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The Fourth Corporate Real Estate Leadership Forum sponsored by Jones Lang Wootton on Nov 19, 1998, in Armonk, NY, focused on the need for innovativeness in office building design and layout. Corporate real estate executives have to be able to convince chief executives on their knowledgeability of how a business unit functions through their proposed work space designs. They have to imbibe the mission of the company and create an environment that would tap employees' talents and enhance productivity.

'I have known the inexorable sadness of pencils,'' begins Theodore Roethke's ''Dolor,'' the best poem in English about the grayness of the office. ''All the misery of manila folders and [...]

The growth of mobile technologies and the development of flexible working has important implications for the design of the working environment. If you are reading this article in an office, […]

A growing number of companies are adopting open office plans, a concept originated by a German group of management consultants in the mid-1960s. These companies are changing to open environments not only to save on operations costs but, more importantly, to reap long-term benefits such as productivity and efficiency. Although executives are expected to resist such changes in office layouts, analysts predict that very few companies will have traditional offices by the start of the 21st century.

The office has become anywhere people can plug in a computer. That new worker flexibility is leading to changes in the traditional office environment design aimed at encouraging teamwork and […]

Non-territorial offices have emerged in the 1990s as a flexible alternative to conventional fixed-space workstations. The design should be tested prior to implementation and works best when adapted to corporate culture.

Non-territorial offices wherein exclusive work stations are not provided for employees was studied in seven companies in the US, UK, Europe and Japan. There are various office designs in the different firms such as cellular offices, standardized sytems furniture workstations and home and garden concepts. The non-territorial office concept was adapted to reduce space requirements, increase productivity, enhance teamwork and increase cost savings. Implmentation is usually done by senior management. It is suggested that the staff ahould also be consulted in developing an integrated design for acceptance and efficiency.

A survey of working practices at IBM UK revealed changes in office use. The survey, part of the Space, Morale and Remote Technology (SMART) programme, revealed that managers spent less than 40% of their time in the office. Working at client sites and at home is increasing as a means of maximising client comtact. The survey resulted in changes to office design incorporating shared desks, more quiet and group rooms. Common rooms and space for business partners have also been included. The changes have been well received by staff and have increased productivity while reducing space requirements.

Innovative ways of using technology and space helped Coopers & Lybrand to meet the challenges of changing technology, meet clients' needs, and accommodate corporate growth. To Michael France, the time […]

Replacing the tradition office with an open environment linked by computers can cut real estate costs and increase productivity. But if it's not designed right, it can create chaos as [...]

SMARTER THAN THE AVERAGE BUILDING High tech is both a label for an architectural style and for buildings of sophisticated performance. If it is performance that you are interested in [...]

Companies are making the most out of smaller spaces with innovative design concepts. Collaboration. Mobility. Flexibility. These concepts are redefining the world of office design -- and several Northeast Ohio [...]

Area experts offer tips on office design for the 21st century Q: What should a company consider when furnishing its offices? A: 'When they are looking at the furniture, most [...]

Corporate America has caught the design bug, and the traditionally miserable office cubicle is coming alive with high design Companies like Jupiter Research arid SFX Broadcasting are furnishing their corporate [...]

If you're fed up with your office or home surroundings - change them whenever you like! This building turntable (US614568) can be incorporated into an existing building and is light [...]

As workplaces relax their corporate dress codes, many companies are giving their offices a less formal look as well. Gone are the big windowed corner offices for top executives. Instead, [...]

'Great creative should win out over unyielding strategy at every opportunity,' declares Bob Kuperman, president and CEO, TBWA Chiat/Day, Los Angeles, the advertising agency that has given birth to some [...]

DESIGNED BY AYSE BIRSEL, founder of Olive 1:1 (One to One), Herman Miller's new office system, Resolve, was a hot-ticket item at NeoCon--that is, if you could penetrate the company's […]

OHIO BUREAU OF MOTOR VEHICLES There are those who deny any relationship between work environment and productivity. But you won't find them at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles in [...]

Steelcase Inc., an office furniture manufacturer, recently opened a new headquarters employing techniques in office lighting and acoustics. The open-plan office utilizes task and ambient lighting for visual comfort, and a sophisticated mixture of masking sound and Muzak. Managerial offices requiring confidentiality were enclosed with full-height partitions.

Many advanced technologies in systems furniture applications and facility design are incorporated and showcased at the newly renovated and expanded headquarters of Westinghouse Furniture Systems, Grand Rapids, Mich. With the [...]

The design of work spaces should be revolutionized to reflect changes in corporations. The old design stereotypes, such as stratified floor plans and cubicles surrounding a core office, are no longer suitable for the integrated corporate environment of the late 1990s. A good example of an office that had gotten rid of conventional designs to create a streamlined look is the headquarters of British Airways. It sports an open, transparent and integrated layout reflecting a shift from bureaucratic systems to globally-oriented management.

MOST new head-office buildings are designed to impress from the outside: the soaring tower, the sparkling fountains, and so on. But the newly opened corporate headquarters of British Airways, five [...]

Besides the skin-tight unitards and the flying cars, the Jetsons also had it wrong in the areas of office layout and management hierarchy in the future. Rather than having middle [...]