The boundaries between workplace and living space are blurring. Isabel Blanco, marketing communications manager at Armstrong Ceiling Solutions, discusses how the ceiling can play its part in restoring work-life balance

Remote working is on the rise. Managers are seeing the benefits of fostering wellbeing in the office. Just as we’re spending longer hours at work, we’re encouraged to take more time out in breakout spaces or by simply stepping outside. It’s all part of a shifting trend towards fluidity in the working day, and this is linked to wellbeing.

People seek out spaces they can enjoy at work; points of disconnect from the endless flow of tasks, as well as areas that are brighter and more inspiring. The aim is to improve wellbeing, and managers are fully aware of the benefits this can bring. Happier employees are more productive and they are more loyal to an employer who understands the importance of a good work-life balance. But what does this look like in practice?

Make yourself at home
Gone are the days of uniform, featureless box offices and cubicle farms. After all, when the average UK worker spends more than 3,500 days of their lives in the workplace, we need to ensure it’s a place they enjoy. Increasingly, managers are looking to bring the outdoors inside. Biophilic offices, green spaces and nature play an ever-larger role in workplace design, creating brighter, airier environments. Open-plan office layouts are more or less the norm today, with the aim of fostering closer collaboration and enhancing wellbeing.

For both of these trends, the critical element is daylight. Large windows and glazed areas are, of course, key to this, but ceilings need high levels of reflectance to aid the spread of light. Coupled with using materials, such as mineral tiles, that improve indoor air quality, and we’re already looking at a more desirable place in which to spend a third of our lives.

Wellbeing, daylight and indoor air quality are just part of the story. In these open-plan workspaces, we also need effective zoning solutions: breakout areas for relaxation, meeting areas for collaborative and confidential work, as well as quiet spaces for focus and concentration. It is crucial at the specification stage that materials for acoustic zoning are accounted for. For example, mineral ceiling tiles with high levels of sound absorption/attenuation will be required for more private spaces, while ceilings that can direct sound within a certain radius will make for more effective collaboration. It is also important to specify ceiling solutions that mask sounds from mechanical services in the plenum space. Good indoor air quality often relies on HVAC systems, which can add unwelcome noise. Working with a ceiling specialist can ensure that this is minimised.

Comfort is key. All aspects of the space’s architecture and interior design need to work together, from layout to materials to colours and furnishings. Only by doing this can we make workers feel at home while they work. Which brings us to what happens when people take their work home with them.

Creating the home office
Worldwide, it is estimated that up to 70 per cent of people work remotely at least once a week, so it’s clear that residential projects need to factor in spaces that enable occupants to work with focus. In terms of refurbishment and renovation projects, this often involves converting a bedroom, spare room, or even a corner of a common area, into a space where the inhabitant can work effectively, or undertake conference/video calls without disturbing other residents or neighbours. The ceilings in these spaces should have the same acoustic and visual qualities as those of the workplace – specifically good levels of attenuation, absorption and brightness.

This situation is complicated for new-build projects, particularly in inner cities, where space is limited. Multi-occupancy apartments and mixed-use developments need solutions that limit noise from the street and neighbours. Given the increased reliance on lightweight plasterboard solutions for walls, ceilings need to play a larger role with acoustic systems creating spaces that are conducive to home working.

Work and life – a ceiling apart
Just as the boundaries between home and work are blurring, the way we approach the design of these spaces is being inverted. We need to maximise wellbeing in the workplace – codes such as BREEAM and LEED demand it – and so we’re bringing the visual and comfort aspects of the home into the work environment. Conversely, at home, we need to design spaces that facilitate effective remote working. Whichever space we design for, maintaining the work-life balance needs to be foremost throughout the design, specification and build process. Because work and life are just a ceiling apart.

Contact Details
To learn how Armstrong Ceiling Solutions can help you bring balance to your workspaces and living spaces, click here.