Breakout Spaces

Breakout space design has often been thought of as just a space for staff to take a break, relax and recharge their batteries. This thinking is officially past its use-by-date! In today’s modern workplace it’s becoming an increasingly important area, designed to create multi-functional work areas that can be used for informal meetings as well as collaborative work.

The breakout space design should support spontaneous meetings – significantly reducing the demand on the traditional meeting rooms. This can reduce delays in projects and decision-making due to meeting rooms not being available when needed.

Some key breakout space design points to help foster high levels of creativity and collaboration in your workspace include:

Colour: Giving your employees a chance to simply look at a different colour has the effect of stimulating different senses, giving them a fresh outlook on the task at hand.

Seating: Providing bar stools, a sofa or something that is dramatically different to the operator seating within the office environment provides a break in the way they sit, affecting their ability and clarity of thinking.

Use: Ensure the breakout space supports intended use, for example does it need power points for laptops, white boards etc. Also what levels of privacy are required or can it be located in a busy part of the office?

About Outline Design

Outline Design is an established commercial interior design firm based in Auckland, New Zealand offering the full range of interior design services. To find out more contact us.