Open Environments, Connection To Nature Fuel Office Designs
The interior of TEN: A Discovery Communications Co.’s new headquarters in El Segundo features high ceilings, open space, a pingpong table and plenty of natural light.
TEN’s new headquarters is a reflection of current office design trends. As a way to attract young workers and innovative companies, developers and property owners are changing how they design office spaces.
Out are the days of a fixed office space full of compartmentalized walls, high cubicles and fluorescent lighting. In are open space, lower walls, shared workspaces, connection to nature and amenities.
It is all part of a changing work culture, Nadel Architects Executive Vice President and Office Studio Director David Jacobson said. Workers are working longer hours and management wants to provide their employees with amenities and give them a quality environment.
“[This kind of design] really has blossomed in the last 10 years,” Jacobson said. “Younger people want edgy environments, open ceilings and graphic accents. It is a more stimulating environment.”
Working on behalf of the building’s developer, Continental Development, Los Angeles-based Nadel Architects transformed the former 60K SF warehouse on 1.4 acres at 831 South Douglas St. into a creative open space building.
“If you saw what this was before, it was an ugly warehouse,” Jacobson said. “The tenant wanted open space and areas where there are a lot of opportunities for workers to interact.”
Jacobson said the firm added more windows to increase the amount of daylight that entered into the space. Large sliding doors could open leading to an outdoor patio that includes an outdoor kitchen, break area and landscaped recreation space.
“Day-lit environments are more pleasant and invigorating than fluorescent light fixtures,” he said. “It is psychologically uplifting rather than being in a mole-like environment.”
Jacobson does not expect this trend to just be a fad. This kind of design is a sign of things to come, he said.
“Successful companies now are really thinking about the quality of experience of the work environment they provide to their people,” he said.
To find out more about office design trends, join us at Bisnow's Los Angeles Creative Office & Design Trends event Jan. 17 at OUE Skyspace LA.
