Not all employees need a designated desk. We see more and more companies embracing the activity-based workspace philosophy, where employees move around according to the task at hand – working in one space when they need quiet to concentrate and somewhere else when collaborating with colleagues.
Furthermore, there are still many people who don’t work at the office every day, or perhaps are only there for part of the day.
This is where on-the-fly spaces make sense.
They are a place where colleagues can work for an hour or three … and then dash off to a meeting, to visit a client, or to work in a different type of space.
We have collected five smart solutions for companies looking to create the best on-the-fly zones for their staff. All are easy to scale up or down as needed.
Back to Basics
Flexible and dynamic are just some of the requirements of the furniture used in a well-designed on-the-fly space.
You get both with the INFORMAL furniture series, which comprises five simple and basic modules made of wood. The modules can be quickly combined in many ways or used separately to create anything from low podiums and benches to high tables and shelving.
The simple, raw and informal look of the modules adds an edgy feel to any office and can be varied depending on the wood type. INFORMAL is available in both oak veneer and walnut and with laminate or linoleum on the top.
It was designed as a collaboration between AART Architects and HOLMRIS B8.
A Landing Spot for Office Nomads
If you want to set up an on-the-fly area with multifunctional furnishings, then the Central Station furniture series is worth a closer look.
With its simple modules you can have high tables, coffee stations, benches, storage, and tables and desks of different heights – and it’s easy to change the function of the pieces without the use of tools.
The series was designed by C.F. Møller in collaboration with HOLMRIS B8. About the inspiration for the design, Jon Brøcker, Head of Department at C.F. Møller Design, says:
“In our work, one of our inspirations was the nomads who constantly move around rather than living in one place. This mobility requires furnishings that can quickly and easily be packed away, moved and set up again. The nomad life is comparable in many ways to the modern office, which is in constant movement and must adapt to different projects and tasks.”
Tabletops upcycled into high tables
High tables can be a good way to add variation, especially in the way we sit throughout a workday. It’s also ideal for on-the-fly spaces, because people rarely sit in such areas for extended lengths of time – and it offers varied seating.
This Placa high table from HOLMRIS B8’s RECRAFTED Collection stands out in many ways. Not just for its beautiful bright blue color (it also comes in white for the less adventurous), but also for the material it is made of.
The Placa series consists solely of old tabletops that have been upcycled into new furniture.
Outline Spaces with Room Dividers
To frame an on-the-fly zone, a both practical and stylish solution can be to use storage furniture, like shelving units.
This is also a good way to give users of on-the-fly spaces some privacy and shield them from office “traffic”.
DIVIDER is a shelving unit with a lightweight metal frame that both provides storage options and serves as a transparent room divider.
DIVIDER is available
- With or without backing
- In a low version (102.5 cm), with six compartments, and in a high version (197.5 cm), with 12 compartments
- In black and white
- With or without shelves, cabinets and plant containers
A Room with Heart …
We’d like to round off by telling you about the brand-new on-the-fly zone we created in our own office in Copenhagen.
In connection with a relocation and renovation, we decided to drop most of the designated desks that stood in the middle of the space. Instead, we established a “heart room” where people can work on their computers or hold meetings around the large community table of the Linear Series from Muuto, accompanied by office chairs from Labofa’s Heritage Collection.
Low shelving units from Hay’s New Order series provide storage and separate the space from the main passageway through the building.
On the opposite side of the space, we can have informal meetings, socialize and hang out on the giant Mags sofas from Hay and armchairs from Marzo, and enjoy the wall art kindly on loan from Naja Utzon.
The long curtains conceal screens that can be used for presentations, etc. in external and internal meetings.
See much more about the case on HOLMRIS B8’s office in Copenhagen.
