A two storey office is particularly useful for businesses that carry out two or more types of work or services.
The ground level must be retained for business that needs frequent outings and or client visits while the top floor is kept for quiet business work. Keeping that in mind allot the ground floor for the reception, marketing, hardware services and administration and the upper storey for software development, accountancy or similar such work that needs quiet environs.
Keep ample passageways and proper stairways for foot traffic as well as during emergencies. Since the upper storey is connected mainly through the ground level it is mandatory to create fire escapes on the upper level too. Similarly both levels should have a conference room, pantry, water coolers and bathrooms.
Allocate enough space for various departments and their heads on each floor. Use similar wall colors and other décor elements to tie both levels together.
An office building can be constructed to house individual business ventures or to be let out to others for similar purposes. Most people rely on professional architects and interior designers. In case you plan to build an office from scratch it is best to seek professional guidance although you might have a good enough plan regardless of its size.
While designing an office ensure your plan allows for maximum use of natural light and a good green lighting system that will not run high bills. Since an office has more than one person working together at the same time space should be well planned to avoid chaos. Room dividers, office partitions and cubicles help detach areas on the basis of work or hierarchy.
Room for aisles and corridors is equally important. Harmonious yet conducive wall colors, décor elements and comfortable utilitarian furniture all help to further bind the space as one.
Marble has a beauty about it that few other stones can imitate. It is the epitome of elegance and adds astonishing poise to office interiors.
Marble is available in a variety of styles, types, grains and shades and is often considered a luxury by most people. However it has been in use for centuries for its durability and malleability although it requires a certain degree of caretaking.
Office spaces are recently being done up in marble as it is easy to clean, durable, longer lasting, heat and fire resistant and exudes poise and wealth specifically in the reception area.
Moreover marble is being quarried in large quantities in Italy, India and China among others making it available in bulk.
The beauty of marble is that it can be used in small quantities in flooring, countertops, design elements, foyers or even just reception areas to achieve a look of understated resplendence.
Prefab offices are the latest trend in office space construction. They are durable and less expensive options to regular constructions.
They work especially well as home garden offices, factory premise offices as well as within concrete offices. Prefab offices are essentially prefabricated modular structures that are available in standard sizes or can be made to size. Companies providing prefab offices also provide installation service among other help.
The prefabricated roofs, panels, floors and walls are readied at the factory and shipped as finished separate units ready to be installed. Some are so easy to assemble that they can be done by the users themselves thereby saving on time and extra cost of labor.
The site for assembly of prefab offices should have all preliminary plumbing and electrical requirements in place to make the job easier. Prefab offices today come in a range of shapes and colors that are sure to grab your attention.
Office spaces have not only gotten more expensive but also come with added issues of improvement and renovation costs that ultimately add to the expenses in the long run. The spiraling of the costs lies in the increase in the prices of petroleum products used in adhesives, carpets and contractor’s overhead.
The construction costs were known once but now they are facing the reality of greatly increased rents just to keep the owner’s return on investment. The dramatic increase in construction costs has made it difficult for the owner to avail the necessary TIA.
Because of this, office leases will become similar to the automobile leases where you don’t become aware of the final lease cost until summarization of individual office lease transactions. Cash contributions from the owners side towards tenant improvement has become limited due to this. It also results in owner’s bearing the burden of raised construction costs and the return on investment getting degraded substantially.
Globalization of most businesses has resulted in the need to buy, rent or lease office spaces outside of the country.
More and more business houses are looking for office space in some of the fast developing cities in China, India, Middle East as well as Europe and the United Kingdom. This has in turn increased the per square foot cost of office space considerably in the last few years.
Shanghai, Mumbai and Dubai alone are expected to add a significant amount of office space in the current year in comparison to the hot local markets within the United States. London on the other hand still holds pride of place among earlier mentioned cities with regards to cost of office space.
New York office spaces have seen a surprisingly low demand despite being the “big Apple” of America. The reason for this again is the need to expand to foreign shores.
