Page 28 —
COLORADO REAL ESTATE JOURNAL
— December 3-December 16, 2014
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Construction, Design & Engineering
T
he idea of working in
relatively close quar-
ters with 20 (or more)
of your co-workers might not
sound like a recipe for produc-
tivity, but the practice known
as “benching,” or open plan
offices, has caught on in most
new offices around the world.
In fact, about 90 percent of
new workplaces are employing
the concept, the reason being
that these collaborative work
environments are designed to
encourage teamwork, com-
munity and communication
between employees.
Case in point: Upon comple-
tion in 2015, Facebook’s new
Frank Gehry-designed campus
expansion will reportedly fea-
ture just one large room, where
more than 2,800 engineers will
work in an open environment
with no divisions or individual
offices. An open layout like this
has the potential to promote
innovation through collabora-
tion, and increase creativity as
the company strives to bring
new tech solutions to market.
But not every office is like
Facebook. As with any design
plan, there are pros and cons to
benching. So how do you know
whether an open plan is right
for your office? Here are some
of the biggest pros and cons
(along with some creative solu-
tions) I’ve experienced as head
furniture guy at Jordy Carter
Furnishings.
First, let’s take a look at the
benefits of benching.
n
Increased collaboration,
communication.
In general,
employees report that in open
work environments, they feel
less closed off from their col-
leagues. They also find that by
essentially sharing aworkspace,
they become more accountable
and productive, have improved
office communication and have
more opportunity to learn from
their fellow workers.
n
Ease of reconfiguration.
The furnishings available for
today’s open office environ-
ments offer a greater variety
of configuration options to
accommodate different work
styles. This allows employers to
better maintain a high-perfor-
mance workplace that supports
both individ-
ual focus and
interaction.
For exam-
ple, we carry
a variety of
commercial
f u r n i t u r e
brands that
are tailored
to different
office needs,
allowing each
workstation
to
balance
focus and collaboration. The
Kimball Office products, espe-
cially, let the employer work
with their staff to customize
the shape, size and divisions of
each team’s unit with customiz-
able desks, panels, tables and
seating, allowing employees to
share tables and desks, but still
maintain private work areas as
needed.
n
Reduced real estate costs.
From a bottom-line perspec-
tive, an open plan office helps
employers cut real estate costs
by maximizing floor space,
reducing the need for walls and
office dividers, and decreasing
per-employee footprint. And
although less square footage
is required for each employee,
employees report feeling like
they have more space due to
the open layout.
So what is the downside
of benching? Here are some
common concerns and how
we’ve seen them successfully
addressed.
n
Lack of privacy.
When
a company is about to move
to an open plan, it’s natural
for employees to be nervous
about the potential lack of pri-
vacy from working too close
to colleagues. Plenty of space
between work areas can be
incorporated so that employees
can see each other, but interac-
tion mostly takes place in more
deliberate shared spaces like
conference rooms and break
areas. One of the cardinal rules
of benching is giving employ-
ees “office sightlines.” No one
wants to feel like someone is
sneaking up behind them at
their desk, so it’s important
to configure the work areas
to allow the employee to see
who is approaching their desk.
Offices also can establish virtu-
al “closed door” days for work-
ers needing to concentrate or
whose work styles necessitate
a more secluded work environ-
ment.
n
Too much noise.
Noise
is often cited as a worry, since
decreased panel heights and
common work areas increase
sound, temperature and pri-
vacy disruptions. However,
specialized flooring, central
screens, dampening panels and
office furniture all absorb noise
and vibrations, so the potential
for distractions can be greatly
decreased.
n
Not enough storage.
Even the concern of less stor-
age space can be remedied with
one-sided stations used against
walls with shelving, dividers
that double as sleek filing cabi-
nets, or common storage units
that also help break up large
shared work areas.
n
Accommodating different
work styles.
Employees who
wish to sit in more secluded
areas of the open floor plan can
create private spaces at table
ends, sit at two- to four-person
clusters or even use standalone
desks that are placed in com-
mon areas, while others who
prefer more interaction can
work at longer tables, six- to
eight-person clusters or in the
middle of common worksta-
tions. And employers looking
to mimic a more traditional
office-based layout can incor-
porate personal spaces, terrac-
es, screens, semidividers and
customized accessories that
break up larger work areas and
allow for individual tasks while
still maintaining the feel of a
benching work environment.
While benching certainly has
its benefits, it is important for
companies to make the right
choice for their own unique
space and situation. Ultimately,
the best thing you can do is
work with an expert who can
help you determine the ideal
layout for your company and
then provide you with the best
furnishings options to meet
your needs.
s
Kirby Carter
Principal, Jordy Carter
Furnishings, Denver
Colorado Group represented
the buyer.
Other News
n
A four-unit apartment
building in Boulder recently
sold for $14,320 more than the
asking price, an indication of
how hot the market is for rental
properties in that city.
“I believe we’re seeing a resur-
gence in these types of proper-
ties because, one, the multiresi-
dential rental properties have
been undervalued in this mar-
ket for a long time and, two,
the strong economy is allowing
buyers to invest greater sums
than we have seen since 2008,”
said
The Colorado Group
bro-
ker
Todd Walsh,
who represent-
ed the seller with The Colorado
Group’s
Scott Crabtree.
The 2,503-square-foot building
at 985 30th St. in the Aurora Ter-
race subdivision was listed for
$850,000 and sold for $864,320.
Built in 1960, it was on the mar-
ket for 35 days and went under
contract within seven days.
Logan Altman
sold the
property to
James Tyrell. Amy
LaBorde
of
Re/Max Alliance on
Walnut
represented the buyer.
Walsh also was the listing bro-
ker on two other multifamily
properties in Boulder that sold
within a short time frame. A
six-unit, 2,048-sf property at 654
Pearl St. went under contract
at $1.35 million within 11 days
on the market, and a 12-unit,
4,193-sf property at 298 Arapa-
hoe Ave. sold for $1.85 million
after 52 days on the market.
n
CBRE
has opened a satellite
office at 1600 Range St., No. 200,
in Boulder.
“Boulder has a bright future
and tremendous potential.
The amount of proposed new
construction and renovations
of existing properties reflects
this. We are excited because we
know the area will benefit from
having the resources and exper-
tise of the world’s leading real
estate services firm,” said
Chris
Phenicie,
senior vice president
with CBRE’s Office Brokerage
team.
“Boulder has always had a
strong tech presence with com-
panies like IBM, Ball Aerospace
and StorageTek, but over the
last seven years it has become
one of the top emerging tech
and advertising markets in
the country. Having an office
in Boulder increases our abil-
ity to serve the marketplace as
our clients expand within the
area,” added Senior Associate
Wade Wimmer.
s
