partitions also ensure that the maximum amount of light can reach all working spaces (it is a proven fact that natural light helps increase productivity in workspaces).
However, in recent years steel framed internal partitions have been gaining popularity. The industrial design of the steel frame is a popular aspect of some modern interior design schemes. This internal glazing design also works well aesthetically if you are looking to create a broken plan working environment.
Temporary or short-term glass partitions have been added to many workplaces already throughout the UK. But by considering these partitions at a design stage you can ensure they become part of the interior design, rather than a bolt-on extra at the end.
The Use of Glass Technologies for Privacy
It is also likely that office and workplace design will take cues from hospital designs. For years the design of hospital and healthcare facilities has focused on hygiene and designing spaces that make it hard for bacteria and viruses to spread through.
This includes limiting the number of soft surfaces and materials which are extremely difficult to clean and disinfect. Instead, hospitals focus on using surfaces – such as glass – that can be easily cleaned.
Privacy Glass and other switchable glass technologies are often used in these healthcare spaces to negate the need for internal blinds. Instead, when privacy is needed through the glass partition, the glass is simply switched from a transparent appearance to a translucent one, creating a private meeting room.
You can also apply a specialist finish to internal glass partitions which stop those on the other side from being able to see through the glazing. This could be useful for glass-walled meeting rooms or workstations that deal with sensitive materials.
Proper Ventilation and Fresh Air
Good ventilation has been shown to be a major aspect of preventing the spread of COVID-19. An easy way to achieve this is by the incorporation of opening windows or doors within your office design.
Office spaces with small external balconies or terraces can ensure the doors to these areas are able to be opened wide. Sliding doors are the perfect solution for wide openings and allow a large amount of ventilation when open. Another advantage is that modern sliding systems are step-free, ensuring workplaces are still accessible.
Frameless glass balustrades can be incorporated into opening doors for upper floor offices with no external terrace space. The advantage is that light in and views out are not impeded and the building design is cohesive from the ground floor upwards.
Contactless Doors By IQ Projects at Education First
Contactless Technology
It is likely that there will be an increase in the use of contactless technology. This will include the use of proximity sensors for glass doors and door access operated via smartphones.
Glazing technologies can also be operated via smartphone apps so that workers minimise contact with communal switches.
The Rise of the Staircase
Communal lifts in multi-storey office blocks are obviously convenient but pose a great risk in the age of social distancing.
Architects and designers are now looking at incorporating more staircases into their current office design projects.
Frameless glass balustrades, structural glass bridges and glass staircases are all effective and feasible methods to maximise light and clarity in stairwells and staircase designs.
Structural glass balustrades can easily be fixed at the base using a variety of fixing methods including bolt fixings, hidden channels, or decorative steel connections. Handrails are an optional design feature and are not necessary if high strength laminates are used with toughened glass.
Internal glass bridges can help bridge the gap between new staircases and office walkways. The glass construction will ensure natural light is not impeded. Various privacy or anti-slip patterns can be applied to guarantee they are practical additions to office design.
What Else Might Change?
Some commentators are urging caution and do not think that the current global emergency will have a huge lasting effect on the way we live. “Epidemics and pandemics have their own temporality,” says Christos Lynteris, a medical anthropologist at the University of St Andrews and co-author of Plague and the City. “They are very condensed times, then panic dissipates very quickly and people rarely follow up.” Evidence of this can be seen in the aftermath of the 2003 SARS outbreak. Very little about building design changed even when it was discovered that issues with plumbing had been the route cause of a mass outbreak in a Hong Kong apartment building.
Either way, the pandemic raises further questions about the density of workspaces, high rise buildings and ‘centralisation’. The pause in life and businesses means that developers and businesses looking to expand their offices have had the time to stop and think.
We may see more developments spreading out and away from city centres, setting up more regional offices which require less commuting for workers and afford more ground area for bigger working spaces.
What Next?
If you are looking at an office refurbishment or workplace design, contact the team at IQ about your glazing design. We are ready to assist with specification, costs and design detailing from an early stage. Visit our contact us page to see all the ways you can get in touch.
Shannon Normoyle
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