Designing the Intentional Office
The workplace is not just a gathering place anymore. It is a physical translation of an organization’s people, brand, and culture. As we design workplace, approach them with intentionally designing thoughtful spaces and applications that support individuals and teams, enable a variety of engagements, and reflect your ideals and company culture.
This thoughtful approach to design is what we call the Intentional Office. In the design process, you’ll likely find that one of the three planning strategies are best suited to your internal culture: department centric, neighborhood centric, or project centric.
Department Centric
Department centric planning allocates space based on functional departments. A department centric plan tends to rely on uniformity with duplicate workstations and meeting spaces distributed throughout the space. Everyone shares the meeting rooms, and no team “owns” any of them.
Neighborhood Centric
Neighborhood centric planning allocates space by functional departments or by project teams, and it’s known for its ability to create an extremely collaborative environment. Typically, a neighborhood centric plan also includes meeting spaces specifically tailored to each team. Teams that hold meetings with both in-person and remote attendees will have tech-enabled spaces, and these spaces are usually directly adjacent to the team for fast, efficient
Project Centric
Project centric planning allocated space for project teams ideal for a culture of project sprints and focused output. A project centric plan is similar to a neighborhood centric plan but with less permanence as dedicated areas are occupied by teams for the duration of the project. Project centric plans are an ever-evolving approach, allowing ultimate flexibility in the workplace.
“Planning strategies for the intentional office are not about modern versus traditional. Nor is it In-office versus hybrid. It is all about aligning the physical space to the cultural norms and unwritten rules.”
