By Scott Spector AIA, Principal, Spector Group
What interior architecture trend can save a firm or owner 30 to 50 percent in furniture costs per person, while also allowing 10 to 20 percent more people to comfortably occupy a given space?
If you said bench seating, then you are correct! Over the past five years, an increasing number of firms have embraced this design option.
In fact, more than half of our firm’s clients specifically bring up this popular seating arrangement in architectural programming meetings, either because they’ve heard about its benefits or have recently visited an office with it in place and were impressed by what they saw.
Bench seating is hardly a passing fad. What started off as a staple of trading firms such as Goldman Sachs or Merrill Lynch, social media firms such as Facebook, and graduate-level classrooms everywhere has quickly caught on with companies throughout the New York metropolitan area.
Today we are seeing a variety of users from across the country – advertising and marketing firms, hedge funds, private equity and financial services firms, publishing houses, art studios and, yes, even architectural firms such as our own – implementing bench seating systems in their offices and, no doubt, the trend is here to stay. While it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution, the fact that even law firms are starting to embrace the benching trend shows just what a versatile arrangement it truly is.
So, why has bench seating caught on at a rapid pace? Let’s start by discussing an obvious – and major – driver: cost. The economic shift of recent years has caused firms to become more bottom line-oriented.
Companies are looking at ways to contain occupancy costs by better utilizing office space, increasing density and reducing their footprint in the process. Benching allows them to fit more people on a floor than a typical six-by-six or six-by-eight L-shaped workstation, thereby realizing tremendous financial savings.
Then there are aesthetics. Today’s bench seating is sleeker and more refined than that of a decade ago. It can incorporate storage variations to meet the needs of busy office workers, whether it’s below the bench, in bins to the side of it, or in the form of movable, cushioned file centers.
Computers can also be mounted onto panels or screens that attractively and unobtrusively separate one work area from another. Furniture manufacturers are rapidly responding to the increased need for office benching systems by creating warmer, more comfortable alternatives. For instance, rather than industrial-strength laminate, countertops can be constructed of softer materials, such as fabric or acrylic.
An example of creative material use is the headquarters Spector recently designed in Far West Chelsea for Quirky.com, a company that takes user-submitted inventions and turns them into market-ready merchandise. The firm’s benching solution was as innovative as the company itself, putting to use custom recycled bowling alley tops to create an attractive, green and whimsical workspace for its employees and one that would foster the type of inventiveness the company prizes.
Speaking of which, a key selling point of benching is the open, collaborative environment it creates. For companies looking to increase interconnectivity between employees and encourage creativity, bench seating is an excellent option. By removing or limiting the high partitions that are the hallmark of a cubicle-centric office, a lower visual profile is instantly achieved and office workers and visitors can more fully take in the space’s beauty and architecture. This trend also falls in line with the more mobile, technology-laden workplace of today.
Wireless technology and flexible work arrangements mean less room is needed and that workers are typically spending less time seated at their desks or workstations. Arrangements can be customized for the end users’ needs, including side-by-side and face-to-face benching applications or limiting high partitions to the office perimeter, where senior management typically places its offices.
But what about privacy, many clients wonder? As an architect, I can assure them that a perfect counterbalance can be easily achieved. Space saved through benching arrangements can be mindfully converted into smaller conference rooms for meetings, private phone areas, larger coffee bars for discussions and open, collaborative areas for group projects.
Sprinkled strategically throughout an office, they create buffers within the open environment, achieving equilibrium between the need for open and closed-door spaces. Good acoustics can also be incorporated into the design, both in the choices of ceiling and flooring materials, or in the introduction of white noise to soften sound reverberations.
By working closely with a qualified, experienced architect, bench seating can be designed in a way that allows for future growth and flexibility. For instance, many of our building owner clients are utilizing benching in their pre-built spaces, thanks to high efficiency, low costs and, just as important, the looks. This multipurpose seating option can allow for transitions within an organization or management or adapted for expansion or a shift in user needs. Bench seating can come in all shapes and sizes, from straight lines to curved or semi-circular options, subject to a building’s floor plate and the needs of its occupants.
As proof that we wholeheartedly endorse the use of bench seating in offices, we are practicing what we preach. In fact, the new offices Spector Group is slated to occupy this summer, at 183 Madison Avenue, will boast sleek built-in storage, an abundance of collaborative areas and conference rooms and – you guessed it – plenty of modern bench seating for its design professionals and administrative staff.
