Browse our breakout space design ideas for inspiration for your breakout area.
Breakout Space design is often placing some wacky soft seating and bean bags in some otherwise dead space. The Breakout Space is often thought of as just a space for staff to take a break, relax and recharge their batteries. However the breakout area is becoming an increasingly important area as new work practices gather pace. A good breakout space design creates a multi-functional area that can also be used for informal meetings and quiet work.
THE OFFICE BREAKOUT SPACE SHOULD BE A VALUABLE WORK AREA
The term ‘breakout space’ is really a misnomer. It suggests to staff and management that if they are seen there they are assumed to be having a break. The fact is that, with the right technology and environment, a breakout space becomes an invaluable work area. The breakout space design should make it easy to have informal meetings on the spur of the moment. This, in term, reduces the demand on traditional meeting rooms. Consequently good breakout area design should reduce delays in projects and decision-making due to meeting rooms not being available.
THE OFFICE BREAKOUT SPACE AS A PRODUCTIVE MEETING AREA
Meetings held in a more informal space are also more productive for brainstorming and idea generation. There are many new designs for multi-functional breakout area furniture that have come on to the market in recent years. However one favourite is the Media Bench which enables a number of persons to easily connect their portable devices. This allows them to share information on to the large LCD screen at the touch of a button.
PROs AND CONs OF BREAKOUT SPACES
ADVANTAGES
- Encourages collaboration
- Can be valuable multi-purpose spaces
- Great for informal meetings
- Can also be used as quiet working space
DISADVANTAGES
- Can be a waste of space if poorly designed
- Needs a good cleaning rota in the post-Covid world
Breakout Area Design Case Studies
Also take a look at this interesting BREAKOUT SPACE DESIGN CASE STUDY for AVM Impact in London. This staff breakout area project turned a tired and also little used canteen area into a vibrant breakout space. The old canteen had only been in use at lunch times whereas the new area is now used all day. It is now also used for team meetings and 1-2-1 meetings as well as lunch and breaks.
Some other interesting breakout space design case studies are
- SPI Lasers in Southampton
- Pipers Corner School in High Wycombe
In addition another useful collection of breakout space case studies is Office Snapshots.