Just as the kitchen is the heart of the home, the breakout area is the creative hub of any workspace. In a time when we are spending more time than ever staring at screens, the chance to disconnect, however temporarily, can have significant productivity benefits. The workspace breakout area can act as a catalyst for collaboration, encouraging your people to share ideas and concepts, providing an environment for the fabled “watercooler moments”.
More time spent at a desk doesn’t necessarily mean more work produced. Expecting your people to remain motivated and focussed all day every day at the same workstation leads to a disengaged and unproductive team. By keeping your people mentally fresh and open, they can become more innovative and productive in their roles.
This change in environment can be the catalyst to inspire new concepts and paradigms for your staff. A well-designed social space with great breakout furniture is a fresh and inspiring environment that encourages your people to connect informally, building the social capital that is the basis of all collaboration. This space can also become a haven, providing your staff with a chance to refresh and recharge, ensuring that they remain engaged and focused throughout the day.
BE Offices
BE Offices are an award-winning serviced office operator, with nearly 700,000 sq/ft of workspace across the UK. We worked with office design & fit-out contractors Zentura to supply the loose and fitted furniture packages, including this stunning client lounge at their refurbished headquarters at 150 Minories. This space provides a central hub for all the users of the building to interact and collide, creating a diverse community that promotes innovation and networking.
Alteryx
Alteryx is a global leader in data analytics software with offices across the globe. Their cutting edge 24,00sq/ft workspace includes several amazing breakout areas, and ‘The Garden’ is no exception. The exposed ceiling increases the spacious feel and helps to create a relaxing, airy atmosphere. With a focus on natural wood finishes and biophilic design, the area encourages staff to disconnect from the pressures of the day job and recharge mentally, protecting wellbeing and guarding against burnout.
VCMT
VCMT is a leading global commodity trading firm, specialising in the global energy markets. When they relocated to an 11,000 Sq/ft workspace in Aldgate’s iconic 1 America Square, the breakout space was one of the key features of the design. Inspired by sporting heroes and cultural icons, the space features a variety of furniture and finishes. This breakout area provides a space for traders to disconnect and recharge and well and connect and collaborate.
Creating your Breakout Space
A well-designed breakout space can be a hub for bringing your people together and creating new and dynamic solutions for your business. While it can incorporate extravagant design and stunning features, it doesn’t have to. Through furniture, you can create a cost and space-effective breakout area that meets the needs of your people as well as the constraints of your budget.