Office planning: modern room concepts for the workplace

What's in when it comes to planning? The answer to this question often depends on the industry. The cut of the building also plays an important role in the design of the office space. For many employers, it is simply not possible to realize their dream of an open-plan office because they do not have a space that can accommodate so many employees at the same time. 

It also depends on the type of work. While companies in the media industry and start-ups in particular rely on open space offices and flat hierarchies, there are also numerous professions in which privacy is essential. We would like to introduce you to a few of the most popular office concepts here. 

Each of us is familiar with the long aisle, where one office follows the next to the left and right. This Büro concept is probably most widespread in &crafts, but other industries also use the so-called cellular Büros. Despite the unflattering name, this type of room layout is currently still the most common form in Germany. 

There are also various variations here. First of all, the office concept of cellular offices describes many small, individual offices, which are usually all accessible via a long corridor. Depending on their size, cellular toilets can be occupied by different numbers of people. The best-known are probably dormitories for two people, but there are also dormitories for up to six people. 

In principle, however, the cell office is more impressive because it is small and the employees in it have a lot of privacy. Its great advantage is the quietness that employees have to be able to concentrate optimally. Due to the small space and the small number of people, it is also usually possible to heat and light the room according to their individual requirements. One disadvantage is the longer communication path with other people who are not in the same cell office.

The name says it all. The open-plan office can accommodate several employees up to the entire workforce, which is why it can often get very loud here. The design of the open-plan office and the arrangement of the workstations can vary greatly. 

In most cases, efforts are made to provide some kind of visual and noise protection. This could be plants or mobile walls or even noise-absorbing screens or tiles. The increased noise level, which can make it very difficult to concentrate depending on the number of employees, is probably the biggest disadvantage of a large room. The communication channels are therefore short. In addition, this type of office concept tends to ensure flat hierarchies and friendly cooperation among the workforce. 

The combination Büro combines the best of both worlds: In this cabinet concept, there is a large room in the middle and several cellular cabinets on one or more sides. These are usually fitted with transparent glass walls, creating an open room concept. 

Despite this, the people in the cell rooms still have the opportunity to speak to each other in a quiet environment. On the one hand, the glass walls ensure openness and transparency, but they can also be distracting at times. They also allow fewer opportunities for high shelves and other storage options. 

The desk sharing model is also known under the term „non-territorial office“. This means that nobody has a fixed workplace in the office. 

This office concept is particularly useful when many employees are out of the office at different times (e.g. working from home). As an employer, you may not have the money or the spatial capacity to assign each employee their own permanent workspace. If, on average, there are only ever as many people in the office as there are workstations anyway, the concept of desk sharing is therefore worthwhile. 

Employees' private documents are usually stored in roll containers or boxes, the individual workstations are not individually designed for this purpose. The constant change often results in a very open and pleasant working environment, as employees can get to know each other better. 

Unfortunately, we cannot give you a definitive answer as to what constitutes a modern office and which office concept you should choose. Those responsible often only have a limited choice of options anyway, as they are bound by the architecture of the building and the available financial resources. 

If you have the opportunity to choose or are planning to reorganize your office space, we always advise you to have a discussion with your employees. After all, the most important thing is that they feel comfortable and that there is a pleasant working atmosphere. 

What no office should be without when it comes to design is the right technology. Optimal technical equipment is probably the surest sign of a modern office. This is also absolutely essential, especially in times when many employees are working from home. A video conference should be easy to implement. 

No modern office should be without the option of holding presentations. By using the right technology, you often succeed in compensating for „flaws“ in your office concept: For example, if you prefer an open-plan office but fear a reduction in general concentration, you could provide your employees with suppressing noiseHeadphones. 

However, if you only have the option of using cellular offices due to the building layout, the optimal networking of all employees with each other can shorten the otherwise very long communication paths. With the right conference technology, sending high-resolution displays and excellent audio quality, your employees will feel as if they were in the same office. 

No matter which office concept you choose, we will be happy to support you with the technical equipment. Are you still unsure about the design? We are happy to help here too! Thanks to our years of experience, we are familiar with the individual room types and are the ideal contact for customized room concepts. Together we will plan the ideal modern office for you and then take care of installation and maintenance. If you have any questions or are interested in our service, we look forward to contacting you.