Evolution Of Office Walls By Maispace

By Author: Mel Joelle
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What goes around comes around is a tired cliché that can take many meanings including those implied by others - everything old is new again and history repeats itself.

These phrases can apply to office walls which in early workplace designs signified private offices occupied by management, or suits as depicted in the 1987 classic The Secret of My Success starring Michael J. Fox. The private office - floor to ceiling walls, a window, a door with a private secretary positioned close outside - was a symbol of success in the business world.

With the advent of the cubicle and the trend toward open office design full-walled offices were seen by many as a hindrance to collaboration - to the entire staff working together in solving problems or creating new products and services. Occupants felt isolated from the action taking place outside their walls. In many businesses walls fell from favor.

But not totally. Office planning for today's multitasked workplace environment requires a blend of workspace layouts and floor plans to accommodate personnel employing a wide range of skill sets. Experience, sometimes ...
... painful, has taught us that there is no one solution to a workplace design. Instead, spaces must be tailored to the tasks being performed.

While open offices remain as a popular design concept, there are clearly instances where privacy enhances job satisfaction and productivity, says Mark Bassil, co-founder and vice president of MAiSPACE, a Mt. Olive, NJ, based manufacturer of modular office furniture systems. Open office designs can prove their worth in teaming and collaboration workspaces such as in a call center or advertising agency. Open offices are definitely not a solution where the lack of privacy is counterproductive or where meetings with staff and clients require isolation from the distractions of general office activity.

The result of this experience is a blend of open plans and private full-walled offices.

Construction techniques have changed significantly since the ‘50s and ‘60s when monolithic walls comprised of plasterboard screwed into metal or wooden studs firmly attached to ceilings and floors were the rule rather than the exception. Another option was floor to ceiling metal panel segments likewise firmly attached to structural elements. High cost and inflexibility characterized walls provided by these methods, Bassil says. Any change to an office layout became a major undertaking causing widespread disruption to the smooth functioning of the business. Companies such as MAiSPACE have responded with modular full wall systems.

Modular Full-Wall Systems

Modular wall systems are a key element to solving privacy issues in today's workplace, Bassil says. The dirt, disruption and disposal challenges resulting from initial construction and remodeling have evolved to modular panel segments that can be moved or reconfigured overnight at one-third the cost of earlier designs. They are attached to floors and ceilings using non-destructive fasteners to assure no damage will occur to carpeting or ceiling tiles, and they fully integrate with MAiSPACE open office modules to provide a harmonious visual appearance across the office landscape.

Privacy issues are accommodated by using low-sound-transmission solid or double glass panels that provide up to a 32 - 35 STC (sound transmission coefficient) rating. Structural elements liberally enhanced with colors, textures, coordinated work surfaces, cabinetry, shelving and technology support typify the new worker-friendly approach to movable full-wall office systems. Supplementing these desirable features are those relating to accommodating reconfigurations typified by the moves, adds and changes (MACs) characteristic of today's constantly changing workspaces.

These movable wall systems incorporate standards-compliant cable management systems for voice, data, Internet and video requirements as well as for electrical requirements. Work surfaces, computers, printers, storage bins, shelving and other interior elements can be positioned at will by occupants. As needs change these offices can easily be reconfigured as conference or special purpose rooms or moved completely to another location.

An Affordable Solution to Full-Walled Offices

MAiSPACE revolutionized the contract furniture industry by offering superior quality modular office systems at price points averaging 40% below some of the oldest names in the business. Unencumbered by outdated manufacturing techniques, we're able to completely furnish offices of any size at prices from $12 - $15 per square foot installed, Bassil reports.

Other economic advantages include free AutoCAD and GIZA design software to ensure that furniture and floor plans are virtually fault free, fast installation supervised by on-site MAiSPACE personnel, a lifetime guarantee and warranty against obsolescence.
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