How to design a productive office

A productive office is not the one with the most striking reception. It is the one where people can concentrate, talk when they need to, see daylight and find a place to take a call. These are the decisions that matter most, drawn from the office floors we have fitted out in Westlands, Upper Hill and Kilimani.

Get the density right

In Nairobi offices we plan 6 to 8 square metres per person in open-plan areas, including circulation and shared space. Below 5 square metres, noise and interruptions climb sharply. A 200 square metre floor therefore comfortably holds 24 to 30 people, not 40. If headcount is growing, plan hot desks rather than squeezing fixed desks closer together.

Treat noise as a design problem

Bare concrete slabs, glass and tiled floors reflect sound. Acoustic ceiling tiles, carpet tiles in the open areas and fabric panels on at least one wall per zone make an immediate difference. Meeting rooms need solid or acoustic-rated glass partitions and a door that seals. Budget for at least one phone booth per 12 people; it is the most used space in every office we have built.

Put people near the windows

Desks belong along the glass, with meeting rooms, storage and the server room on the internal side. Westlands towers often face west, so specify blinds that cut glare without blacking out the room. Where daylight does not reach, use 4000K linear LED lighting at desk level rather than scattered downlights.

The two rooms everyone forgets

The kitchenette and the quiet room. A kitchenette with a proper counter, fridge, water and a table for six becomes the social centre of the office and takes pressure off meeting rooms. A small quiet room with a sofa, no screen and a door is used for focused work, prayer, nursing mothers and difficult phone calls, and costs very little to include.

Brand lightly

One signage wall at reception in the brand colour, the same colour on a few upholstered pieces, and neutral everything else. Offices painted wall-to-wall in a brand colour age badly and photograph worse.

Phase the work

If the team is already in the space, we fit out in zones and do noisy work after 6 pm or on Saturdays. A 24-desk office can be completed in four to five weeks this way without a single lost working day. Our office interiors service starts with a headcount and a move-in date; the plan follows from those two numbers.