Designing your office infrastructure

If you are designing the layout of a new office or you are reconfiguring an office then there are many things that need to be considered and the whole process requires a lot of thought.

As there are so many aspects to consider you need to make sure that you are getting things right from the initial stages. The initial stages of your planning should focus on the areas of lighting and power as these two factors can make a real difference in having a successful office layout.

Lighting in an office is necessary in order to create a suitable working environment and for employees to be able to carry out their tasks properly and efficiently. You don’t want to find that people are struggling to work as a result of poor lighting as this not only reflects badly on the company but can also damage the productivity of employees. For this reason you need to be certain that enough consideration has been given to lighting at the planning and designing stages.

There are various types of lighting set ups that you could have installed in an office depending on what the office is used for and the number of people who use it at various times. It is possible to install lighting which works using motion sensors which means that lights will only come on when they are needed.  This can be particularly useful in a large office where certain parts may not always be in use or if some employees are working late and there is no need for the whole office to be illuminated fully. As well as using motion sensors you can also install dimmers and control units which let you program different settings depending on what the office is being used for.

In modern offices there can never be too many power sockets as office workers now use more and more equipment. It is essential that workers are able to access power distribution units as and when they need and don’t have to run extension cables under their desks. There are different ways to provide adequate access to power and you should consider what the needs of those working in the office are going to be and then find the right solution. It is possible to have power boxes fitted in the office floor under desks so that it is easy to plug in computers and equipment.

This type of power distribution unit works particularly well if the office is rather large with desks in the middle of the room and away from any wall sockets. Another type of power unit is wall power sockets which can be installed along the walls of the office at appropriate heights making sure that there is access to power at the edges of the office space.

If you get these two basic aspects of your office design right from the start of your planning then it will help to make the rest of the design process easier and should avoid any unexpected problems in the future.