Week 12 - Design, Materiality, and Performance

Steelcase has done some research on how to create inspiring spaces for work, and their findings are found in their article “Design,Materiality + Performance Inspire at Work.” The question Steelcase asked was - what makes people choose to work in one space over another? The basic answer for that question is that employees seek out spaces that allow them to feel comfortable, help them think better, and support their ability to solve problems. The way we as designers can create these spaces for employees is through design, materiality, and performance.

The design of your workspace should focus on the wellbeing of people by allowing them choice and control over how and where they get their work done. Combinations of social spaces, focus spaces, and collaboration spaces allow employees to choose the environment in which they can complete their work. These choices drive overall work performance of employees everywhere.

Many people view materiality as being simply decoration or as being superficial, but it’s much more than that. The materials you wear every day represent who you are as a person, and the same concept applies within workspaces. When we look at materials, we focus on color, texture, and pattern, but we also assign the different materials meaning, relevance, associations, and performance. Through just looking at a material, we can decide how it makes us feel. When we design workspaces, we need to design using materials that allow employees to feel a connection with where they work.

Designing for performance is also necessary in the workplace. It isn’t enough to just use sofas and chairs – these pieces of furniture need to be able to support a variety of postures. Access to power and worksurfaces is also necessary, because employees need to be able to do work wherever they are. Not only this, but the materials used for upholstery need to withstand frequent cleaning – especially in our clinic environment.

As you can see from this research as well as research from weeks past, there is so much to keep in mind when designing any sort of workplace. I feel as though, because of this complexity, no one design can really be “the best”. Each different design presented meets the goals of the client and fulfills their needs and wishes in different ways. Now, of course, I enjoy my design and the steps I’m taking in completing the goals of the NEXT project, but I also love seeing how everyone else is meeting these same goals – we’re all pretty awesome.

The elements I enjoy most about my design would have to be the amount of effort I put into creating an abundance of smaller spaces within a larger area. I have created areas for impromptu meetings, focus work, spaces for confidential information, relaxation areas, collaboration spaces, and even spaces that can open up and become connected to a larger area. It is very important to me to be able to provide a space for each employee to feel inspired and driven to perform well in their field. I also enjoy the biophilic elements that I have incorporated into my ceiling design. Suspended trellises will allow for plants to grow not only on floors and walls, but also on the ceiling. It is my hope that these trellises will provide sound absorption, as well as a sense of comfort and tranquility through the presence of nature. This concept of biophilic design is also evident in my material choices. For flooring I chose different types of wood, stone, grass green carpets, as well as dark carpets with a natural pattern. For upholstery I stuck with patterns that had nature-inspired designs, such as wavy lines, honeycomb patterns, rhythmic lines, and circular patterns. I believe that, by the end of this project, my design for the NEXT clinic will provide a very relaxing, inspiring workplace for employees as well as a joyful, encouraging clinic for patients.