Every component of a high-performance workplace should be conducive to the task at hand. The office’s environmental infrastructure should be viewed as a strategic armature that creates ambient conditions conducive to work and makes it possible to reconfigure modular components easily. Calibrating this workplace model is a critical step in the design process, and may require testing multiple solutions or building a pilot to fine-tune the system.

For example, well-designed lighting can reduce eye strain and fatigue, substantially boosting productivity.(3) In a performative workplace, natural light provides primary illumination, with photosensors automatically controlling blinds and supplementing changing daylight conditions with electric light. An old, glare-producing ceiling with areas of high and low intensity can be replaced by a continuous low-contrast plane of light. Newer buildings often use pendant lights shining upward to create a luminous ceiling plane and illuminate the work surface indirectly, shifting the old 9’-0” ceiling height to a new 9’-6” standard.

These lighting components can be integrated into modular ceilings with fire protection devices, acoustical control surfaces, and other building systems. Power and communications can be distributed under lift-out floor modules. Air can be distributed under the floor, too, saving energy and increasing indoor air quality by delivering clean, conditioned air close to employees. The key is to design these infrastructure components as integrated systems, scientifically analyzing and optimizing each component. Using Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology, designers can study exactly how much natural light can be harvested. The effects of different air conditioning systems can be simulated to compare effectiveness and operating costs. Digital tools allow the design firm to hone the workplace for peak performance like a meticulously-engineered product.

Tactical Reconfiguration

Within this infrastructure, an agile organization needs to be able redeploy office components rapidly as needs change. Many companies work hard to minimize churn, or the movement of workers within the organization. After all, in a conventional workplace, a furniture move—-in which the work area is substantially reconfigured—-costs about four times as much as a simple box move from one desk to another.(4) Yet the ability to make radical changes in team structure may be vital for a business’s success. The workplace should be designed to facilitate tactical reorganization by adapting seamlessly.

This degree of flexibility is possible through the use of modular systems. A kit of parts of lightweight, acoustically-insulated partitions and workstations with spring-loaded connectors allow the layout to be changed on the fly. Bench systems can be designed to adapt to different work modes. Flexible components allow the interior to be reconfigured without wasting time or resources, so teams are not tied down to a single location, size, or configuration.

(3) Ahmet Cakir, Light and Health: Influences of Lighting on Health and Well-Being of Office and Computer Workers (Berlin: Ergonomic Institute of Social and Occupational Sciences, 1991), 7-9

(4) 4 “Space and Project Management Benchmarks,” Research Report #28 (International Facility Management Association, 2007), 41

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