What Street Food in Bangkok Can Teach Us About Office Space
February 09, 2015
Having just got back from a terrific family trip to Thailand, I found myself comparing the street vendors to US office space. (I know, strange but in my world everything relates back to real estate).
From the culinary perspective, these street vendors are making some of the most fantastic food I have ever enjoyed using minimum space and the most basic equipment. Most stalls are equipped with a stove powered by a propane tank and a simple display to tempt diners.
Bangkok is famous for the variety of foods available from street vendors. By day, you walk down an ordinary street, unaware that a few hours later it will be lined with colorful food stalls serving up delicious meals to a noisy crowd. Around 20% of the Thai population lives in Bangkok, making multiple use of space a necessity. Space that can serve several functions or be re-purposed with speed is more productive space.
This parallels a trend in the US commercial office space (see Collaborative Work Requires Flexible Environments). Smart office design plans for and facilitates the multiple activities that will take place in the space. Here are three tips for getting the most productivity from your flexible workspace arrangement:
- Start by brainstorming all of the activities that will take place in the space. The more closely form and function are aligned, the more productive workers occupying the space will be. Determine if the planned change will positively impact specific business metrics.
- Spaces that allow workers to seamlessly integrate technology will result in the greatest productivity. A multi-use space needs technology that addresses all its uses: Wi-Fi, adequate electric outlets or charging stations and screens or monitors that can serve multiple uses and users. Keep in mind that technology changes faster than office design and plan accordingly.
- The elements that characterize the flexible workspace such as bright colors, moveable work stations, views to the outside and a free flowing environment, are highly conducive to creativity as well as productivity. Be sure to incorporate them into your plan.
Just like the food vendors along the streets in Bangkok setting up simple stalls and producing colorful, delicious meals, give an office worker the right tools and get out of the way, great things can happen.
What’s your experience with using flexible elements in your workspace?
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