With over 17 years experience in business management and extensive experience in the building industry, specifically with building improvements, restoration and design in the greater Seattle market. Lorin Emtage is an entrepreneurial minded thinker with skillful coordination skills, creativity and an excellent ability to build long-term client trust and relationships.

1. DESIGNING SPACE THAT INSPIRES – LORIN EMTAGE
Why the workplace matters
The way a workplace looks and feels has an important impact on the way people feel and perform in the
space – and therefore on the success, or otherwise, of the organisation. Which is why businesses spend
considerable time and resources ensuring that the design and layout of their workplace is suitable for
both their organisation’s brand and culture, and the day-to-day needs of its users.
While it is the Google-style offices with their famous slides and meeting beds that make the headlines, it
is the more fundamental issues such as light, air quality, décor, layout, efficiency of technology and
availability of meeting spaces which have the biggest impact on the motivation, and performance, of
staff. And there is plenty of room for improvement. The Leesman Index of workplace effectiveness
suggests that just 54 per cent of respondents feel their workplace enables them to work productively
with 23 per cent claiming their workplace actually makes them unproductive.
Different types of work and people
Workplace design and use has fundamentally changed over the past three decades, driven by advances
in technology and increases in the cost of real estate. This has encouraged many organisations to reduce
the size of their property portfolios and adopt new ways of working. Many people no longer need to
travel to the same workplace every day, and sit at the same desks with the same people. Instead the
office is increasingly being seen as a place for people to collaborate, rather than engage in individual
work.
That’s according to the Leesman Index. While the majority of workplaces supported planned meetings
and confidential discussions, 36 per cent of respondents said that their organisation didn’t support them
when reading documents at work; 32 per cent were not supported for informal, unplanned meetings;
and similar numbers found telephone conversations and collaborating on focused work difficult in their
offices. The Leesman research also demonstrates a lack of quiet rooms to work alone or in pairs; and
both small and large meeting rooms. Clearly organisations need to take more account of the different
types of work being undertaken in today’s workplace and provide a variety of spaces to suit these tasks.
Different workplace elements
Temperature, air quality, lighting and noise levels are all cited as important factors in creating an
effective workspace. Organisations must work to get these factors right if they are to ensure employees
are working at their best.



Light - Where possible, lighting should be natural – one California-based manufacturing
company introduced skylights to improve natural light and saw productivity
increase by
5 per cent and absenteeism fall by 40 percent
Air quality - Poor air quality is linked to a number of complaints which are brought under the
umbrella term Sick Building Syndrome. Poor HVAC (heating, ventilation and air-conditioning)
systems are often to blame together with contaminants from some types of building materials,
ozone from poor ventilation of printers and photocopiers and gases including carbon monoxide.
Plants - Plants improve the quality of the air: they humidify the atmosphere as water evaporates

2. 



through their leaves; they absorb heat and noise; and they remove dust and pollutants from the
air.
Colour - The link between colour and emotional response and wellbeing in the workplace has
been well made by a number of researchers. A survey conducted by office products supplier .
Avery found that over 60 per cent of businesses believe they can improve staff morale and
motivation by adding colour to their work environment. When considering the office colour
scheme, care should be taken not just to elicit the right emotional and morale response, but also
to be in line with corporate branding.
Art - Many organisations choose to decorate their office walls with art. In addition to being
decorative, it can also have a positive impact on employees. Artwork doesn’t have to be
expensive. In the Google offices, people eat in a canteen adorned with artwork created by
Google employees.
Food and drink - What employees eat and drink at work has a big impact on their performance –
from mental clarity, to energy, stamina and productivity, food governs how well our bodies and
brains function. A staff restaurant on the premises allows an organisation not only to provide a
staff benefit but to help their employees eat more healthily and keep them on the premises. It
should also be open throughout the day to act as a meeting place and to provide healthy snacks.
Customisation - People like to have control over their workspace, whether that be the ability to
open a window, adjust the temperature or to have an input into the design.
Brand and culture
What all the good workspaces have in common is strong organisational branding to remind the
employee of both the organisation’s brand and messaging and culture. In addition to having the brand
reflected in the workplace, an inspirational space should also live the organisation’s culture and bring
their core business into the workplace.
Conclusion
A well- designed and planned space can help to motivate the workforce and make people more
productive, and therefore the organisation more successful, whatever its size or aims. If you are
relocating your organisation or refurbishing your existing premises: engage your staff by involving them
in the process at an early stage; ensure your workplace reflects your brand and culture; take account of
different generational needs and personal preferences and provide space for different types of work
from private spaces to collaborative areas; stimulate thinking and creativity by taking advantage of
natural daylight and fresh air and different colours; introduce art and plants where appropriate and
think about the small things like baskets of fruit and provision of water. A good designer can incorporate
all of these points without adding significantly to the client’s budget.