Top Office Layout Ideas To Maximise Space And Productivity

Is your office space being put to the best use?

If the layout and overall design haven’t benefited from a professional opinion, your office could be hindering the success of your team instead of encouraging it.

Allow the office design experts here at Advanced Commercial Interiors to point you in the right direction.

Whether your office is on the smaller size, has an awkward shape or you’re just stuck for ideas, these are some top layout hacks to maximise space and productivity. 

We’ll start in a familiar place for office design, which is when your team requires rows of desks to house computer equipment.

Since desks can take up a lot of room, clustering them in groups of 4-8 desks in either a rectangular or circular setup is advised. That’s because with the most suitable formation chosen, this works to minimise space usage in the rest of the room. When your team has close proximity to their colleagues, this also encourages collaboration between related roles.

On a practical level, desk clusters can also make use of shared data and power points, which can reduce any wiring requirements. 

Sometimes, your team works at a desk but also has a need to move around. In which case, a more flexible solution would be the use of modular office furniture, rather than the traditional rigid office furniture. 

Examples of modular furniture can include foldable meeting tables, movable acoustic partitions, stackable seating and modular storage.

By opting for such a flexible approach, the design of your office can easily adapt as needed, including as your team grows. Not only is this ideal for multifunctional offices, but it can also reduce the cost of any future office redesigns. 

To solve any layout or productivity challenges in your office, adding collaboration zones can encourage quicker meetings, reduce meeting room bottlenecks and save space. 

Rather than a large fixed boardroom, a flexible approach could involve the use of multiple small spaces. For instance, sofa collaboration corners, high tables and stools, sit-stand benches or soft seating pods.

The benefits of flexible collaboration zones also extend to preventing sedentary working, which in turn increases alertness and decision speed. Combined with office biophilia, this approach can also make a huge difference in improving wellbeing in the office. 

Offices can be busy spaces full of chatter and keyboard clattering. This might demonstrate productivity in one sense, but it can reduce it in another when intense focus is required. 

Within your office design, quiet zones can be incorporated to minimise distractions and support concentration. There are many ways this can be achieved, but some top ideas include acoustic screens, noise-reducing panels or privacy booths. 

Designating quiet zones is for the benefit of everyone on your team, although these areas can be particularly beneficial for neurodiverse employees. 

Finally, it’s also important to consider how to maximise layout and boost productivity in contemporary office environments, including those which have embraced hybrid working or hot desking. 

When an office has part-time attendance, the number of permanent desks is often reduced. Since time spent in the office is less, businesses value design features such as collaboration and meeting zones, so that important in-person discussions can be prioritised instead.

Since the world of work is constantly adapting, aligning your hybrid business model with the design of your office makes sense. Beyond supporting in-person work, a hybrid office design also helps ensure that the office is an attractive place to be for the days when your team are all working together in the same physical space. 

It’s a safe bet that if you’re reading this post, you’re looking to make improvements to your current office space.

You’re in the right place, as ACI specialises in space planning for UK offices. Our HQ is in Nottingham, but we work on office design projects across the UK. 

We help businesses just like yours make effective changes that boost productivity while maximising space. 

Let us know about your office space and any challenges you’d like us to solve by sending us a message. You can also give us a call on 0115 697 1943.