When you’re looking for that perfect space for your team, considering non-traditional buildings and areas can boost employee satisfaction and productivity levels more than traditional workspaces.

TenantBase has found four industrial and warehouse office design trends for 2018 that will help widen your search horizons and create a functional and flexible work environment for your team.

More Employee Activity Space

When choosing an industrial workspace, being aware of the benefits of employee activity spaces will help guide your search.

Employee amenities like basketball hoops and volleyball nets can create greater levels of staff satisfaction and are quickly growing in popularity. Having a place where your team can blow off some steam and build community in the workplace will increase morale and lower stress levels.

In 2017, Rap Interiors saw more companies “moving away from conventional working practices in a bid to boost productivity.” Activity Based Working, or ABW, gives employees the choice in how and where they want to work rather than being tied to a cubicle.

A variety of ‘work zones’ are provided within the working space that are designed in mind with specific functions and environments to increase productivity and teamwork. These ABW zones might be configured towards individual or collaborative work, creative brainstorming, or making private phone calls.

Acoustic Design

Sound levels in open flex/warehouse spaces can be significantly higher than the traditional office space. To combat those loud noises, design with lots of rugs, wall art, and other sound-deadening objects in mind.

Third party soundproofing companies like Autex, have experience in taking industrial spaces and transforming them into A-grade office spaces. Autex used their product, Autex CubeTM, to improve acoustic performance as well as being a pleasing design feature throughout the office space.

When global design firm HOK looked at the Top 10 Trends Influencing Workplace Design, they found that “office acoustics contribute to performance and well-being in the workplace. To support complex knowledge work, many people seek out quiet places. The ability to have planned or spontaneous interactions without disturbing others is important for teamwork and relationship development.”

“In environments with white noise, or sound masking, employees report improvements of up to 38 percent for the performance of simple tasks and 27 percent for complex tasks.” HOK also recommended weaving office layout, flooring materials, walls, ceilings, and behavioral protocols all together to improve sound levels as a whole.

Industrial Elements in the Office Area

Have an eye for the more cosmopolitan qualities of design aesthetics? Instead of standard office decor, industrially designed workspaces are becoming a more prominent design trend due to their urban, exposed, and modern qualities.

Some key elements of industrial design include brick walls, hanging pendant lights, graffiti signage, and exposed ceilings. Often, these design characteristics are already present in warehouses and other types of industrial buildings. Choosing to include versatile and aesthetic elements that fit in with an industrial atmosphere will lend themselves to creating a cohesive environment.

Many companies in conventional workplace environments have also turned towards implementing more industrial-type pieces like pendant lights and brick-effect wallpaper to increase their aesthetic appeal.

Creative Space on a Budget

Pursuing innovative office space solutions can be difficult when wading through the standard workplaces available. In cities like San Diego, demand for traditional office spaces has far surpassed supply. In order to leverage what is available in an economically booming city, some companies have begun leasing industrial spaces and converting them to suit their creative needs.

Traditional industrial spaces and warehouses can be adapted to provide the creative and flexible office designs that work for you when you’re on a budget. Often, not much construction is needed to transform an industrial or flex space into a creative environment.

While adding lighting and HVAC can present challenges and costs depending on the type of building, if you are looking for a more open layout with high ceilings you may be saving on renovation and design costs as a whole. Whether you choose to separate the office and warehouse areas with sliding barn doors or keep them open in a flexible office/warehouse environment, the industrial location keeps the rent lowered on potential workspaces.

Whether you choose to dive head-first into the industrial world and create your perfect creative workspace in a warehouse, or find a more traditional building that has incorporated elements like hanging lights and brick wallpaper into its design, TenantBase can help you find your ideal office space.