Designing a Sustainable Office Environment

Interior designers are imagining a sustainable future for the products they create. The cubicle you erect or the next ergonomic chair you sit on may have come from a collection of commercial waste metal and fashioned into a product you can use for many years, thus contributing to the ongoing efforts for sustainable office design.

Read on to see how circular design, artificial intelligence, and sourcing local materials are inspiring this movement in product design and office furnishings.

Necessity Inspires Creativity

The life cycle of products is changing so when a product no longer serves its purpose, it can be transformed into something completely different. It’s a practice known as circular design. The trend will be featured during 3 Days of Design at NeoCon 2023 in Chicago June 12 – 14.

Issues bringing circular design to the forefront include environmental concerns and the desire to reuse materials instead of discarding everything. This extends the traditional life cycle of products. There’s also a push to source materials locally and reduce the cost of manufacturing products during a time of inflation.

Today’s modular office furniture fits current design trends because of the various benefits it offers.

3 Benefits of Modular Office Furnishings

MULTI-USE

Modular office furnishings are similar to the circular design and multi-use concept. Separate pieces of furniture can be brought together in a cohesive unit or used separately.

Think of a sectional sofa that can be used as one large unit or broken into sections. The same furnishings can fit appropriately in larger corporate environments, small business operations, and nonprofits.


Photo: DARRAN Honey 120° Workspace

Look at the variety of cubicles and workstations that can be used in a Fortune 500 corporation with teams of people or configured to be functional in an office of just a few people.


Photo: Scale 1:1 G Series Workstation and Desk Lounge

Something unique like the Scale 1:1 G-Series Nester Workstation and Desk Lounge adapts well to different office settings. The two-seater sofa is integrated with workstation capabilities.


Photo: Friant Novo Workstation

The Friant Novo Open Plan Workstation is another solution that adapts to various environments. It has whiteboard panels and acoustical panels made to diffuse sound.

DURABLE

Modular cubicles and workstations are easily configured by one person or just a few. They’re convenient to set up and add onto as needed, and they’re built to last for the sustainable office.


Photo: HON Accelerate Workstation

A leading brand that 2010 Office Furniture makes available is from the manufacturer HON which states on its website, “Thoughtful material choices, precise engineering, and lean manufacturing practices result in products that withstand extended use, multiple reconfigurations, and continue to look great over time.”

ACCOMMODATING

Photo: Friant System 2 Workstation

One of the greatest advantages of modular furniture is that pieces can fit the available space. The Friant System 2 workstation can have a variety of configurations. Several people from one department or who are working on a project can work and collaborate, or, if needed, one office manager can comfortably make use of it.

The products are made to support the sustainable office as much as possible. Friant Novo, under the heading Embracing a Green Sensibility, says it has “found a way to use 40% more fabric from each roll, resulting in less landfill waste.”

Cubicles have improved over the years, but other more dramatic changes are coming to offices.

Artificial Intelligence

As stated in Business New Daily, artificial technology is “expected to take digital technology out of the two-dimensional screen and bring it into the three-dimensional physical environment surrounding an individual.”

AI solutions are adding a futuristic twist to dictation and that’s another development coming to NeoCon 2023 as described in Dezeen magazine:

“While using AI in the creation of products or buildings is nothing new, last year saw an explosion in software such as the popular Midjourney, which converts text or audio information into computer-generated images.”

Imagine a meeting between a marketing team and graphic designers where someone describes a logo or image for marketing material and the group sees the result on screen.

How about sensors on ergonomic chairs to help employees keep their posture and avoid stress on the joints and lower back?

Sound far-fetched?

A new AI product, Tempo Move, delivers trainer-guided home workouts using smartphones or TVs and lets users check their form. Sensor technology is easy to implement for a variety of uses.


Photo: OFS Obeya Architectural Wall

Developments like this, along with the ongoing use of video conferencing, mean audio and visual spaces will take on greater importance. Consider the use of architectural walls to easily create these types of interactive centers.

No matter how technology changes, the goal of improving office settings and furnishings remains the same: caring for employees and helping them do their best.

Expertise for the Sustainable Office

Stay on top of office design trends to plan your spaces and use the furnishings that meet your needs the best. The team at 2010 Office Furniture has over 50 years of combined experience assisting clients who are among Southern California’s most recognizable brands.

Contact them with your project needs and questions.

Read Also: Illuminate Your Office Space Intelligently
Main Photo: OFS Modelo Chair
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: DARRAN, Friant, HON, OFS & Scale 1:1

Design an Office Space and Boost Morale Using Natural Materials

Natural Office Design Trends Arcadia Wordsmith Cart

Want to go natural in the office? Smart move. Let’s look at the natural office design trend and how it helps benefit your office!

Bringing nature into the office boosts overall morale and helps workers be more productive. But how do you connect the office space with the great outdoors?

In Southern California’s urban sprawl, we see evidence of natural beauty all around us—from the mountains forming a backdrop behind downtown LA, to the coast, and to the national forests. Don’t forget the sun. A few years ago, the Harvard Business Review referred to natural light as the #1 Office Perk.

It’s one of the elements that should be part of every company’s wellness program.

Light

Sunshine is worth harvesting indoors, especially since downtown LA gets about 290 total days of either full sun or partly cloudy skies, according to most estimates. Benefits of sunshine are proven to reduce employees’ stress and improve their natural sleeping cycle.

If it’s possible, enlarge windows to maximize the amount of sunshine that can filter indoors. Try to have desks and workstations within 25 feet of windows and use center spaces for storage equipment or break areas. Install skylights or sky tubes.

What happens if your office is in a windowless setting?

Advice in CareerTrend says to upgrade your fluorescent lights to a color “’temperature’ that mimics daylight and use focused task lighting to reduce eye strain.”

Regardless of the setting, consider using translucent partitions for cubicles and space dividers instead of solid walls.


Photo: Loftwall Hitch Space Divider

Fabrics and Materials

The most basic of all building materials remain popular. Wood has environmental benefits. “If sustainably sourced,” says a UK design company, Insightful Environments, “wood is one of the most environmentally friendly materials available as it is infinitely renewable and acts as a carbon store, giving it an important role in reducing carbon emissions.”

Pine, oak, and beech are three types of wood that can be effectively used in the office. So can bamboo, a grass, which is a beneficial plant for a variety of uses. It can be used as furniture and grown in pots as space dividers.

Bamboo also absorbs carbon from the environment and releases high oxygen levels into the atmosphere.

You can use wood in strategic ways. Light-grain wood floors can help lighten the office environment, even if little natural light is available.

Use natural fabrics for upholstery like cotton, leather, and wool or wool blends. Hemp is another natural fabric choice that’s described in Better Homes and Gardens as feeling similar to canvas and its resistant to mold and mildew.

Lounge seating has options with natural-looking fabrics like the OFS Realm Lounge Seating. There are fun ways to customize it like adding wood to the curved armrests.


Photo: OFS Realm Lounge Seating

Walls

Imagine natural elements on your walls with rocks, wood, and plenty of greenery. Check the Nevins Bio Canvas Frame that not only brings natural elements into the office, but it helps control acoustics, too.


Photo: Nevins Bio Canvas

Get Naturally Inspired

See these elements coming together in 2010 Office Inspiration’s The Green Office page. Notice how greenery and light are fused to create a welcoming environment.

You don’t have to shut the door on nature when stepping into a corporate office.

Use furniture with natural fabrics and natural wood.

It doesn’t have to take a huge budget to green up the surroundings. Real wood shelves filled with pleasing office plants are an easy way to start.


Photo: OFS Obeya Architectural Structure

Re-imagine cubicles or meeting spaces with office design solutions like the OFS Obeya Architectural Structures. It’s made with plywood cores and real wood grain details, and a great way to incorporate natural office design trends to your office.


Photo: Arcadia Delen Table

Need meeting tables or a breakroom surface? Check the Arcadia Delen Table that’s available in different shapes with solid Ash and Walnut wood finishes.


Photo: Arcadia Livia Bench

The Arcadia Livia Bench has a classic look and comes in both straight wood beams and scalloped wood. Optional removable seat pads can be easily added.

Remember This …

No matter how little or how much sunlight or other natural materials you have in the office, keep an orderly environment. Everyone will think better and feel calmer when their work environment is organized, clean, and orderly.

Here’s an idea from The American Society of Administrative Professionals. Choose a day each quarter when everybody cleans and organizes their personal office space and another day when you team up to clean common spaces.

Freshen Up with Natural Office Design Trends

What do you need to improve your office environment and workflow? How do you incorporate natural office design trends successfully?

Get input from the team at 2010 Office Furniture. They’ve got more than 50 years of combined experience furnishing and planning spaces for clients who are among Southern California’s most distinguished corporations, universities, and small businesses.

They’ll show you how to keep employees engaged and promote their overall well-being.

Contact them with your questions and potential project needs.

Read Also: Designing a Healthy Office
Main Photo: Arcadia WorkSmith Cart
Resources & Special Thanks to Respective Product Manufacturers: Arcadia Contract, Loftwall, Nevins and OFS