Why workplace design and workplace happiness go hand in hand

At the heart of a bustling office environment, a marketplace is a no-brainer. Just as a town square brings people together, a central, inspiring space creates a productive work environment where everyone comes to work with pleasure. Sophie Top, Interior Designer at Soulbricks, shares how she is redefining traditional office environments into a working village.

A central marketplace is essential for a vibrant office environment. How do you see that at Soulbricks? 

Meet and retreat. That’s the philosophy I put at the forefront of every project. It’s a philosophy that has proven its success on several occasions, and not only in terms of workplaces. Look at the village you live in, for example. Every village has a central square with a few cafés or other meeting places where people gather to tell stories and talk to each other. We translate this philosophy into our projects. No matter how big or small the property, we always try to integrate a central marketplace. 

Similar to coworking, that marketplace is a multifunctional location where there is room for casual meetings and where inspiring is central. That means we create a space where you can collaborate, flex work, have lunch, meetings, etc.

Further away from the marketplace, we create workplaces where you can work individually. Here we focus less on the inspirational aspect and good acoustics, lighting, ventilation and ergonomics are paramount. These are real focus places that are fully equipped.

What challenges are involved in creating such a working village? 

A lot of SMEs contact us to refresh their offices. Among them, many have corporate buildings from the 1980s with a landscape full of individual desks. Anno 2024, this is no longer necessary, although it can be a challenge to convince a business manager of this.

One way we do this is by pointing out the benefits of flexible working. As an employee, not every day looks the same. One day you need to work focused, the next day you need a meeting with your team. Moreover, companies no longer focus on activity-based working. Carrying out your tasks based on your personality is getting more and more attention, and then a working village is the solution. Everyone finds a place to work as productively as possible. 

Are there certain needs to integrate a marketplace?

Initially, you need to be open-minded and open to starting a change journey. Sit down together with hr and ask yourself: how can we change our workplace to improve the productivity and well-being of our employees?

In addition, clear communication to employees is important. Involve them up to a certain level in the process, because, after all, they are the ones who will use the offices intensively. 

What are the benefits of a central marketplace? 

A vibrant marketplace breathes life into your business. Inspiration bubbles up spontaneously, productivity increases and employee well-being gets a boost. You get a site that is alive and that people love to come to.

In the past, a cafeteria was often chosen to connect employees. A good idea, but that space was only used during lunch breaks. They were rooms with poor acoustics that were not inviting. By rethinking the square metres of your cafeteria and setting up the space as a marketplace where you can have lunch and work at the same time, you optimise the available space.

What sets Soulbricks apart in creating a working village? 

We think proactively from the start to shape and direct the change process. As soon as we have a clear picture of the workplace strategy, we make a feasibility study and calculate the costs. 

We then determine the needs per department and map all profiles to draw up an accurate plan. Once everyone is on board, we move on to the realisation.

And our cooperation with the customer does not stop there. Once everything is realised, we think about what steps the company can take to make optimal use of the marketplace.

In short, we guide companies and property developers from start to finisch in creating a working village in their offices. 

Do you want to turn your office building into a vibrant site? Our team will get to work for you. Contact us for a no-obligation consultation.