The movement toward a less rigidly structured office has been ongoing for some time. At first only the trendiest companies embraced the deconstructed office but in recent years, with the increasing popularity of demountable walls systems, it has really taken hold. Huffingtonpost.com takes a look at what is becoming the new norm and some of the reasons behind the trend.
The traditional office model – where executives inhabit the big corner offices and smaller spaces are carved out in proportion to employees’ status – is becoming a thing of the past. Executives now see themselves as part of a collaborative team. As startups develop products and applications to help the world run more efficiently, this consciousness is reflected in the way their spaces are designed. Sustainability, social responsibility and integrated technology are essential components to office design now and in the future.
The author then expands on the importance of those various components of contemporary office design as well as the concepts of openness and efficiency which buttress them. When you take a look at all 5 concepts however, you begin to realize how nicely they dovetail with the rise of the modular wall system. And that – in a classic case of the chicken or the egg – it can be difficult to determine exactly which development drove which: the open office driving the development of modular walls or modular walls driving the development of the more open office.
Modular Office Walls Enable the Efficient, Flexible Office
Clearly though, whichever came first, modular office walls have turned out to be exactly what the doctor ordered for offices, laboratories, schools and the convention industry worldwide for all 5 of the reasons the Huffington Post article enumerates:
- Openness – Modular walls have led the way in bringing openness and light into formerly dark sections of the office. By removing old plaster and drywall barriers and replacing them with modular partitions that are either partially or mostly glass, light from the periphery can now shine brightly in the center of the floorplan.
- Efficiency – By breaking down hard and opaque barriers that trapped light along a floor’s perimeter, modular walls have drastically reduced the amount of artificial light many companies require, cutting both their carbon footprint and energy bills substantially.
- Sustainability – With energy prices certain to rebound, the company that is in the best position to handle $100+ oil is the one with the brightest future. By reducing your energy consumption you improve your company’s bottom line in the short term and guarantee its competitiveness in the long term.
- Environmental Responsibility – In the past when an office manager needed to restructure a space, the demolition crew was called in producing vast piles of waste that ultimately wound up in the nearest landfill. Modular office walls are built of largely recycled materials and when you need to reconfigure your office space you simply move them.
- Technological Integration – In the past, when your walls needed to accommodate new technology, you likely had to call in the construction crews again to break through the walls to run cables and the like. No more. Modular walls come with built in removable panels to make upgrading your office hardware a snap.
Some people will say “We’ve had modular offices for 40 years. They’re called cubicles.” and they have a point; albeit a limited one. Because while cubicles certainly helped initiate a change in thinking away from the dark, monastic offices of the past, they never quite got it right. Instead of introducing flexibility and openness they simply created new, smaller fiefdoms that were just as averse to natural light, worker interaction and energy efficiency as the old plaster walls.
For Modular Office Walls There’s No Company More Qualified than Us
IMT Modular is a leader in the design, fabrication, sale and service of modular office walls and has helped many companies make the transition from static, low productivity, energy inefficient fixed walls to versatile, scalable, energy saving modular wall systems. Call us toll free on 1-844-468-1468 and find out more about how demountable, modular office walls can save you money and give your business the competitive edge.