OFFICE DESIGN SERIES 1: Is Open Office Planning Better than Cubicles or Closed Office?

Cubicles and Individual workstations with high wall partitions usually discourage creativity and communications flow among your colleagues.

What is an Open Office?

An open office is an open-plan work environment where it is without enclosed office rooms or cubicles for employees. Usually, employees work together in the same room, often opposite of or beside each other, while seated along a huge desk or on workstations positioned close together.

Office designs plays a huge role in the company culture you want to have.  Open Office Design trends is becoming more popular these days because the work nature has changed. Traditional companies become less hierarchical and more teamwork oriented, which encourage employees to interact more with others within an office environment.  

It is important that within a working space environment there are areas where you can think, collaborate, chat or communicate, talk on the phone especially with sensitive topics. 

Personally,I think the topic of Open Office Planning can be quite controversial and there is no absolute ideal working environment as one design cannot suit all. A closed office benefits individuals who need privacy and less interruption during work. Noise is also an issue when lots of people are on business calls, well, Phone booths could be one solution given that there are sufficient working space.

If you are looking for a new office design, how would you want it to be like?