Talking about office space and interior design, it is hardly possible not to mention the name Q Space, a design consultancy bureau widely known for its workspace projects. Established in 2006, Q Space represents a pioneer in design that has made a particular impact in propelling workplaces in the country into more comfortable zones to be productive in. With more than 20 years of experience in the field of design, Prapanca Muchtar explains many things about the office design concept and the current trend in office space which is thoroughly influenced by the culture of today’s young generation.
PHOTOS BY: Bagus Tri Laksono & Q Space
Can you explain a little bit about Q Space?
Almost 90% of our projects are office buildings, both for local and multi-national companies. The industries that we serve are also varied, from financial, oil and gas, information system to telecommunication. It is established in 2006 and at the moment 13 designers of various backgrounds are employed here, mostly from interior design and architectural backgrounds. Along the way we have been awarded with 3 design awards, from local and international.
To this day we have handled about 100 clients.
Can you explain about the development of the office concept from the past to this day?
The major problem of building an office is the escalating price of land. For large companies in Jakarta, an office means a space in the CBD area, and its price is getting higher and higher. It means an office needs to have the right concept to ensure optimal use of space but still fulfills the required standard for a workplace, and even better than before, if possible.
At the moment the approach to workplace planning does not only end in functional problems or in the arrangement of space program based in organizational hierarchy but it is stressed on these notions: a workplace to support the dynamics of company, a workplace to support new ways of working, a workplace that is aligned to corporate value, a workplace to support productivity and a workplace to support team work.
How do you implement this?
The word many people use at the moment is ‘Agile Workplace.’ This is a concept that puts forward sharing spaces instead of individual spaces. The points include: no assigned desking, shared facilities and filing, assigned storage cubby holes/lockers for personal items, a variety of open plan teams and collaboration places, pods for concentrated working.
From our experience the application of this concept can save up to 20% of space, sometimes more. No less important, this concept can be more flexible when used to deal with the dynamics of organization in a company. But there should be a strong desire from the client to change its old work ethic into a more progressive one.
An office’s individual way of thinking that puts forward personal areas and their privacy should be altered into creating a communal area. But this is actually not a new concept! Globally, this concept has been around for a few years and it has been proven to be more in line with the changes of time and can also boost the work productivity of the employees. The work space as a whole can be more attractive because it is not merely filled with work stations but also a variety of configurations such as collaboration areas, pantry, library and other touchdown spaces.
What are the basic steps taken by Q Space when handling an office project?
The most important thing is our understanding about the client’s industry, company value, the desired work ethics and the current problems. From that data, the first step is to create a study to determine the right concept for their needs. After coming up with a concept, the next step is more technical, starting from the Fit Test to gauge whether a client’s space is big enough, Space Plan, 3D Studies, as well as determining the colors, materials and furniture and also budgeting. A good collaboration between the designer and the one giving the brief is essential in determining the success of the job, especially when we try to convince them about our design proposal. A designer needs to have a wide range of knowledge as well as a good communication skill set so that all of his concepts can be well-received and understood by the client.
A lot of people say that the most important aspect of interior design is the detail. Do you agree with this?
I think the quality of a design is determined by its details. If we can’t finish the details perfectly then our quality as a designer is not that good. The problem that we face, and have to be solved, is mostly concerned with details, for instance the space where the ceiling meets the wall—we have to find out exactly what the detail looks like there. Another example is when we want to combine timber and marble in a design, we have to know what the detail is like at the edging of the two materials. Those details have to be considered even to the smallest bit. So it is not enough for a designer to only create a good design with good room composition. In the end, how you manage the details is the benchmark of a good designer.
How do you bring together a client’s brief and the designer’s idea so both can be of the same opinion and agree to use a particular design?
The discussion process between the client and designer can be lengthy but obviously we always come to a client with a concept of our own. It means we don’t just show up, listen to the client’s demands and then translate them into a design. We always present the client with a suggestion, what the concept is like, what the background and space plan look like. For Garuda First Class Lounge, for instance, we suggested a more dynamic spatial arrangement, more fluid with a more organic layout. We also included some ideas about the furniture and carpeting. From those notions, we had some lengthy discussions. After about 10 presentations and more inputs by Garuda as client and from us as the designer, we came up with the current design. Thankfully it wasn’t too much different from the first concept that we submitted. That’s more or less the design process that we usually do.
In your opinion, which Q Space office designs are able to provide comfort for the employees?
Some examples of good office designs in our portfolio are Medco Energi, BII Maybank and the upcoming Telkomsel Head Office. Their modern concept represents the current trend in office design. All of the windows are open, which is the trend in office design today. Closed rooms are attached to the building core and therefore they do not block any windows or any other openings in the outside so that sunlight can freely enter the rooms. Actually a good view is everyone’s right because it has everything to do with employee productivity. Meanwhile, enclosed spaces that are attached to the core are covered with glass material so that those rooms can also have a view and natural light from the sun. For Medco Energi, all partitions are made with relocatable partitions. This is a system where, should the layout is altered in the future, all of the existing partitions can be taken out and salvaged. There will be no dismantling of the partitions that will cause much wastage because everything can be re-used.
Is that the current trend in office design?
The trend is still largely determined by the culture of the company itself, for instance what kind of work structure they are looking for. The current design can provide various options regarding the shape of the workplace that suits a company’s work structure. It’s optional whether you want to work within a ‘traditional’ or a ‘progressive’ environment. I’m sure each company is always seeking ways to improve the performance of their employees, which means they have to find new approaches in designing their workplace. It is unfortunate that there are still many companies that find it hard, or even unwilling, to make changes in the concept of their work environment. Perhaps it is because they have been in their ‘comfort zone’ for so long that change is hard to make. These companies are very traditional, very hierarchical and very reserved.
Why the changes in the first place?
People entering the work place at the moment are the younger generations who have their own culture. They come from the digital generation who refuse to be controlled to sit behind the desk from 9 to 5. They want to be free to express themselves. The kind of office many people are working on now is called the ‘agile workplace.’ Here, a work environment filled with workstations and cubicles are obsolete. Instead the working space is designed to be more progressive and more mobile—employees can work from any place they want. The atmosphere is also more casual. This is the destination that we want to reach, but again, it depends on the culture of each company. The workstation area is still available but it is reduced in size and is designed to be simpler. On the other hand, collaboration area is larger and is designed in various forms.
Does it mean that the basic concept is also changing?
An office is created based on the culture. If the work culture is ‘collaborate’ in nature and the employees get together a lot, then its office layout will be different from a work culture that is ‘compete’ in nature, where employees deal with tenders or proposals. Similarly, the office layout for a creative team should have more collaboration areas whereas for a more private function such as finance, the workplace should be more discreet and individual. So office at the moment is no longer made based on hierarchy but based on function or the nature of the job.
In which part of the office can luxury elements be applied?
Usually an office does not apply a luxury element, except in its Board of Directors Room. This is customary because it is the nature of the job, and also because the guests of the Board of Directors are usually VIPs. The room is usually more luxurious, more representative and bigger, although not over-sized. This is usually followed by the construction of a more opulent and more beautiful Board Meeting Room although these days meeting rooms are made smaller than before. In addition to size, luxury can also be applied in the selection of materials and furniture pieces.