The debate over what kind of environment is most conducive to productivity in the workplace has been raging in recent months — The Washington Post’s Lindsey Kaufman >caused quite a stir when she declared that Google’s adoption of the open-plan office might actually be detrimental to employees, while Kay Sargent argued otherwise, extolling the abolition of cubicles in the right circumstances.
However, the Clive Wilkinson-designed office interior for GLG’s new headquarters in New York shows that it doesn’t necessarily have to be an either/or argument:
In this short film by Chicago-based creative agency Spirit of Space, Wilkinson sings the virtues of their mix-and-match approach to office design. The firm’s President and Design Director explains the concept of “activity-based working,” breaking down literal and figurative barriers to foster an environment that promotes incidental encounters and gatherings.
© Paul Warchol Photography
Wilkinson enthuses about the capability of activity-based working to allow workers of different mentalities more freedom to decide which space works best for them: “It’s about empowering workers; it’s about giving a range of choice and opportunity to people, and essentially changing the dynamics of human relationships in your workplace.”
© Paul Warchol Photography
© Paul Warchol Photography
In terms of architecture, this meant moving beyond the traditional open-plan layout, creating a plethora of alcoves, booths, coffee-shop-style sofas, and bar stools. The result is reminiscent of Pixar’s celebrated atrium-cum-studio headquarters, which Steve Jobs devised especially to encourage “unplanned collaborations” and “organic creativity.”
Incidentally, the new Google headquarters designed by BIG and Heatherwick Studio looks likely to adopt this approach Perhaps the tech giants have been listening in all along…
Yours productively,
Images courtesy Clive Wilkinson Architects