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26 / BUILDING DIALOGUE / March 2020 ELEMENTS Interior Design Manifesting Design Solutions that Address Societal Shifts While on a Tight Budget: Multifunction Plus Flexibility O ur world is ever-changing, and we are in constant transformation and adaptation. Office design is no exception. As interior designers, we are always searching for inno- vative and transformative ideas to make our project environments both efficient, adaptive and creative. But we must acknowledge that the solutions of yesterday, no matter how successful, may no longer apply to today’s use of space andhowwe need to work and live. How do we keep up with these solutions and trends without shifting from one extreme to another? Can we manage this evo- lution while accommodating a level of flexibility that doesn’t lose sight of project budget? Of course, we can! Over thepast fewyears, theacknowledgement of the importance of work-life balance has only increased. There are countless studies of working environments that show the physical and mental health benefits of having access to natural light, creative spaces to play, and quiet areas for occupants to recharge. Spaces for people to socialize canhelp foster strong interpersonal connections between teammateswhere building trust and respect are so crucial. Quiet rooms and spaces for individual work create a positive impact on our men- tal focus, mood and comfort, allowing employees to be more effective during theirworkday. As interior designers, we are tasked with not only creating these new and innovating environments but doing sowithin the financial restrictions of our clients. How can we account for work-life balance in our de- sign and still allow for plan flexibility to accommodate future shifts? We have to carefully balance the current needs of a company against their future growthand to- day’s quickly changing technology market. One of the best ways to do this is to create spaces that are multi- functional with flexible components. For example, a common solution is the operable demising of rarely used larger conference rooms or training rooms into more frequently used smaller meeting rooms. Another example is the planning of similarly sized spaces that can accommodate different uses over time. This could mean that small meeting rooms can become offices, wellness rooms or can be split into single user phone rooms as needs change with minimal impact to infra- structure. Because many of these spaces are open or multipurpose, typically they canbe easilybe converted to accommodate change and are inherently economi- cal. Companies are discovering that not only are these uses the right solutions to increase productivity but that they can increase long-term employee happiness and decrease turnover by accommodating multiple workstyles while simultaneously accommodating fu- ture expansion and growth. Planning on meeting a tight budget can be one of our biggest challenges. Along with meeting the needs of employees and being flexible, many clients simply don’t knowwhere to start – and that’swhere architects and interior designers can truly guide the process. De- termining the most important aspects of the space, or Angela Harness Senior Interior Designer, Kestrel Design Group Lounge spaces within open offices easily can be con- verted into an open meeting area or more workstations as companies continue to grow. Many clients are now looking at “all-hands” lounge areas that accommodate all employees at once instead of using traditional board rooms.