18 Apr 6 Tips To Successfully Navigate A Rapid Office Expansion
With over three decades of facility design/build experience under our belts, we understand the need to quickly expand a workspace can spring up as unexpectedly as an urgent early Monday morning meeting request.
In this blog, we’re going to be delivering six indispensable tips for expanding your office quickly and efficiently. We’ll also dip into the benefits of working with a workspace design/build firm over working with individual contractors. Let’s dive in…
1. Get the experts on board early on
First things first, you’ll need to gather essential background information. This involves:
- Assessing your current and future space needs
- Evaluating your team size, business growth projections, and functionality requirementsEstablishing a realistic budget covering construction, furnishings, and fees
- Setting clear timelines and taking into account construction lead times and potential delays
Bringing a professional office design/build firm on board early can help lighten the load. A design/build firm helps you create a smart plan tailored to all of the above, while delivering evaluation, advice, design, architecture, construction and project management expertise.
2. Make your furniture as flexible as your WFH policy
One of the easiest ways to expand your office space on a short-term basis is to invest in flexible and modular furniture. This allows you to easily reconfigure your workspace as needed, accommodating changes in team size or layout without the need for major renovations until budget and timing allows.
Of course, investing in flexible furniture is a smart move. You may have just moved, or be in the process of moving, into a newly expanded office – and yet, company growth stops for no one. Who knows when you’ll need to accommodate more people again in future? Flexible furniture to the rescue!
3. ‘Tech’ it to the next level
Incorporating cutting-edge technology elevates efficiency and collaboration. Consider implementing smart office solutions, virtual meeting rooms, and cloud-based storage to streamline operations and improve productivity.
Our experience helping clients with their tech offering has seen us integrating smart office solutions, virtual meeting rooms, and advanced tech infrastructure seamlessly into the overall design scheme – and the results and feedback tell us it’s a sure-fire way to boost productivity and future-proof the space.
4. Be smart about storage
Clutter can quickly eat up valuable office space, making it essential to invest in the latest storage solutions – from vertical cabinets, mobile shelving units, and digital document management systems. All these elements work to free up space and keep your office organized.
Design/build firms have the knowhow for creating a space that ensures every inch of SF you have fires on all cylinders.
5. Make spaces multi-functional
To make the most of your office expansion, consider creating multi-functional spaces that can serve multiple purposes – from flexible meeting rooms to collaborative work areas (all-in-one). Designing versatile spaces is a must in today’s hybrid work landscape and allows CEOs to both maximize the use of the space while promoting creativity, innovation, and wellbeing. The reputation for being a great place to work that comes with that is an added bonus.
6. Be team-centric
A successful office expansion goes beyond physical space considerations and includes prioritizing employee wellbeing. Consider creating a comfortable and inspiring work environment by incorporating natural light, greenery, ergonomic furniture, and wellness amenities to support the health and happiness of your team.
To make sure the expansion will answer the needs of all your staff, we go one step further at RI Workplace. As part of our Workplace Retreat office design solution, we carry out questionnaires and our own evaluation to identify the many different personality types and learning styles within your company. Our subsequent design schemes are underpinned by these learnings to deliver results that bring out the best in all team members.
To sum up
We hope you’ve taken some inspiration from this blog. As discussed, expanding a workspace at speed demands a smart mix of foresight, practical nous, and expertise.
