The idea of office partitioning is a simple one. It enables an office to be separated into rooms or departments with ease. A lot of offices these days are completely open plan, however this is not always the best way to design a work space. This article discusses the reasons why separating an office is a good idea and why open plan is not always the best solution for an office. Read on to learn more about office partitioning and how it can be used and assembled in order to work for you.
There are a few problems with open plan offices. The first problem is that often staff don't like feeling like they are on display. When you work together in one large space nothing you do goes unnoticed. This causes some people to feel a little bit uncomfortable. Partitioning provides that little extra privacy which stops this from occurring. Another problem is with distractions. These can be both visual and acoustic - when a telephone rings or when a colleague stops by for a chat the whole area is affected. It is very difficult for someone to enter their most productive state of mind when there are constant distractions.
Another common type of office is one that is divided into workstations, with a low partition surrounding each individual desk. This also poses its own set of problems. For a start, often communication is affected because the separation prevents informal chats and the natural flow of communication around the office. Neither does it help prevent distractions. Without floor to ceiling partitions, noise levels remain the same and a ringing phone will cause just as much distraction as before. There is a good compromise between a totally open plan office and individual workstations and offices - partitioning. This provides the best of all worlds.
It is possible to use partitioning to create "rooms" in an office. For example, by installing partitioning in the corner of a large room, you can create a square room that can be used for anything from a staff room to meeting room to a stationery cupboard. The material you will use will depend on what you want to use it for. A glass room is great for meeting rooms because you can see when the room is in use and do not need to knock and enter to see. Partitioning is much cheaper than putting up stud walls which can be expensive and time consuming too. If you don't own the building yourself then erecting permanent walls are unlikely to be allowed.
Partitioning is a very flexible solution to office layout and design. Although it does need installing and removing by skilled workman, it can be moved and reused cleanly and safely and with the minimum of difficulty. Having flexible partitioning in this way allows your office to adapt and change. Every few years the office may have grown, expanded or reconfigured. If you have an office with partitioning it can be altered accordingly. It is not possible to keep knocking down walls or building new ones however.
Office partitioning is extremely valuable to have in an office. It provides a great way to divide up a large office into manageable chunks or departments. A partition wall around departments or groups of staff provides a welcome feeling of privacy and freedom from distractions. A glass partition is useful for meeting rooms or staff rooms as you can easily see when they are in use, however it is possible to install solid partition walls too. Glass panels can have the company logo included in the design if required which also adds a further exciting design element to them. If you want a modern and contemporary office then glass panelling and partitioning is perfect.