Office layouts and their meanings

How should we choose an appropriate office?

There is a question for every new company or a company extending its business: how to choose appropriate
office premises? Which criteria are relevant? How much area do we need?
In the beginning of this process there are several questions to discuss:

How many employees there are at the moment?

What is the field of company activity? What type of work is dominating (individual, team, creative)?

Does every employee need an individual workplace?

If there are plans to hire new employees, in which period will they be hired and which positions will
they occupy?

After the discussion of these questions one should choose the right office layout system. At the moment the
predominant types of offices in the market are the following:

Cabinet office system. This office system consists usually of a secretariat, one or two meeting rooms and
many tiny cabinets with 1-2 workplaces. This system prevails in Lithuanian state authorities.
Examples of this type of offices in Vilnius: ygio g. 97, Palangos g. 4, Roi al. 2.
Advantages

Disadvantages

Less tension between employees

Weak control mechanism of employees

Developing autonomous work

Non teamwork-developing

Possibility to concentrate and focus

No information flow

Cubicle office system. There are partition walls dividing the workplaces and thus the cubic-shape, isolated,
individual workplaces are created. This type of office system became popular in 1960s when company
INTEL equipped a Cubicle-type office for the first time. Intel idea proved to be a good means in big cities where
office area is very expensive and the company needs many employees to exercise its activity. This system is very
popular amongst call centers.
Examples of this type of offices in Vilnius: IBC, Alfa, irmnai business center.
Advantages

Disadvantages

Cost-effective solution

Insufficient sound isolation

Minimum individual area

Illusion of individual area

Teamwork-developing

Exhausting environment

Open space office system. It means working in an open place. This system is modern and features fast
information spread. It is supposed that in this way employees can communicate undisturbed, share information
between them and improve quickly. Many companies are fond of this system, where creative and team work
prevails (Google, Skype, Nokia, Coca Cola).
Examples of this type of offices in Vilnius: Baltic Hearts, Greenhall, Verslo uostas.

Advantages

Disadvantages

Active information flow

Lack of individual area

Teamwork-developing

Forced contacts between employees, a risk of conflicts

Cost-effective solution

Difficult to concentrate due to the high noise level

Start office. A tenant moves in a very quick and simple way because the offices are fully equipped and
prepared to start the work, from furniture to coffee machines. This type of offices is very appropriate for newly
created companies.
Examples of this type of offices in Vilnius: Plaza 31/1, BC2000.
Advantages

Disadvantages

Moving in a short period of time

High lease price

Tenant is not responsible for building

Short-term solution: in a long term company would need

maintenance and economical management

office premises adapted to its needs

Coworking. Most often it is freelance IT professionals type. This is a new office concept when workplaces
are rented to freelance professionals which do not wish to work alone at home because in this way they cant
share their discoveries or new ideas.
Examples of this type of offices in Vilnius: HUB Vilnius, Saultekis valley business incubator.
Advantages

Disadvantages

Low lease price

No possibility to invite guests

Tenant is not responsible for building

Constant change of other tenants does not contribute to

maintenance and economical management

stability feeling

Low tenant commitments

Non prestigious

Coffice. This type of office system can be defined into two words: coffee + office. They are special cafes where
one can rent a table and work individually or together with colleagues. This type of office is very popular
among creative companies. Due to the active spread of wi-fi such system is vanishing and work with a computer
in the cafes becomes better-liked.
Examples of this type of offices in Vilnius: at the moment there are no such premises, they are replaced by
cafes with wi-fi.
Advantages

Disadvantages

Cost-effective solution

Informal environment, noise

Tenant does not depend on the location

Difficult to maintain a constant working environment

No commitments

Serious business meetings are not acceptable in cafes

In many business centers different combinations of office area dominate. In this respect new buildings are often
more appropriate as there is an opportunity to change office layout, that is divided by walls, columns or stable
partitions. In this case newer buildings are more flexible as the client can create the office satisfying his needs.