Modern tendencies of doing business prove that the office is a space where the work process turns into creativity. Here brilliant ideas and ways to solve operational problems are born, here the achievements of one employee grow into collective success, and everyday work contributes to a positive experience.
It goes without saying that in order to create a dynamic, but at the same time not tense atmosphere, it is not enough to competently organize working room. It is necessary to develop a creative interior for a comfortable recreation area (lounge), where each employee can get a mental and physical relaxation, communicate with colleagues in an informal setting and dilute the monotony of office everyday life.
Two types of office break room design
Many successful companies for the rest of employees allocate a separate room or hall. Start-up companies are often forced to huddle in rooms of modest size; therefore, for recreation, they allocate part of the working space. In both the first and second cases, this zone can be arranged according to the “sofa” or “coffee break” type of arrangement.
In the "sofa" recreation area, upholstered furniture plays a dominant role. Sofas, armchairs, soft chairs and padded stools are necessary here so that everyone can feel the atmosphere of comfort during the working day. Complementing this ensemble are often magazine or coffee tables, bookcases and TV panels.
When choosing upholstered furniture in creative office you need to remember that it should be different from the furniture in the meeting room or in the reception room. It should not be too formal, but on the contrary - have a bright and creative design to make it easier for the employee to switch from work to leisure.
The principle of "coffee break" involves a radically different approach to the arrangement of the recreation area. Instead of soft sofas and armchairs, employees are greeted by a bar counter where you can drink a cup of invigorating coffee or cooling juice. An exceptionally "standing" type of rest will appeal to those workers who spend all work time in a sitting position.
Decorative elements in the lounge area
Equally important in creating comfortable atmosphere decorative elements play in the lounge area. Paintings, indoor fountains and aquariums contribute to complete relaxation, improvement emotional state and complete recharging of the body. Racks (or shelves) with corporate attributes are always appropriate in such interiors. Attributes such as company logos, official symbols, awards and diplomas clearly demonstrate the result of teamwork.
They make the lounge area more “homely” Wall lights and houseplants. In order to get rid of the excessive formality of the window, it is recommended to decorate light curtains, and leave standard blinds and shutters for the workspace.
Sports area in the office
Sports activities are the key to the physical and emotional health of employees. Even if this is not a big sport, but entertaining, its effectiveness is obvious. Physical activity helps to relieve stress, relax your back and free your mind from the hustle and bustle of work. In view of this, it is not surprising that many companies organize an impromptu gym in the break room.
The sports corner is often decorated with table football or hockey, billiards, ping-pong, mini-basketball or mini-golf.
Large companies play for high stakes and equip a real gym for employees. Here you can find exercise equipment for every taste, as well as modern massage chairs.
The editors of the CPU were interested in how recreation areas look like for employees of Russian and foreign IT companies. In the first part of the resulting collection - Facebook, SoundCloud, Airbnb, Evernote, JetBrains, BlaBlaCar, 2GIS and other projects.
In offices social network Facebook in different cities(California, Sydney, Montreal) recreation areas are located directly in the open spaces where employees work. They are separated by color and texture - sofas instead office chairs, bright colours instead of grey. The Indian office of the company has a recreation room with a pool table and table hockey.
Facebook's headquarters in San Francisco also has playroom. There, employees can play an Xbox 360 console. In addition, table tennis tables and chess games are available to employees of the social network.
At the SoundCloud branch in Berlin, employees who want to take a break from work can also play table tennis or visit the library. The office has separate room for yoga classes, a relaxation room with a fireplace, and even a special soundproof room where tired workers can take a nap in the middle of the day.
All rooms in the Berlin office of SoundCloud are decorated in industrial style. The rooms were designed by the German design team of the Kinzo architectural agency.
At Airbnb's San Francisco office, employees can relax in the atrium or in the lounges and lounges located on each floor of the building. The premises are decorated in such a way that the employees feel as comfortable as possible there: photographs on the walls, fluffy carpets and pillows, bright colors. You can even bring animals into the office.
Evernote's San Francisco branch is notable for its brevity. The interior of any room is dominated by three colors (white, blue and green). Next to the open workspace is a recreation area with soft chairs. In the kitchen, there are only plastic chairs, in which it is not too easy to relax.
The interior of the ride-hailing service Lyft's head office echoes the service's symbol, a pink mustache. Mustaches can be found on the roof, where employees go to rest, and in the lounges.
Architecture and design of the St. Petersburg (largest) office international company for production software JetBrains was developed by the Finnish bureau Gullstén-Inkinen Design & Architecture. In 2014, the St. Petersburg branch of the company was among the winners of the competition the best offices country, hosted by Office Magazine.
Each floor in the building has its own color, in the range of which the meeting rooms and recreation areas are decorated. There are no separate rooms where employees could relax in the office - they are replaced by zones equipped with sofas and tables, as well as coffee points. On the top floor The building houses a library, a gym and a massage room.
In addition, in the summer, sofas and ottomans appear on the roof of the JetBrains office so that company employees can rest and breathe fresh air and admire the view of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
At the head office of the BlaBlaCar companion search service in Paris, the lounges are decorated in accordance with the theme of the service. In each room, you can find decorative elements related to car travel: suitcases, retro car models, maps, road signs, and so on.
BlaBlaCar is not the only company that has chosen to decorate break rooms with knick-knacks. In the office of the AstroSoft software development project, a typewriter is installed in the kitchen, with which employees like to take pictures.
The BlaBlaCar office kitchen is equipped upholstered furniture and is also used by employees as a recreation area. As representatives of the project told the CPU, internal negotiations are often held in recreation areas (when all conference rooms are occupied).
In addition, the Paris branch of BlaBlaCar has a separate room for board games.
The Moscow office of the Russian group of companies Rambler&Co is located in two neighboring buildings of the Danilovskaya manufactory. The location imposes its own specifics on the recreation of employees: a favorite place where Rambler&Co employees often spend time is a glazed passage between two buildings.
On one of the upper floors of the office there is a space called "Attic" - this is a place where employees can come with their food or buy it in one of the cafes located there. Also there are a lot of various sofas and armchairs where you can comfortably sit with a book or laptop. Periodically, various presentations, seminars and master classes are held in the Mansard.
The rest of the employee rest areas are scattered throughout the office. You can find a corner with a table for playing table tennis, several tables for a kicker, table hockey, a space with electric guitars and an amplifier.
The head office of the 2GIS cartographic project, located in Novosibirsk, is equipped with several lounges. The hottest, according to service representatives, is Hawaii. In it, employees from the production department, who are responsible for creating geoservice content, play tennis. From time to time the office hosts corporate table games championships - tennis, football, hockey, and darts. The main part of the "battles" usually takes place just in "Hawaii".
In addition, the office has recreation rooms "Igroteka", "Library", "Marine". In the relaxation room called "Veranda" there is a fireplace and rocking chairs - this is a place for relaxed rest and communication.
The head office of the international service for creating websites Jimdo is located in Hamburg, a port city. Therefore, the company's culture is closely related to the maritime and port themes.
"Aquarium" is small room under the stairs with an aquarium and fish. Muffled light, soft pillows sitting and silence, according to the representatives of the project, help to relax or focus on some idea or task. The building has a bar for programmers - a place to relax, work and socialize on Fridays over a bottle of beer. In addition, the office has a cabin room where you can work in silence or take a nap.
Employees of the Izhevsk software manufacturer "NPO Computer" have their own "Karelia" in the office. This is the name of the kitchen, which is also a recreation area for workers. Karelia has a bar counter, comfortable soft sofas, TV, birch and discus thrower.
In addition, the company's office has tables for table tennis and horizontal bars.
One of the mottos system integrator T-Systems, according to project representatives, - "If you can play together, you can work together." Therefore, recreation areas in the company's offices in Russia are playrooms.
Each branch of the organization has a table for a kicker (the St. Petersburg team has even won prizes in city competitions more than once). The St. Petersburg office has two Xbox units with large plasmas and a constantly updated game library. The company has a tradition of Friday gatherings - the time of board games. AT summer time office staff relaxing open terraces with great views of the city.
Employees of the electronic trading platform B2B-Center can work out on the simulators or play table tennis right at the coffee point. In addition, the company's office has a cafe where everyone can relax and have a bite to eat.
The main recreation area for employees of the St. Petersburg office of the entertainment market platform Radario is a huge terrace on the roof of the building where the company is located, with total area 200 square meters. In summer, Radario turns the roof into a floor working space- with umbrellas, deck chairs and kicker tournaments between work.
In winter days, snow fights are arranged on the terrace.
Competent division of the company's office into zones, their attractive and stylish design are one of the most important components of the success of your business. They allow you to create a good atmosphere in the premises, which has a positive effect on both visitors and employees.
The former will be happy to contact you again, and the latter will feel better, which will increase their efficiency and overall positive attitude. In this article, you will learn how to do office zoning correctly and what you need to pay attention to.
Drawing up a design project
It is done first. Allows you to visually see how the office space will look in the future, and eliminate it in time possible mistakes. When designing an interior, consider the following factors:
- All rooms must be decorated in the same style. Exceptions are the meeting room and management office. Their interiors may vary. Ideally, if the design of the office matches the corporate identity;
- it is necessary to correctly select and arrange furniture so that it is not only beautiful, but also convenient for work;
- the environment should emphasize the importance of your business, so that visitors understand at a glance that they have come to a serious company.
During the preparation of the design project, measurements are taken and a plan for the location of partitions, lighting, switches, sockets, various equipment and furniture is prepared. After that, it is developed general concept and a 3D model is prepared for rendering.
This is quite a serious job, which is best entrusted to the appropriate specialists. See photos of office zoning to get acquainted with the solutions offered by professionals in their field.
Principles of zoning
Most often, the zoning of space in the office begins with the conditional division of it into the following parts:
Front office. Designed for receiving visitors, holding public presentations and seminars. There is a reception room, a meeting room, a manager's office, etc. here. Since this part provides the main communication of the company with customers, the furniture here should be aesthetic and beautiful, but at the same time multifunctional.
Back office. It is a working space and a recreation area hidden from visitors. The main requirement for the environment here is convenience and comfortable conditions for work activities.
Furniture here can be purchased simpler, but many modern leaders don't skimp on it. aesthetic workplace well stimulates professional growth and increase of efficiency of employees.
According to the type of construction of activity zones, offices are divided into classical and open. In the first case, the premises are isolated from each other. Each office performs a specific function - sales department, transport service, accounting, etc.
The second option is more modern. Here, the premises are not separated by capital walls, but represent one large space. For zoning such an office, partitions are used, which can significantly save space.
Reception
The arrangement of this zone must be treated with special care. Your clients and partners get the first impression when they visit the office right here. Make sure the reception area is as comfortable as possible.
The ideal option would be if you divide it into two parts. The first is informational. Here place the reception desk and stands with booklets. The visitor should be able to quickly get all the information of interest. The second is a place to rest. Here, place sofas and armchairs on which people could relax and wait for their turn.
Don't forget that the reception area needs to show that you belong to your brand. Use more corporate colors when decorating it. Great idea- place a 3D logo on the wall in a prominent place.
Zone for negotiations and meetings
This place is intended for business meetings or discussion of work issues between management and subordinates.
Often the topics discussed here are of a confidential nature, so it is better to allocate for such a zone separate room, although modern style allows the use of screens and partitions. Main Attributes - long table, chairs, office easel, projector and monitor.
Negotiation room where business partners are invited and potential clients may be less official. Usually there are soft sofas, a low table, an aquarium, flowers and live plants. Everything that will make the visitor feel comfortable.
Work zone
It occupies the main part of the office. When planning it, first of all, it is necessary to identify illuminated and dark areas. Workplaces should be located close to windows, no further than 6 meters. In places where Sun rays do not reach well, you can arrange toilet rooms, pantries, utility rooms and other technical premises.
When distributing jobs, make sure that employees do not then sit with their backs to the door. This will help to remove anxiety and anxiety, allowing a person to calmly control personal space.
Do not sit people face to face - constant eye contact makes it difficult to concentrate and creates a feeling of being watched. Using partitions in your office for zoning will help you meet these requirements.
If you want to improve the interaction between two specific units, place them side by side. According to statistics, up to 60% of contacts are made between people working in close proximity to each other. This contributes to a useful exchange of experience.
Head office
With his respectable appearance, on the one hand, he should emphasize the high status of this person, and on the other hand, talk about the welfare of the company and its basic principles. It is appropriate here individual design, more expensive materials, including natural, large furniture and armchair.
The tabletop is massive, veneered. It can also be made of tempered glass, which will emphasize transparency and openness for partners.
Technical area
Designed for toilet equipment, sinks, etc. plumbing equipment. There may be a pantry with cleaning equipment, a place for lunch break. The technical area must be located in separate rooms.
Rest zone
Working without breaks is detrimental to the well-being of any employee. The presence of a recreational corner will help team members to relax, take a break and drink tea in a calm environment.
For this, it is not necessary to allocate a separate room. With the help of partitions, a recreation area is easily created next to the workspace. A good option- place it near the busiest place where traffic flows intersect.
Put modular semi-soft sofas with armchairs and coffee tables there. It will be useful to allocate a place for coffee breaks. In many large companies recreation areas are equipped with video and audio equipment, game consoles.
The design here does not have to be official. Having creativity and warm colors allow the employee to quickly switch to rest. The main thing is that the atmosphere contributes to relaxation and the appearance of a feeling of comfort.
Photo of office zoning methods
The office is a place where any work process, with good organization, becomes creativity. Set Generation original ideas, the collective work of employees united by a common goal, the solution various tasks to expand the business - all these are the moments of successful development of any company. The performance of the whole team depends on competent organization the working day of employees, where interior design plays an important role.
A person is not a machine that works for hours according to a given algorithm. To create a stress-free work environment, it is desirable to organize a place where emotional unloading is possible. The design of commercial premises provides for the organization of a recreation area in the office for employees, in which both physical and mental relaxation can be carried out.
A few points when decorating a recreation area
1. Whether it is a separate room or part of the workspace, such an area may look like a "sofa" room. Upholstered furniture is installed here, surrounded by coffee tables and bookshelves. You can install a TV here. This creates an atmosphere of comfort, where during the day employees can briefly dive to change the situation. Furniture in the recreation area should be characterized by a lack of formality and bright colors that add creativity. overall design the interior of such a place.
2. Another principle of designing space for emotional unloading is the creation of a "coffee break" zone. Unlike the first option, here employees can relax near the bar, next to which you can drink a cup of invigorating coffee or a glass of chilled juice. "Standing" rest will appeal to many employees whose work day is spent in a sitting position.
3. Sports activities are the key to the physical health of employees and the availability positive emotions. Realizing this moment, the Design Prof studio offers to organize a small gym as a recreation area. Here through physical activity employees can reduce the impact stressful situations, and various physical exercises will improve blood circulation. And already what to organize, a small sports section or a real gym, depends on the capabilities of the company.
4. Specialists of the Design Prof studio draw attention to the fact that in order to create comfort in the recreation area, it is desirable to place various decorative elements. If the room is intended for relaxation, it’s a good idea to install an aquarium there, indoor fountain, flowerpots with plants. Lights play an important role correct placement that will create the right atmosphere. And the presence of awards and diplomas, company logos and other items with symbols will help direct the thoughts of employees in the right direction.
The editors of the CPU were interested in how recreation areas look like for employees of Russian and foreign IT companies. In the first part of the resulting collection - Facebook, SoundCloud, Airbnb, Evernote, JetBrains, BlaBlaCar, 2GIS and other projects.
At the offices of the social network Facebook in different cities (California, Sydney, Montreal) recreation areas are located right in the open spaces where employees work. They are separated by color and texture - sofas instead of office chairs, bright colors instead of greys. The Indian office of the company has a recreation room with a pool table and table hockey.
There is also a games room at Facebook's San Francisco headquarters. There, employees can play an Xbox 360 console. In addition, table tennis tables and chess games are available to employees of the social network.
At the SoundCloud branch in Berlin, employees who want to take a break from work can also play table tennis or visit the library. The office has a separate yoga room, a relaxation room with a fireplace, and even a special soundproof room where tired workers can take a nap in the middle of the day.
All rooms in the Berlin office of SoundCloud are decorated in an industrial style. The rooms were designed by the German design team of the Kinzo architectural agency.
At Airbnb's San Francisco office, employees can relax in the atrium or in the lounges and lounges located on each floor of the building. The premises are decorated in such a way that the employees feel as comfortable as possible there: photographs on the walls, fluffy carpets and pillows, bright colors. You can even bring animals into the office.
Evernote's San Francisco branch is notable for its brevity. The interior of any room is dominated by three colors (white, blue and green). Next to the open workspace is a recreation area with soft chairs. In the kitchen, there are only plastic chairs, in which it is not too easy to relax.
The interior of the ride-hailing service Lyft's head office echoes the service's symbol, a pink mustache. Mustaches can be found on the roof, where employees go to rest, and in the lounges.
The architecture and design of the St. Petersburg (largest) office of the international software company JetBrains was developed by the Finnish bureau Gullstén-Inkinen Design & Architecture. In 2014, the St. Petersburg branch of the company was among the winners of the competition for the best offices in the country, held by Office Magazine.
Each floor in the building has its own color, in the range of which the meeting rooms and recreation areas are decorated. There are no separate rooms where employees could relax in the office - they are replaced by zones equipped with sofas and tables, as well as coffee points. On the last floor of the building there is a library, a gym and a massage room.
In addition, in the summer, sofas and ottomans appear on the roof of the JetBrains office so that company employees can rest, breathe fresh air and enjoy the view of St. Isaac's Cathedral.
At the head office of the BlaBlaCar companion search service in Paris, the lounges are decorated in accordance with the theme of the service. In each room, you can find decorative elements related to car travel: suitcases, retro car models, maps, road signs, and so on.
BlaBlaCar is not the only company that has chosen to decorate break rooms with knick-knacks. In the office of the AstroSoft software development project, a typewriter is installed in the kitchen, with which employees like to take pictures.
The BlaBlaCar office kitchen is equipped with upholstered furniture and is also used by employees as a recreation area. As representatives of the project told the CPU, internal negotiations are often held in recreation areas (when all conference rooms are occupied).
In addition, the Paris branch of BlaBlaCar has a separate room for board games.
The Moscow office of the Russian group of companies Rambler&Co is located in two neighboring buildings of the Danilovskaya manufactory. The location imposes its own specifics on the recreation of employees: a favorite place where Rambler&Co employees often spend time is a glazed passage between two buildings.
On one of the upper floors of the office there is a space called "Attic" - this is a place where employees can come with their food or buy it in one of the cafes located there. There is also a huge variety of different sofas and armchairs, where you can comfortably sit with a book or laptop. Periodically, various presentations, seminars and master classes are held in the Mansard.
The rest of the employee rest areas are scattered throughout the office. You can find a corner with a table for playing table tennis, several tables for a kicker, table hockey, a space with electric guitars and an amplifier.
The head office of the 2GIS cartographic project, located in Novosibirsk, is equipped with several lounges. The hottest, according to service representatives, is Hawaii. In it, employees from the production department, who are responsible for creating geoservice content, play tennis. From time to time the office hosts corporate table games championships - tennis, football, hockey, and darts. The main part of the "battles" usually takes place just in "Hawaii".
In addition, the office has recreation rooms "Igroteka", "Library", "Marine". In the relaxation room called "Veranda" there is a fireplace and rocking chairs - this is a place for relaxed rest and communication.
The head office of the international service for creating websites Jimdo is located in Hamburg, a port city. Therefore, the company's culture is closely related to the maritime and port themes.
"Aquarium" is a small room under the stairs with an aquarium and fish. Subdued light, soft seating cushions and silence, according to the representatives of the project, help to relax or focus on some idea or task. The building has a bar for programmers - a place to relax, work and socialize on Fridays over a bottle of beer. In addition, the office has a cabin room where you can work in silence or take a nap.
Employees of the Izhevsk software manufacturer "NPO Computer" have their own "Karelia" in the office. This is the name of the kitchen, which is also a recreation area for workers. Karelia has a bar counter, comfortable soft sofas, a TV, birch trees and a disco ball.
In addition, the company's office has tables for table tennis and horizontal bars.
One of the mottos of the system integrator T-Systems, according to the representatives of the project, is “If you can play together, you can work together”. Therefore, recreation areas in the company's offices in Russia are playrooms.
Each branch of the organization has a table for a kicker (the St. Petersburg team has even won prizes in city competitions more than once). The St. Petersburg office has two Xbox units with large plasmas and a constantly updated game library. The company has a tradition of Friday gatherings - the time of board games. In the summer, office staff relax on the outdoor terraces with beautiful views of the city.
Employees of the electronic trading platform B2B-Center can work out on the simulators or play table tennis right at the coffee point. In addition, the company's office has a cafe where everyone can relax and have a bite to eat.
The main recreation area for employees of the St. Petersburg office of the entertainment market platform Radario is a huge terrace on the roof of the building where the company is located, with a total area of 200 square meters. In the summer, Radario turns the rooftop into a semi-workspace - complete with umbrellas, sun loungers and kicker tournaments between work.
In winter days, snow fights are arranged on the terrace.
