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Incorporating Outdoorsy Culture in Offices

Great outdoors is making its way inside the office. We’re witnessing a tremendous change in the way building workstations were once created for only efficiency and are now working toward focusing on how design can elevate creativity and innovation for a fantastic office space interior design.

Companies are refocusing their efforts on people. This means that cubicles and more defined work areas are now phased out in favor of open spaces, more plants, and easy access to nature.

 

Breakout areas to relive in the lapse of nature:

More natural and open areas are being included in the typically more “stuffy” corporate environment as well. An approach to connecting to the outdoors and its ‘outdoorsy’ culture is to use figurative and literal references to nature. The Spheres, which opened recently at Amazon’s Seattle headquarters, pushed this notion to its logical conclusion. The space, which is open to all Amazon (AMZN) employees, has river and waterfall elements, as well as more than 40,000 plants, paludariums, and epiphytic trees, according to the business. Meetings can even be held in a tree house.

Figure 1: Amazon Sphere. Picture credits: Geekwire

Natural fiber curtains to cancel out outer noise:

There are many different types of curtains and drapes, but organic curtains and drapes are becoming increasingly fashionable. Cotton, wool, jute, bamboo, hemp, and other natural fibers are used to make organic drapes and curtains. These fibers are environmentally friendly because they are grown naturally and are easily recycled. Installing such window treatments helps to protect the environment and promotes long-term sustainability. This simple-yet-elegant sheer single curtain panel may instantly transform any office space’s windows. These aren’t just for show; they’re made of material that lowers the noise levels and lets in just the proper amount of light to brighten up your room while yet providing some seclusion. These are mainly used in large spaces like auditoriums with glass doors.

 

 

Outdoor natural furnishings for a sustainable office living:

During daylight hours, outside tables provide a designated location for staff to eat lunch or hold casual meetings. There are a variety of large and small tables to pick from, ranging from wooden outdoor tables to metal bistro tables. Employees should have access to outdoor seats, such as dining chairs, benches, Adirondack chairs, and gliders, to take a break or rest during a conference. Most outdoor seating alternatives are built of treated wood, allowing them to withstand damage from the elements such as rain and sun. To further emphasize the impression of being outside, a few items of outdoor furniture such as chain-link swing chairs can be incorporated into the interior.

 

 

Huge boxy tables of rammed earth:

As soon as you walk inside the office, one might want to see allusions to nature that include massive boxy desks built of rammed earth. So, what does it mean when the furniture has a rammed earth texture? The desk’s bottom half is made up of rammed earth strata. In the picture below, the foreground is silica, while the river and mountain depictions are hand-dyed sand. Powdered glass, which is similar to oil paint, is used for the sky hue that reflects a lot of radiance. These are furniture inventions that are not only inspired by nature but also incorporate natural elements in them.

 

Figure 2: Designer Fernando Mastrangelo debuts new furniture made with sand, silica, cement, and glass.

 

Huge glass windows for sunlit spaces:

Private conference rooms, reception area, kitchens, telephone booths, and a business auditorium are all contained inside boxy volumes that sit aside from the building’s shell. Auditoriums can incorporate glass doors that can be pushed back to create the impression of being outside. They provide sufficient sunlight in the room for working professionals to feel warm and comfortable during wintery dark days. Rather than attempting to conceal the structure, as we might in a less fascinating project, replacing columns with rooms and wall partitions with glass doors may be a better option.