You have just leased a floor of office space in that snazzy new building downtown. Now it’s time to shape the new space to fit your needs. To accomplish this you have a couple of options: you can bring in the brick and mortar guys to build out the space to your specifications or you can purchase and install a modular wall system to do the same thing. Let’s look at the pros and cons of each approach: drywall first.
Drywall – Pros:
- Cheaper than modular walls
- Customizable
- Can repaint or repaper however you like
Drywall – Cons:
- Rigid
- Longer build time than modular walls
- Damages easily
Right up front you can see that, although drywall is susceptible to incidental damage and takes time to build out, if you go that route your costs will not be as front-loaded as they would be for a modular wall system. With drywall you can also design whatever sort of wall configuration you can imagine and repaint it to your heart’s content; something that you cannot do with modular walls. Now let’s take a look at the pros and cons of modular wall systems.
Modular – Pros:
- Flexibility
- Easy to configure, easy to reconfigure
- Potential tax benefits (ask your accountant)
- Cutting edge contemporary design
- Long term savings
Modular – Cons:
- Higher initial cost
- Non-customizable finish
- Thinner walls
Looks pretty good, especially the parts about flexibility and long term savings. But let’s say you have weighed the pros and cons on the above list and decided to go with drywall to save some money up front. Great.
A few years pass and you are ready to expand. In theory you have enough square footage to accommodate the new managers and support staff you need but in reality the drywall isn’t cooperating. Building out new offices and reconfiguring the support area is going to mean bringing back the construction crews to demolish existing walls and build new ones. The disruption to your business will be significant and the cost is looking prohibitive. The only reasonable solution seems to be relocating to a space that is better able to accommodate your company’s growing needs.
How did it come to this? Well, if the decision had been made before moving in to go with an architectural wall system, it wouldn’t have. Instead of planning a complex and expensive move you would be taking advantage of the benefits of your modular wall system including:
- Cost Savings – The fairly small amount saved at the outset would now be looking like it wasn’t such a great deal after all. The inability of your rigid space to respond to your needs has meant movers, lost productivity and weeks of planning to try and contain the chaos that accompanies relocating. The modular system would have cost a little more up front, no doubt, but the ability of the system to be re-purposed quickly and effectively would have saved you enough to more than justify the initial expense.
- Adaptability – Dismantling and reassembling your modular wall systems to achieve the desired layout would prove to be a simple, straightforward process that could be done by maintenance staff on a weekend while you are out playing golf. The fact that you could have your old office realigned and ready to go on Monday morning instead of having to dislodge everyone and move them wherever would send positive ripple effects throughout your organization.
- Continued Flexibility Moving Forward – Not only could a demountable wall system prevent you from having to relocate now, it could also negate the need to move at some future point when you once again face the need to adapt your office to changing circumstances. You could also rest assured that your modular system is fully capable of adapting to changing technology and accommodating business innovations, all the while performing its function and looking good in the process.
Intangible Benefits of Modular Wall Systems
While you consider the benefits of being able to keep your company in one place you should also keep in mind that architectural wall systems can help you in other ways that are perhaps not so obvious, such as:
- Increased Productivity – Studies indicate that providing a more collegial atmosphere for your staff has a direct effect on their level of productivity and, by extension, your bottom line. Modular wall systems can be arranged in a way that will build professional relationships and encourage collective thought for the common good.
- Savings on HVAC Costs – With modular walls you can, if need be, close off areas of your office that are not being used thereby reducing the amount of space you are heating or cooling. Over the course of a summer or winter the money you save could be significant.
- More Effective Traffic Flow – The flow of people and information within an office should never be haphazard. People and information should move in an orderly and logical manner from point A to point B. With modular wall systems you can lay out your office space to take maximum advantage of logical traffic patterns and ensure that related activity takes place in appropriate places.
Companies relocate their offices for any number of sensible reasons: to take advantage of lower taxes, to be nearer to production facilities, to reduce commute time for staff or to take advantage of a favorable lease offer from another building owner. One reason a modern company should never have to relocate is because the space they currently occupy is not flexible enough to handle their needs. If you enter a new space with this in mind or are facing a redesign of your current space and are contemplating which direction to go in you owe it to yourself, your staff and the future well being of your enterprise to install modular wall systems instead of drywall and leave the relocation nightmares to someone else.
Give us a call today at 1-844-468-1468 to discuss your situation and learn more about modular wall options for your office. The future of business is here now. Embrace the possibilities.