Paragon Group offers consulting services for the office of the future
 | Paragon Group offers consulting services for the office of the future_approved | 45.5 KB | Download |
 Preview | Paragon Group Director Estelle Meiring | 703.43 KB | Download |
 Preview | 144 Oxford Road in Rosebank has been awarded a five star Green Star design rating | 24.97 MB | Download |
 Preview | 144 Oxford Road incorporates many elements specifically focused on occupant health | 7.58 MB | Download |
 Preview | A proposal for collaboration and social seating space at 16 Dartfield Road, Kramerville, Johannesburg | 6.61 MB | Download |
 Preview | A proposal for offices in Richmond, Cape Town | 8 MB | Download |
 Preview | An office building originally, Shell House is now residential apartments | 17.07 MB | Download |
 Preview | Shell House in Braamfontein, Johannesburg | 2.75 MB | Download |
 Preview | Shell House was repurposed very successfully | 16.87 MB | Download |
 Preview | Social distancing and other changes should be implemented in a positive, fun way to make staff feel relaxed and looked after | 21.65 MB | Download |
 Preview | Stairs can enhance a building, such as at 39 Commerce Crescent in Kramerville, Johannesburg | 2.57 MB | Download |
 Preview | Stairs offer a healthier alternative to potentially cramped lifts | 3.38 MB | Download |
 Preview | There is a definite trend towards virtual brochures to market existing and new properties | 3.41 MB | Download |
The first port of call for any company preparing their workplace should be the regulations laid down by the South African government, specifically the Covid-19 Occupational Health and Safety Measures in Workplaces (C19 OHS, 2020).
These regulations cover items such as density reduction, circulation, physical barriers, screening stations and functionality. Existing workspace should be evaluated to assess compliance and risk in relation to each of these elements. How densely staff are distributed in your office space will have a big influence on how costly the implementation measures will be.
If, for example, your return-to-work density will be 18.5 m² per person, you will probably be able to maintain safe distances between people by spacing them out throughout the office. If, however, your density will be 14.5 m² per person, you might have to install physical barriers or screens between desks. This is, of course, all dependent on your company’s specific layout and how it operates, and needs to be reviewed on a case-to-case basis.
With telecommuting and flexible working here to stay, business owners might find that, although they have less employees at the office at any one time, they also need more space per employee. “To a certain extent, I think we will be seeing a reversal of the last ten years’ trend of desk sizes reducing and densities increasing,” comments Paragon Group Director Estelle Meiring.
The emphasis of office space in the future will shift away from ‘a place to sit and work’ to ‘a place to communicate, collaborate and build company culture’. While the lockdown has shown us that we can work from anywhere, it has also emphasised, more than ever, that humans are social beings and need interaction with people to remain productive and positive. “I see the office space of the future housing a lot less traditional workspaces and a lot more couches and social seating, even if these seats each have their own fold-open writing desks,” predicts Meiring.
Issues raised by the office space of the future include: Can physical contact to shared surfaces be reduced, or even avoided altogether, by implementing things like censor taps, automated doors and cell phone controlled lifts? Where contact is unavoidable, should we rethink the materials that these surfaces are made of, as well as their texture and durability? “Certainly we are predicting that businesses will be incorporating a lot more stairs into their buildings to encourage people to use these for vertical circulation instead of cramped lifts,” points out Meiring.
Healthy buildings mean healthy workers, and healthy workers mean productive workers. “With the move towards more environmentally conscious design over the last decade, we have already seen a progression towards healthier building environments,” stresses Meiring. Tools used to rate building sustainability, such as South Africa’s Green Star Office tool, have put the spotlight on occupant health by awarding points to items such as a higher fresh-air exchange rate and building materials that do not emit unhealthy volatile organic compounds.
Generally there is a feeling that people want to ‘own’ a portion of workspace and be in charge of its hygiene. Although that cannot necessarily translate back to a cellular office for every employee, it might mean, for example, that every employee owns their own personal desk surface, something that can be clipped in and out in a hot-desking environment and remain for exclusive use by one person.
“Something else to consider is that employees need to feel safe and comfortable in their workplace. Even if you are complying with all government regulations, if your staff don’t feel relaxed and looked-after, they will be on edge and production and morale will suffer. Careful consideration therefore needs to be given to how changes are implemented and how they look and feel,” highlights Meiring.
Paragon Group offers a full package of consulting services tailor-made to specific needs. These range from assisting with new-office space-planning layouts that comply with government regulations to coming up with creative ideas of implementing social distancing and responsible work practices in a positive, fun way. On the architecture side, it can assist building owners with due diligences of their existing assets in order to come up with cost-effective ways of future-proofing buildings and improving marketability and desirability.
“We advise the client on what we believe makes the most sense from a long-term point of view for their asset. They will then take a view on the market and viability to make a final call. Although most of the buildings that we design are Green Star rated, we believe that all buildings, whether rated or not, should follow good design principles when it comes to orientation, energy and water efficiency and occupant health and comfort,” notes Meiring.
Future growth areas for Paragon Group post the Covid-19 crisis are interior space planning and design, as companies need to adjust their workspaces to the new environment; repurposing: finding creative ways to alter existing buildings to perform new functions, such as office buildings into residential; distribution centres; new-generation office buildings that offer flexibility and create healthier, more hygienic spaces; and education.
Traditional retail has taken a huge knock, with e-commerce expected to increase its market share considerably over this time. This means the requirement for less shopping centre space and more distribution centre space. “We are certainly in discussions with our clients to see how we can assist,” reassures Meiring.
“I believe that we will see a lot of repurposing of buildings over the next few years, and this is where we as designers can play a pivotal role. Of course, the property development sector is under strain in light of the current economic downturn and uncertainty in the market. We do believe, however, that new circumstances bring new opportunities for those who are willing to adjust and adapt creatively,” concludes Meiring.
Ends
Connect with Paragon on Social Media to receive the company’s latest news
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ParagonGroupZA
Pinterest: https://za.pinterest.com/ParagonGroupZA
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/ParagonGroupLinkedIn
Instagram: paragongroupza
Notes to the Editor
To download hi-res images for this release, please visit http://media.ngage.co.za and click the Paragon link to view the company’s press office.
About Paragon
Paragon, established in October 1997, is an internationally-active design business, based in Johannesburg. We deliver commercial architecture, masterplanning, interior design, and space planning to visionary clients in all property sectors, from retail to residential and education.
We are committed to global urban development. We are able and agile. Paragon is flexible and diverse in its approach to design. Each project is unique and not driven by style, but by lifestyle and a response to user needs. Elegant and efficient planning form the core of our designs. We understand the needs of our clients, and know how to generate ever new architectural forms in a competitive property market.
We are known for hands-on engagement with all opportunities present in the modern global building industry. The true measure of our skill is our ability to engage at all levels and with all players that make up the colourful world of construction and property development. Our buildings look forward. We embrace the future, because we will be a part of it – part of its problems and responsibilities, and part of its great freedoms and achievements.
Paragon Group Contact
Cindy Faux
Director
Phone: (011) 482 3781
Email: cindyf [at] paragon [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.paragon.co.za
Media Contact
Renay Tandy
NGAGE Public Relations
Phone: (011) 867 7763
Fax: 086 512 3352
Cell: 082 562 5088
Email: renay [at] ngage [dot] co [dot] za
Web: www.ngage.co.za
Browse the NGAGE Media Zone for more client press releases and photographs at http://media.ngage.co.za