Office Design Guide Sept 2019 www rypeoffice com

Office Design Guide Sept 2019 www. rypeoffice. com The content of this document is the intellectual property of Rype Office © 2019

Introduction This guide is to help you design an office that is productive, space-efficient, sustainable, healthy and great value-for-money. We are happy to help if needed; we offer free assistance to all, from firsttime project managers to established designers looking for specific sustainability and wellness information. Sincerely, The Rype Office senior design team Greg Lavery (Senior Designer) Romas Vizgirda (Interior Designer) Runaldo Ferre (Architect) 2 © Rype Office 2019

Making smart decisions This guide will enable you to: 1. Design a stylish, productive, ergonomic & sustainable office 2. Reduce the furnishing cost significantly (usually by 50% compared to normal furniture costs). 3. Reduce the environmental footprint of your design by around 80% (including GHG emissions) 4. Address, in part, the 300 tonnes of office furniture going to landfill in the UK every working day For finding a new office space, see 5 Steps for Successfully Establishing a New Office 3 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 4

Layout Process 1. Start with a Zoning Diagram to logically figure out what should go where 2. Include solutions for noise management 3. Draw the Layout Plan, including desks, meeting spaces and breakout areas 5 © Rype Office 2019

Zoning Rules-of-Thumb • New kitchens need to go near to service risers/other kitchens/toilets to minimise the cost of clean, hot and black water piping • Kitchens, entries and customer areas are the noisiest areas so group them together as much as possible • Put noisy teams (call centres, customer service, sales, marketing, communications) next to these noisy areas from most noisy to least • Use walkways and breakout areas to break large desking areas and provide noise barriers • Put teams needing most privacy in quiet corners (typically HR, Finance, and Executives) 6 © Rype Office 2019

Example Zoning Diagram Tip: Zoning Diagrams are a very useful tool for starting to build consensus around the design of the office

Acoustic management tips Separation. Arrange teams from quietest to noisiest (with the noisiest nearest the kitchen). Concentration. Group similar activities to concentrate noise. Direction. Vary the orientation of desks. This will mean that sound waves are not multiplied by many staff talking in the same direction. Containment. Use storage, booths, bookshelves and green walls to contain noise. You could also provide phone booths to help isolate and trap the noise from calls. Absorption. Carpet tiles absorb noise, whereas hard floors add footsteps to the soundscape. Large soft furnishings in the team breakout spaces and plants intercept and absorb noise. Acoustic wall and ceiling panels absorb sound waves and reduce echoes. Tip: Noise-reducing headsets, along with staff training in their use, can substantially reduce office noise 8 © Rype Office 2019

Reconfiguring an office to create a noise buffer Bank of desks Bank of desks Bank of desks Buffer zone Quiet teams Bank of desks Illustrative Version of Potential Desk Layout Bank of desks A 3 m wide buffer zone allows plenty of room for soft furniture. Bank of desks By adjusting the layout of banks of desks, a buffer zone can be created to separate noisy teams from quiet teams. Bank of desks Illustrative Version of Current Desk Layout Noisy teams 9 © Rype Office 2019

Creating a Layout Plan • Start with the number of staff per team (including allowances for future growth) and allocate teams in each zone • Avoid long benches of desks which channel noise and are impersonal (no-one wants to feel like a battery chicken) • Avoid putting desks on the end of benches because users are brushed by passers-by • If the fit is too tight (see spacing dimensions in following slides) then consider reducing the size of the desks (standard desk dimensions in following slides) 10 © Rype Office 2019

Desk Spacing RIBA (the Royal Institute of British Architects) provides minimum desk spacings, which we have found to be too tight. Recommended spacings are shown below. Note that for electric sit-stand desks, wider access is required to accommodate chairs which are not being used 1200 x 800 1200 x 800 RIBA minimum 0. 9 m Recommended 1. 1 m 1200 x 800 Note: dimensions are from desk edge to wall, radiator or storage cabinet, whichever is closer RIBA minimum 1. 3 m Recommended 1. 5 m 1 m minimum for comfort. 1. 25 m preferred 1650 mm with 50 mm between desks 1650 mm 11 © Rype Office 2019

Desk Sizing Desks come in different shapes and sizes but there are some basic rules of thumb. The standard desk depth is 800 mm, although for hotdesks sometimes 600 mm is used. In terms of width: • 1000 mm is for hotdesks because they leave no room for an under desk drawer unit (i. e. pedestal) • 1200 mm will allow for slim pedestal (approx. 300 m wide) • 1400 mm fits a standard width pedestal (approx. 380 to 450 mm wide) • 1600 mm and 1800 mm are rare these days because they are considered unnecessarily large in paperless offices and the space saved person is being used to create breakout zones which allow different styles of working 12 © Rype Office 2019

Meeting Table Sizing Meeting tables should be sized to suit the meeting room and accommodate the right number of chairs. If a meeting table is too big, the room feels small. Conversely, If it is too small, it feels like you are wasting space. Here is how to calculate the maximum meeting table size for a room: Note: dimensions are from table edge to wall, radiator or credenza, whichever is closer 1. 3 m Maximum meeting table size 0. 9 m 13 © Rype Office 2019

Example Layout Plan

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 15

Style and Colours Choose a style based on: 1. The organisation’s culture 2. Brand guidelines 3. Soiling practicalities (e. g. very light colours throughout are a bad idea for a garden centre) 16 © Rype Office 2019

There are lots of different styles you can choose from Eco (UK Green Building Council) Scandi (Winnow) Shoreditch loft (NAOS) Industrial corporate (Loyalty Logistix) Corporate with character (PHW) For more photos of these, see this Projects page 17 © Rype Office 2019

Scandi is very popular and there are different versions Industrial Scandi Luxury Scandi Warehouse Scandi 18 © Rype Office 2019

Scandi works with greys and one highlight colour 19 © Rype Office 2019

Develop a Colour Palette Colour helps to: • Personalise an office • Add warmth • Create a wow factor • Reflect the organisation’s branding An office needs at least 2, preferably 3 colours. Unless you are going for a Scandi theme, grey/black/white do not count as colours. Don’t try to allocate colours to furniture at this stage – this comes much later; what you need for now is a set of colours that work well together so you can secure approval for them. 20 © Rype Office 2019

Paletton. com is a free tool to generate a great colour palette based on corporate colours and preferences. It makes it easy to match colours by offering tried and tested colour combination approaches (like a Triad of colours separated around the colour wheel by 120 degrees) 21 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 22

Your furnishing choices (especially furniture) have a big environmental impact Embodied GHG Emissions in Office Buildings over a 40 Year Life Source: Treloar, GJ. Et al, 1999, Embodied energy analysis of fixtures, fittings and furniture in office buildings , Facilities, Volume 17, Number 11, pp. 403 -409 (Accessed on 14 June 2019 at https: //www. academia. edu/18481731/Embodied_energy_analysis_of_fixtures_fittings_and_furniture_in_office_buildings ) 23

Office Furniture Options Most Sustainable Reuse: This is reusing existing or others’ furniture without doing anything to it. It’s the best for the environment and cheapest but the furniture can be poor quality and not look good in the new office. Refurbish: Replacing or repairing worn or damaged worn components, like upholstery, can extend the life of furniture that is otherwise in good condition. Unfortunately, often this is only an option for a small proportion of existing furniture, but should not be overlooked for its cost and environmental benefits. Remanufacture Manufacture from Virgin Materials Least Sustainable Remanufacturing: Recent developments in engineering processes and materials technology mean that existing and others’ furniture can be returned to as-new condition. This is a quality-controlled process where the long-life components are checked and resurfaced and the softer parts replaced. This furniture looks and performs like new but has an 80% reduced environmental footprint and costs around one third of list price. Remanufactured furniture is being used by RBS, Nat. West, British Land, Crown Estate, JLL, Tesco, NHS, Sky, the BBC and many more. Manufacture from Virgin Materials: This is the wasteful and expensive way that most furniture has historically been sourced at great expense (financially and environmentally) and with long lead times. 24 © Rype Office 2019

Furniture costs (for quick estimates) 25 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 26

Choose chairs to suit the time that someone will want to sit on them Conversely, usage time can be influenced by the type of seating chosen Type of Chair Comfort time for most users None (e. g. for stand up meeting rooms) 10 to 30 mins Backless bench or high or low stool 10 to 30 mins Hard canteen chair (no padding) 1 hour Padded meeting chair 2 to 3 hours Executive meeting chair (tiltable and/or 3 to 4 hours height adjustable, sometimes with swivel) – some serviced offices use these as desk chairs, which is a mistake Fully ergonomically adjustable desk chair 8 to 16 hours 27 © Rype Office 2019

Desk chair = Operator chair = Task chair Choosing the right desk chair (also know as an operator chair or a task chair) is key to staff comfort and productivity. Only buy desk chairs with full ergonomic adjustability (including arm rests) to avoid sore backs and sick days. Two of our favourite chairs are the Giroflex G 64 and Orangebox Joy. Mesh back chairs usually provide poor lumbar support – but if you must have a mesh back, choose one with a curved frame to provide more lumbar support, like the Orangebox Do. All of these can be purchased remanufactured at a substantial discount to new. Giroflex G 64 • Top-of-the-range chair • FIRA Ergonomics Excellence Award Winner Orangebox Joy Orangebox Do 28 © Rype Office 2019

Ergonomic adjustability When selecting a desk chair, make sure that it has the following: • Adjustable seat height • Adjustable lumbar support • Adjustable arm height • Seat slide • Tilt mechanism (ideally with tilt lock so it is not continually moving, which many staff hate) with adjustable tension 29 © Rype Office 2019

Desks Desk frames are not the highlight of an office design – they are tucked under desktops and are only visible at the ends of rows. Choose a flexible frame system that can be added to, reconfigured and resized. Grey/silver legs are a popular choice because they are a neutral colour and do not show scuff marks as easily as white. Remanufactured desk frames with resized or new tops can create significant cost savings for a new office. Tops can be in a range of timber finishes or colours, with contrasting edge banding (e. g. white tops with a black edge) 30 © Rype Office 2019

Stand up desks Varidesk Sit-stand desks are ergonomically benficial, but expensive. Instead of providing one to everyone who wants one, we recommend allowing those staff to trial an on-desk variable height system to see if they use/like it. If, after a week, they have not lifted it from desk height or are tired of it, you have avoided the need to buy a sit-stand desk. We suggest providing a few fixed height stand up desks for all staff to use, allowing them back relief if needed; these can also be used by staff if there is a shortage of desks on busy days. Tip: there is little difference in price between a manual wind-up sit-stand desk and an electric sitstand desk Stand up desk (to right) 31 © Rype Office 2019

Pedestals Versus Lockers Struggling to decide between pedestals and lockers? We have found: • Permanent staff sitting at the same desk every day need a pedestal under their desk (if they have a locker they will tire of taking their papers to and from the locker every day and end up leaving it on their desks, creating clutter) • Hotdesking staff can have lockers, but the lockers must be big enough to be useful – we recommend 450 mm wide rather than the usual 350 mm • It is okay to have both pedestals and lockers in an office • Keep some spare lockers for cyclists to store their gear 32 © Rype Office 2019

Breakout furniture The way that we work is changing. Gone are the days of being fixed to a desk; Modern workers are encouraged to move around their office and collaborate with their colleagues, sharing expertise and generating innovations. At the same time, real estate prices are higher, leading to smaller desks and closer proximity to colleagues. So dedicated breakout areas are needed to encourage conversations, away from desking areas. Rules of thumb for breakout furniture: • Soft seating should have a seat height of 450 mm and firm support. This allows for easy and elegant user access and egress; no-one likes climbing out of a bean bag. It is also ideal for working on a desk height table. • All tables should be 700 mm to 730 mm high (desk height) so that staff can work productively in breakout spaces. • Booths should be a minimum of 1. 25 mm high, up to 1. 5 m for additional privacy. Any higher will impact the flow of natural light across the booth and office. 33 © Rype Office 2019

Example Booths 1. 25 m high booth (can have back and front panels) 1. 5 m high booth (can have back panel as shown) For more about booths, see this link 34 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 35

Flooring is an often overlooked but important contributor to an office’s look and feel. One colour wall-to-wall is plain and boring. Even adding a small amount of colour (e. g. replacing a walkway) can really make a huge difference while creating virtual walls. And walkways can be created amongst existing carpet tiles if they are acceptable. Carpet tiles or vinyl tiles are the most sustainable options – broadloom carpets and sheet vinyl waste around 30% when cutting to fit a room. Carpet tiles can also be switched out easily when damaged. The most sustainable flooring providers are: • Interface - stainability pioneers since 1994 • Greenstream Flooring - the UK’s leading carpet reclamation and recycling company which is a social enterprise training long term unemployed with disabilities 36 © Rype Office 2019

Example 1 37 © Rype Office 2019

Example 2 38 © Rype Office 2019

Example 3 39 © Rype Office 2019

Example 4 40 © Rype Office 2019

Example 5 Combining Luxury Vinyl Tile (5 mm thick) and normal carpet tiles (also 5 mm thick) gives a different look and feel to a space 41 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 42

Walls - Virtual and Real You can maximise the use of space by using walls (virtual and real) to separate zones Installing fixed partition walls is expensive, blocks natural light and must be removed at the end of the tenancy (usually sent to landfill) There is a range of alternatives: 1. Virtual walls – different flooring creates zones and privacy 2. Hanging walls 3. Storage walls – including bookshelves 4. Green walls – shelves with plants 43 © Rype Office 2019

Virtual wall examples Different colours and patterns show the extent of zones, providing privacy 44 © Rype Office 2019

Examples of hanging walls 45 © Rype Office 2019

Storage Wall Examples 46 © Rype Office 2019

Bookshelf breakout spaces Bookshelves can create informal but secluded breakout spaces with a quiet library feel for thinking or reading The bookcases can be made from old desktops with any colour of edge banding (see Recovery Bookcases) They also are great for showing off awards and publications 47 © Rype Office 2019

Plants work well on top of storage walls 48 © Rype Office 2019

Wall treatments Potential wall treatments to consider: • Vinyl graphics • Paint. Consider recycled paint from companies like Paint 360. In the UK, we send an estimated 55 million litres of paint to landfill or incineration; paint recyclers can help you brighten up walls with a much reduced carbon footprint • Street art can be commissioned to your specifications (see some inspiring examples) • Feature walls • White board paint 49 © Rype Office 2019

Paint quantities Optimising the correct amount of paint for a particular wall is important for environmental and budgetary reasons. For a standard wall of 2. 5 m (H) x 5. 5 m (W) with no windows or doors you should allow: • 1 Coat: 1. 38 Litres of paint • 2 Coats: 2. 75 Litres of paint • 3 Coats: 4. 13 Litres of paint 50 © Rype Office 2019

Vinyl wall art can add light and make rooms feel bigger … 51 © Rype Office 2019

… or add a creative dimension (subtle or unsubtle). 52 © Rype Office 2019

Street map wallpaper adds local flavour (and can be centred on the office) 53 © Rype Office 2019

Other clever wall treatment ideas 54 © Rype Office 2019

Plants Benefits of a plants: • Purify the air, absorbing toxins like ozone from photocopiers • Release phytochemicals that suppress mould spores and bacteria by up to 50 to 60% • Humidify the air • Bring nature into the office • Create privacy while allowing natural light to pass through Tip: Useful guides: How to Choose Office Plants How to Care for Office Plants 55 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 56

Electronics Remanufactured office electrics can create significant cost savings without compromising on quality Types of remanufactured electrical products: • Cables • Monitors • Computers • Audi-visual equipment 57 © Rype Office 2019

Contents 1. Layout 2. Style and colour 3. Furnishing options & costs 4. Furniture 5. Flooring 6. Walls 7. Electronics 8. Where to get more help 58

We are here to help Creating a wonderful, sustainable workspace is difficult. We set up Rype Office to make it easier. Our core business is remanufactured office furniture but we do a lot more. We partner with clients and designers to assist them through the design process (at no cost), including recommending beautiful, sustainable and affordable furnishings. Call us on 033 3358 3330 or email contact@rypeoffice. com Together, let’s create offices that don’t cost the earth. 59 © Rype Office 2019