Mobile partitions: well shielded
While offices are becoming agile working environments, they often lack places of retreat where it is possible to concentrate on the matter at hand. Therefore, flexibility is key for interior design of offices – and mobile partitions made from PLEXIGLAS® make these changes child’s play.
In a modern working world, open office environments aim to replace small individual offices to boost communication and collaboration – with open-plan offices now functioning as a meeting place. At the same time, places to retreat to are in greater demand than ever before. Fixed organizational structures are increasingly being dissolved and different agile teams come together for each task or project – and need a quiet environment for their work.
“Due to the increasing complexity and dynamism in the working world, working in interdisciplinary teams is becoming ever more important,” emphasizes Katharina Dienes. The scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO is one of the authors of the study “Teamwork and the Work Environment”. “The design of a working environment has a significant impact on the quality of the teamwork and should therefore be planned with care.” The number of teams spread out over larger areas will also grow in future.
Non-territorial office types promote flexibility
Non-territorial offices may be a solution: The employees have no assigned desk but instead look for a spot wherever they are needed in the morning and stay there for the next few hours, or even the entire day. This is a modern office type that is common in companies with flexible working time models, which place less importance on mandatory presence than traditional models. This trend has been reinforced by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Would you like to work in an office with flexible workspaces?
Our readers' assessment:
yes
no
Mobile partitions divide rooms as needed
It is now important to strike the right balance between openness and communication on the one hand, and quiet and concentration on the other. The different teams need an area in which they can share, develop and discuss ideas without interruptions. Therefore an open system, a modifiable office, is required to meet the constantly changing and evolving needs of its users.
Mobile partitions, such as those made from PLEXIGLAS®, can be used to adapt the existing space to different situations and purposes. Multifunctional and modular furniture and systems offer endless new, smart options here. This way, a few quick adjustments are all it takes to create new spaces for focused work.
0
PERCENT
of working time is spent on concentrated, silent work
These temporary spaces of retreat are also important because teamwork is more than just collaboration: 41 percent of the working time is concentrated, silent work, and this factor is also a result shown by the study. “The workspace needs to have the best prerequisites for productive individual work and teamwork to make the commute to work worthwhile for employees,” the authors state. At the same time, the office needs to “gain importance in its role as a source of inspiration.”
This means a modern working environment not only needs to become more mobile, flexible and collaborative, but it should also be designed elegantly and attractively to make the employees feel comfortable and allow them to work productively.
“Working in the office is a conscious decision, and one which is made again and again.”
“Compared to the work situation prior to COVID-19, the relationship of most employees to self-determined and location-independent work has changed,” states the study. “Working in the office (...) is a conscious decision, and one which is made again and again.”
Try it yourself:
Partitions with different colors, shapes and materials change the atmosphere of the room. You can test the effect here. Select the color, shape and material and see how the overall impression changes.
Mobile partition are masters of transformation
Partitions made from PLEXIGLAS®, the brand acrylic glass from Röhm, make child’s play of all these changes required for modern working life and allow for an individual design.
Whether colorful or in a subtle white, printed with motifs, glossy or matte, straight or curved – the partitions are available in many colors, shapes and with different surfaces giving them high visual variety. They can thus be adapted to any room and fit seamlessly into their environment. If desired, the partitions made from the brand acrylic glass from Röhm can also be illuminated, creating an elegant design element in the office.
The following applies for all PLEXIGLAS® variations:
- Extremely durable and break-proof
- Meet the legal infection protection regulations
- No health risks and odorless
- Fully recyclable if needed
- Neutral or in corporate design
- Stain-resistant and easy to clean
More on PLEXIGLAS® for hygiene protection
Room divider: A focus on hygiene
The (temporary) separation of individual areas in the office not only offers peace and quiet, but also meets the heightened hygiene requirements due to COVID-19. After all, the coronavirus pandemic has permanently altered the general perception of hygiene. In light of this, hygiene protection will clearly become an integral part of planning office facilities in the future.
Alongside flexibility, handling also plays a key role: Surfaces that are touched frequently need to be very robust and easy to clean, like the partitions made from PLEXIGLAS®. They combine hygiene protection with high-quality design and are highly flexible in their use – hanging, standing, freely movable or fixed as table or room dividers.
Privacy screen and hygiene protection in public
Their flexibility, easy handling and attractive design mean mobile partitions are not only suitable for open-plan offices, but also for showrooms, hotels and restaurants, as well as libraries, exhibition spaces and archives.
For areas with heavy public traffic, the special PLEXIGLAS® XT Antimicrobial variant offers increased protection with an antimicrobial surface. After all, the issue of hygiene will remain highly relevant in public buildings even after the COVID-19 pandemic: Partitions protect people in areas with high numbers of visitors from infection – whether in city halls and offices of local authorities, in doctor’s offices, in foyers and hotel lobbies, at meetings in conference rooms or during a consultation in a service area.
Well shielded – the “new normal”?
We are interested in your opinion
How important will mobile partitions become in the office and in public spaces?
Our readers' rating
