Office Space: How Open is Too Open???

I hear this all the time… “What should my concerns about ‘open’ office space?”  Or, “…is this design too ‘open’ and should I be worried about privacy?  Where is the happy medium and what have you seen done Chris?”

Great questions… and this seems to be the question that is on the precipice of many decision-makers’ minds when designing a modern, collaborative office space.

Shane Ferro, a business reporter for the Huffington Post wrote a great article that articulates many of the concerns and directives companies (and employees) are addressing today.

Long answer short: I don’t think there is a blanket design that factors in for EVERYTHING.  However, I have learned that everyone needs personal space… of some sort-  whether that’s a dedicated landing area, a room to sequester yourself to when needed, or something similar.  My experience has been that those groups that DON’T provide some type of private space generally end up meeting the demand and spending more $$$ to add it down the road.  I’ve worked with groups like Pluralsight and others on their super-progressive space and finding the perfect blend seems to always be key.