While clothes reflect a man?s personality, interiors reflect an office?s personality. True to this adage, organisations are today becoming particularly careful in the way they attire their offices. Which is why in tune with the changing times, office spaces are changing too.
Dull interiors have become pass?. As hierarchy becomes less defined, ?open offices? are the trend now. Add to it vibrant colours, excellent use of wood, soothing interiors, exquisite landscaping, entertainment areas and smokers? zones ? you name it, they have it. Even government offices are not really far behind. Chic interiors with exciting lighting arrangement are becoming truly omnipresent.
The change can be seen from the entrance itself. They look like the lobby of a five-star hotel rather than an office. Coffee/tea vending machines are placed near the receptionist?s desk. Making visitors comfortable and feel good about the company is the mantra.
?The work environment is most important, since working hours are no longer from 9 to 5. An executive spends more time in office than he spends at home. Therefore, the office needs to be so designed that it looks and makes you feel happy,? says Chennai-based architect Pramod Balakrishnan, who has designed a number of premium office spaces in the country.
For instance, the design of the Polaris facility in Hyderabad takes into consideration the various contours of the site and has been built without destroying its natural topography. At the same time, the facility is spread horizontally with ground plus three floors, which is different from the ubiquitous glass towers housing offices. Says Kedarnath Udiyavar, executive vice-president & head ? Investment Banking Solutions, Polaris Software Lab Ltd, ?We believe that ?happy associates make happy customers?. This is why the physical workplace offering the best working environment drives positive energy into each of persons we deal with and serves as an important tool in integrating with our HR vision and thereby supporting our business objectives.?
Companies are even willing to spend several lakhs of rupees to lend a character to their office. A few companies provide FM radio and play the music at the entrance and at the workstation. Cubicles that prevented employees from seeing each other are slowly vanishing. Offices are becoming more open. Even the chambers of directors and team leaders are disappearing.
What you have in their places are architecturally elegant meeting places, where you invite clients, discuss and exchange notes. Once you go beyond the entrance, you see people working in interesting interiors. With companies choosing to bring down the mental walls between different departments, a conscious effort is made to ensure better interaction between the staff. Knocking off the physical walls is one of the ways in which companies achieve this. Partitions are made of glass so that one can see what everybody else is doing.
?A feeling of space is created with the huge plate-glass windows providing a view of the city?s skyline. Even the exterior wall is no longer a barrier for many offices. Instead of cubicles, only an empty space separates the work area of one employee from the other. Even the boss is very much a part of the whole new environment. He no longer has a chamber. He is very much ?part of the troupe,? constantly interacting with his subordinates and his bosses too,? says Brigadier Abhay Bhargava, senior vice-president ? Infrastructure & Facilities, Xansa ( India ) Ltd.
The conference room is another area where architects have redefined the meaning of office spaces. What looks like a wall suddenly becomes a screen at the press of a button. You can have the equipment pop up as and when you like.
Some offices have provided entertainment zones, where people can chat, get ?chaats,? cool drinks, tea/coffee or play carrom, chess or similar games. Separate smoking zones are created as you are no longer allowed to smoke inside the offices, which are fully air-conditioned.
Drab white or grey walls have today given way to maroon, ochre, yellow and red. Dexterity?s office in Chennai and Dentsu Marcom?s office in Delhi are prime examples of this trend. While the former has its exterior as well as interior walls sporting vibrant colours, the latter does not only that but also has a large and unique collection of artifacts (primarily pottery objects) strewn across the office.
Says Palanivel Kuppusamy, executive chairman, Dexterity Group, ?Colour breaks the monotony and brings vibrancy in the employee?s life. Not only does this differentiate us from the others, but it stimulates innovation and indirectly increases employee productivity.?
Water bodies too are now an integral part of an office campus. While the Xansa offices in Noida have small water bodies inside the building, its facility in Pune even has an artificial lake inside the campus. At the Dentsu campus, there is even a swimming pool in the garden. ?In summer, employees come in early and take a dip before starting work,? says Rajesh Aggarwal, ED, Dentsu Marcom.
The exteriors are changing too. The steel-and-glass high-rise office buildings that reflect nearby trees and buildings and evoke a sense of excitement are many. Even smaller office buildings today have a running theme to their interiors. If some are vibrant, others are soothing.
Says Balakrishnan, ?Efficient office design aims for a combination of functionality and aesthetics using as much natural light as possible, giving the feeling of privacy as well as space for interaction and projecting a visitor-friendly image.?