10 ingenious space-saving workplace design solutions for small offices

With steep real estate prices businesses have no option but to make do with smaller workplaces Hence offices with smaller areas need to develop an approach in order to utilise each inch of their workplace space Midday Online spoke to Mumbaibased architect Apoorv Mittal from Concept Consolio Pvt Ltd to learn about efficient spacesaving hacks for small offices10 ingenious spacesaving workplace design solutions for small officesInstalling Sliding Folding PartitionInstead of walls slidingfolding partitions can be used for the rooms so that they could be formed into bigger meeting rooms when need be These would also help make the rooms become less suffocating which they end up becoming when staying for long hoursUse of Leaning RailsTo enable a 4 seater meeting room which can be used by 67 people leaning rails can be used incase of a smaller meeting instead of always needing or occupying a huge conference room Meeting rooms are often required by employees and it often happens that such rooms are occupied while employees get irritated for not getting a room in return their work being delayed and hence the usage of leaning rails can be really usefulInstalling Flexible FurnitureUsing furniture that can be easily moved stacked together or kept away when not in need is something offices can really look out for This would provide them with extra space for other activities and would maximise the officersquos workplace This includes foldable tables multipurpose cabinets ergonomic stools etcRecognizing Dead SpaceUnderstanding how the workplace functions and recognizing spaces that are often left unused can prove to be extremely beneficial These spaces should be designed to enhance the workplace experience in turn making the most of workplace areasHybrid WorkplaceThe arrival of the pandemic introduced us to the concept of how a hybrid workplace functions With the hybrid mode of working workplaces have sufficient space for all their workers to suffice A hybrid workplace would also come in handy for employees as it would be extremely flexible for them in terms of space as well as travellingUsage of CloudWith the advent of cloud services offices no longer need to rely on hard copies or huge files that store data as everything can easily be saved on the cloud where it remains forever This not only saves space but also reduces the efforts of storage cleaning and maintaining a space for dataModular CabinsLarge cabins which are often vacant and not in use can be used as a space to hold a conference or a meeting to utilise the workplace area fully and efficientlyUsage of Alternate WorkstationsGone are the days when a particular workstation would be reserved for every individual Itrsquos time that offices start working on how employees can be given agile work points in order to optimize their workplacesUse of Collaborative SpacesMeeting rooms in offices occupy most of the space and hence collaborative spaces can be introduced for meetings or conferences which can otherwise be also used as workstations for individuals instead of rather just being left vacantUsage of Cafeteria for Multiple PurposesThe huge cafeterias in offices can be used as a working cafeteria or as a townhall area for events or conferences when needed instead of only being used for eating in the lunch hours while being left empty for the rest of the timeThus keeping in mind a few different approaches to utilising the most area of workplaces can prove to be extremely significant These approaches have several benefits that would not just help the workplace but also help the employees as they would no longer be frustrated or annoyed while working when in need of space and would prove to be much more efficient and productive at workAlso Read What is lsquoplacemakingrsquo and how it evokes humannature interaction at workplaces