Office design has adapted to new styles of working, with many offices offering employees the ability to work a hybrid style. As a result, office layouts and the way they’re designed has had to change. Lewis Cooper explains what contractors should be considering for office refurbishment projects.
FOLLOWING the Covid-19 pandemic, many offices switched to a hybrid working style, allowing employees the flexibility to choose whether they work in office or from home. However, a recent
survey found that despite 76% of respondents’.
companies moving to a hybrid working style, 37% claim their companies had updated the workplace to reflect this change. Therefore, offices looking to operate hybrid working styles will be considering changing their layout and design to cater to the new needs of their employees.
One way this can be done is by changing the largest surface area in any space – the flooring.
Flooring can play a major role in zoning out areas, creating inspirational workspaces and even encouraging productivity. However, with current delivery and financial constraints, these refurbishments need to be undertaken with the correct materials, but also with readily available and affordable products, to ensure they are completed in a timely manner.
There are many options available to contractors when looking to do an office fitout, however carpet tiles are an ever-popular choice for these types of projects. They’re said to offer a suitable level of underfoot comfort, ideal acoustic properties and help maintain a warm, comfortable environment for those working in them – key factors for busy offices.
Another reason carpet tiles are popular is owing to their versatility in design, with various colourways available that are similar in tone. This helps define areas, including meeting and collaboration zones, quiet spaces for reflection, or the main office area, while ensuring a unified flooring scheme is created.
Additionally, carpet tiles are ideal for office use owing to their modular construction and ability to be fitted onto raised access flooring, further increasing their versatility. It’s therefore beneficial to look for carpet tiles that are affordable and available in similar tones with different patterns, to create designs.
Lews says: ‘Designed with modern, commercial design in mind, Forbo’s Tessera Union collection comprises a series of co-ordinated carpet tile ranges, which share yarn colours, tones and design styles.
‘Tessera Accord, the latest addition to the Tessera Union collection, offers various naturally intersecting striated designs, that join with the existing Tessera Infused range. With 12 colourways, each designed to blend tonally with each other, and match other ranges from the Tessera portfolio, Accord can be easily mixed and matched to create beautifully integrated flooring schemes. Accord can also be installed alongside Forbo’s Allura Flex LVT without the need for transition strips for fully integrated office flooring solutions.’
The Union collection is manufactured and stocked in the UK, using renewable energy, making it reportedly available at an affordable price point, further enhancing its suitability for office fitouts.
www.forbo-flooring.co.uk
Lewis Cooper is segment marketing manager for offices of Forbo Flooring Systems
