November 20th, 2007
Inventables - What a Great Concept!
by gscott [permalink]
Here is one of our most interesting Jiibing companies. One of their Jiibe summaries is, “Like back in the wild west, this company is focused on the frontier of new discoveries…” That can’t be any more appropriate for this company - Click here to see their CEO Zack Kaplan talk about the concept. I am sure it is an extremely creative place to work.
Check out their Jiibe:
Inventables’s work culture:
[See the summary] [What’s yours?] 
I would work there. Wouldn’t you? Do u Jiibe?
August 12th, 2007
Dynamic Office Space
by gscott [permalink]
Think Dynamic!
When designing your office space think dynamic! This Dubai project is a radical example of the power of a space that can adapt to ones personal whim, only in Dubai, however the power of it is obvious.
Design for Play, for Creativity
Children can teach us lessons in creativity and innovation. I remember my professor, from Sociology 101, telling us about the most popular playground in Europe. It wasn’t full of jungle gyms and swings, it was full of lumber, boxes and rope. The kids invented their own worlds on the spot and it was reassembled into something new the next day. Your office needs to have elements that allows the staff to express themselves or to suit their tasks for that day.
Dynamic Office
I don’t believe that one can hard code the perfect space. It needs to be adaptable. Allow those in the space to move it and design it based on their own moods, projects, or friendships. Some of these ideas can be found in this space used by Innovation Lab (http://www.innovationlab.net/sw17052.asp) in Copenhagen. This design is well within reach of most companies.
Now imagine your office space to be inspired by the same dynamics. Knowledge workers need quiet space to concentrate however they share ideas, brainstorm and overcome hurdles better in open spaces. The most effective office design will accommodate those elements.
Read this article for more insight - http://hbswk.hbs.edu/archive/4991.html.
August 2nd, 2007
The Silent Office
by gscott [permalink]
I just had a thought, and I am sure many companies have done this, or is that fantasy, how about take down all of the walls, get rid of the cubicles (sell on craigslist to some other lame office) and just give all of your staff the Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones.
You may need a couple of private spaces for people to make personal calls, but other than that, it’s a pretty simple concept, no? I know it sounds like an ad for Bose, but I think these are great for a better office. It’s just that most staff will not go to the expense of buying them, so make it a perk.
July 20th, 2007
Orange Mobile’s Cambridge R&D Office - a photoset on Flickr
by gscott [permalink]
If I find a nice office online I will write a quick blog about it.
A well designed office can go a long way to improving company morale. Check out these photos of Orange Mobile’s Cambridge R&D Office - a photoset on Flickr.
July 13th, 2007
Wifi, Laptops and Caffeine!
by gscott [permalink]
WIFI, laptops and Caffeine! This is the office of the future! Actually, it’s the office of today. I have noticed that their are so many people working in Cafe’s and restaurants around Vancouver. I was wondering if the same trend is happening in other parts of the world. Apparently from the photos that I have found on Flickr, it is booming!
Is it creating a culture that will allow people to interact with each other or will they just be out on their own and away from the office? Since this is a relatively new trend, wireless- workers are searching for ways to take advantage of this new found freedom. At first they will simply try to get out of the office, but in time they will get more creative. I like the this idea (right) of WIFI picnics!
At Live and Let Live Cafe (bottom left) they seem to be much more interactive. The tables allow them to be more productive too.
I am still at the stage where I am trying to find a way to get out of the office and yet still be productive. Currently, I am working on my own so it should be pretty easy to get out. Once I start to work with a team again this mobility will be limited by my teams desire to be away from the office. Some people love working from their office.
This is an interesting blog called Web Worker Daily. They have some great articles on this very subject. Here is the perfect article - How to Set Up a Productive Virtual Workspace. There are some fantastic tips that will be a big help.
With this explosion of people working out of the office we are also seeing more casual dress and funkier laptop bags. When I purchased my latest laptop I went on a hunt the coolest bag. In the end I bought one from Staples Office Supplies because I had a meeting and needed a bag fast. Its a cool bag but just a standard black Victorinox Swiss Army bag. In my hunt, however, I did find some very cool bags. Here are a couple of my favourites - next blog.
June 25th, 2007
Living Workplace - 10 Dogmas
by gscott [permalink]
This is an excerpt from a book, "Living Workplace - 10 Dogmas," from very interesting design company from Denmark, Bosch & Fjord, that have the most unique ideas for office design.
"Dead or Alive?
A living workplace? Yes, because who would prefer a dead one? We spend a large part of our waking hours at work. Work has a great influence on our lives. Our well-being and behaviour are frighteningly dependent on whether or not we have a job, on whether we feel good or bad in our workplace. The one common feature that all kinds of work should share is that going to work should somehow feel like living - rather than being deadly dull…"
They design offices that make the word "office" seem inappropriate. It might be better to say, they design gathering places to stimulate your life’s work. That is where I want to be because I don’t want to go to "work."
"…They have put forward the 10 dogmas based on their own experiences as well as on a number of dialogues with a group of experts in the fields of the working environment and working conditions. This exchange of knowledge and opinions has now been transformed into the language of art, because art can serve as a catalyst to set off a process."
You shall meddle in what your colleagues are doing GRAPHIC DESIGN: Tilde Aagaard
Jiibe will be writing more articles about this company I am sure. Check out their site and explore their incredible ideas. Denmark is in my travel plans now.
June 25th, 2007
Sexy Workspace
by gscott [permalink]
This was developed by Knoll. It is very light and easy to move around the office. I am pretty sure that I would prefer this to the standard office cubicle.
Do you know anyone with a Knoll A3 office? I would love to hear their comments.
Here is an interesting article that I came across, “What Will Our Offices Look Like?” It discusses the office space of the future. It was written in 2000, so funny enough, many of these ideas exist today in companies like Google. The author even writes, “workers might find themselves in a tentlike structure,” just like the A3 picture here. Really it’s all about making the office more interactive, otherwise what would be the point of having an office at all. Consider the fact that we can all work remotely it only makes sense that the office will be the place to share ideas. If you want privacy head to Starbucks, they probably have WIFI and chances are it will be more private than your open concept, tent city office.
June 25th, 2007
Electronic Arts Cube
by gscott [permalink]
My Cube (Mouse Over for Details)
Originally uploaded by zenrender
Even Electronic Arts has cubicles! They are one of the most progressive companies when it comes to technology and recruiting, however this is what office designers always resort to. Over the next few days I will be looking for office designs that are more innovative. I am sure his PC is maxed out!
