Recommendations
Spaces to contemplate
1. An ‘office garden’ provides for informal interactions, a sense of ownership over the environment, and an organic element to the office.
2. A variety of furniture, including a day bed, and ergonomically supportive reading chairs allow people to recuperate and think.
3. A curtain of falling water provides a sense of acoustic peace, humidifies the air, and adds elements of purity and nature to the space.
4. This area is semi-private, not on show but not hidden away. These semi-transparent dividers help to create the right levels of privacy.
Provide contemplation spaces that give people somewhere to recuperate from the stress and noise of the normal working environment; a place to go when workers are tired, or need to prepare for an energetic task; somewhere they can relax, create new ideas or simply do nothing.
A contemplation space should provide a calm environment free from distraction and surveillance. It is a non-bookable area, with a variety of adjustable furniture, where people can go for periods of ten minutes to several hours.
It is a space that the office community respects, within which workers can expect not to be interrupted, and people will not make phone calls or have loud conversations.
It may have strong natural and organic elements, rich with plants, water, fabric banners and adjustable lighting, giving it a different feel to the office atmosphere elsewhere.
There are many different ways a space for contemplation can be designed. The common denominator, however, is that it should be quiet and enclosed, with a degree of privacy. It carries elements of a comfortable domestic environment.
It is not however a sick bay and needs to avoid the stigma of illness, so that staff of all ages feel they can use the space freely. This is particularly important considering workers’ long exposure to computer screens and mobile devices. Migraines, stress and sore eyes should no longer force workers to take the day off, but should be catered for on-site in a supportive way.
Just as modern working life has meant that the home has begun to accommodate work, so contemplation space redresses the balance by becoming a ‘home’ within the office.